Shergroup's enforcement and security divisions have seen
a rise in the number of incidents on which
they are called in to help as campaigners
become more expert in mobilising public opposition
and taking aggressive direct action. Protest
groups are now using Parliamentary campaigns,
the courts, the planning process and the media
to back up their site-specific campaigns.
The threat from a wide range of sources including eco-warriors, squatters and
protestors to national utilities such as energy, water and gas companies is
very real and increasing, which in turn adds another layer of cost to protecting
assets from invasion and trespass. In this picture taken from the Shergroup
archives you can see a protestor chained to the conveyor belt, which forms part
of the infrastructure of a national coal fired power station.
Shergroup were instructed to handle another full-on protest in October this
year when eco-protestors climbed up and locked on to a 650-foot chimney to make
their point about climate change. Shergroup teams had to spend two-and-a-half
hours climbing up the hot, dusty chimney to remove the protestors from a dangerous
situation.
So what can companies do to combat these expensive and high-risk threats to their
vital infrastructure? The simple answer is to bring Shergroup in right from the start,
especially where the threat from disruption to production or damage to property is
perceived as high-risk.
Alan Smith, Chief Operations Officer for Shergroup,
explains: "We are urging the managers
of high-risk installations to make a conscious
shift in thinking, so rather than managing
the risk when it happens and having to crisis
manage the property that has been invaded
or trespassed upon, they actually call us
in at an early stage to assess the risks and
allow us to help them to create a strategy
to overcome those risks, thus preventing expensive
fire-fighting. Our view is that too many high-risk
sites are still marked by a short-term lack
of investment and an unwillingness or inability
to look at the larger security picture."
Shergroup's Action Plan for companies faced with securing
high-risk sites recommends:
- Carrying out a strategic review of the site to assess how susceptible it is going to be to trespass
- As a result of the strategic review, assess weak points on the site which may allow trespassers to enter
- Invest in measures to close those gaps
- Think the unthinkable! Protestors and trespassers do their homework, exploiting
the weak points in security, so make sure
your organisation does the same!
- Ensure your organisation does a thorough
cost/benefit analysis when it comes to making
decisions about how to close gaps and provide
long-term security - dropping adequate security
levels may cost more in the long run
For more insight on how Shergroup can help your
organisation when it comes to site security,
look at our websites at
www.sherbond.net
or
www.shercurity.net
or call us on 0845 890 9213.
