Westminster Group are proud to support the Protect Duty initiative and will be happy to provide tailored advice, our products, services, and training to those who require it once the consultation period has ended in July.
What is Protect Duty?
Protect Duty is part of the UK Government’s initiative to improve protective security at public spaces and events, including sports stadiums, music venues, shopping centres, places of worship and public open spaces. The Protect Duty will ensure that all public spaces are prepared for and protected against terrorist attacks.
Protect Duty aims to deliver on a manifesto of the Government’s commitment to improve the safety and security of public venues, drawing on lessons learned from previous attacks. The Government met on the 26th of February to set out its proposals for this new legislation.
Among the Protect Duty proposals are the requirement to have counter-terrorism training for all event staff; risk assessments at locations to understand their vulnerability; more thorough security checks, including bag screenings; and the introduction of clear counter-terrorism action plans.
Martyn’s Law
Martyn’s Law is a campaign started by Figen Murray; the mother of Martyn Hett who was one of 22 victims killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena Bombing. Ms Murray has been campaigning since the attack to bring in legislation to increase security in public places.
According to the Martyn’s Law Final Report, ‘Of the 650,000 crowded places in the UK, only about 0.2% are prioritised to receive direct support from the state’s network of counter-terrorism experts.’ At present, owners of both private and public venues are not obliged to act on advice about threats of a terrorist attack. By implementing the Martyn’s Law legislation, it would be a legal requirement for these crowded places to have plans in place to protect against terror attacks.
Figen Murray is determined to stop such violent acts from happening again. She told BBC News, “To make Martyn’s Law a reality is of huge relief and I look forward to making a lasting difference with all of those who have supported it.”
Westminster Group’s Input
The increasing threats and recent mass casualty events have resulted in a new focus for government initiatives, such as Martyn’s Law. Westminster are at the forefront of providing the experience, security services and manpower necessary to assist event organisers in protecting and securing their event.
Westminster are able to provide a complete service to all of our customers, including a threat and risk assessment; equipment and manning services; and full training to existing staff.
Westminster will use our diverse experience and knowledge across many areas of the worldwide security industry to provide the full support needed to manage and assure the threats and risk assessment process. We can help to ensure that all threat and risks are being identified and that appropriate mitigation measures are being employed effectively. The way risks are identified and managed has entered a new era, being driven by the new viral threat. Westminster Group will help to guarantee that all risks – whether security, safety, national or local are formally assessed, managed, and diminished successfully.
Westminster has experience in providing guarding services across a broad spectrum of sectors. With vast experience securing numerous events, Westminster have the ability to provide all the solutions necessary to protect the event, including car park and entry control; crowd and search control; and VIP escort and close protection guarding. Westminster also have the ability to provide security personnel that are fully SIA licensed.
If it would be better for some venues and companies to train their own staff rather than utilising Westminster’s guards, our operationally experienced trainers will provide the knowledge and guidance required to assess risks and enable the effective implementation of security controls at any event or location.
Our Events Security Operation Training is a 1-5-day course, depending on the modules required, and can be delivered either at our specialist training facility or at your location if necessary. The content includes:
- Threat Assessment and Risk Mitigation following CPNI guidelines
- General Security Awareness; Access Control and Effective Security
- Preparing People for Security Checks
- Searching People, Baggage, Vehicles and Building
- Incident response and contingency planning
- Patrolling and K9 Services
- Effective Communication
- SIA Licensing
To learn more about our security training courses and how we can help public spaces to implement the Protect Duty legislation, please email us at [email protected] or visit the training section of our website.
