In March 2004, the events in Madrid demonstrated the capability of an Al Qaida affiliated terrorist group to carry out an attack without warning against a civilian target in Western Europe.  The fact that Al Qaida cells and supporters of affiliated groups were known to be active in the UK
added to the threat level faced by everyone but still there was the ‘it will not happen here’ attitude in many organisations. Then on Thursday 7th July more than 50 people were killed and hundreds injured in terrorist attacks in central London, this was followed by further,
but unsuccessful, attacks two weeks later.

 Whilst this recent terrorism on mainland Britain has helped raise the issue of security and made it higher profile throughout the UK
it should not be forgotten that the use of simple crime prevention measures can help to combat terrorist in addition to deterring the more common crimes.  The good news is that a change in culture and the use of simple crime prevention measures can help to combat terrorist as
a by-product of preventing more common crimes. 

However, I learned over my thirty two years as a police officer that whilst most crimes are preventable the phrase ‘closing the stable door after the horse has bolted’ is appropriate in many cases. In effect whilst many major organisations install all manner of physical preventive measures they then wait until they become a victim of crime before taking action to make those preventive measures effective rather than simply cosmetic.  This does not need to be so, a relatively simple strategic survey can identify ways to drastically improve
and make effective existing security for very little outlay.

Put simply, it matters not what security measures exist if a culture of crime prevention is not the norm in an organisation.  My approach is to bring about a change in culture for my clients that is driven from the top and understood by everyone in the organisation so that improvements in overall security are sustainable.

In order to bring about that change in culture I use a series of questions during meetings with various ‘key players’ in the organisation to identify an organisation’s existing approach to security issues. This approach provides a ‘snapshot’ of how the organisation is managing the issue of security and produces recommendations for improvement.  

Whilst there is no such thing as total security and even the most comprehensive security arrangements can be breached by determined criminals experience suggests that by addressing these key points security can be improved and maintained at a level that should considerably reduce the risk of attack from criminals.  

If the stable door is firmly and securely closed as a matter of routine the horse will not be able to bolt anywhere, nor is it likely to be stolen!