W
embley Stadium, one of London’s iconic venues, is host to some of the world’s
major sporting fixtures and concerts. The security model that Integrated Security Consultants Ltd (ISC) have developed can be applied to protect high-profile buildings across the globe, from banks to visitor attractions.
The security function is responsible for protecting the public, performers and athletes at the venue’s regular event days each year, which may be attended by up to 90,000 people. Equally, it protects offices and smaller venues within the complex, which provide the occasional or regular workplace for up to 500 full time staff, innumerable temporary staff, contractors, guests and VIPs. It’s important that all staff are confident that they are working in a safe and secure environment.
As home of England’s Football Association (The FA), the US’s National Football League (NFL) International Series, world famous concerts and international events, Wembley presents a huge range of security responsibilities and challenges. The building is subject to intense scrutiny from the press, the public and clients, thanks both to the presence of its regular VIP guests and the high public expectation to keep the venue and its millions of annual visitors safe.
It takes immense planning and careful implementation by the security team to ensure events take place safely. The stadium also has extensive risk considerations on non-major event days so it must be experienced, flexible and proactive, with the resources to appropriately staff everything from intimate corporate gatherings to high-end events, with delegates numbering anything from 20 to 10,000. A permanent security team for buildings such as this has to be multi-faceted and flexible, while maintaining a welcoming presence with world class recognised customer service.
Tackling terrorism
The security challenges facing iconic destinations and places of work have evolved significantly over the last 15 years. The horrors of 9/11 loom large in every building operator or security business’s mind and the industry has developed a wealth of technology and expertise to reduce the risks of terrorism at every level.
A lot of the technologies were originally designed and implemented around crowd management. After 9/11 the counter terrorism side of security had to be taken into serious consideration, not just relying on police and counter terrorism services. Systems in all iconic buildings have, or should now have, been updated or retrospectively fitted.
No-one can predict the next big attack. On a day-to-day basis there is ever-greater emphasis on the access to buildings, with event owners, permanent staff and contractors increasingly conscious of whom they invite in. The flow of
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information between organisations has been a vital tool in fighting terrorism. Getting to know other security managers in other businesses and sharing intelligence is an enormous help in reducing risk. The Metropolitan Police instigated a security zone in Brent (as duplicated in other boroughs) which is managed by the local business community, covering the stadium and organisations from major hotels to the local DIY shop. We get together to talk about security. We don’t wait for something to happen; we discuss how to deal with risks and constantly re-evaluate the measures we have in place to stop an incident, and this is working very well.
Furthermore, we’re ever conscious not just of who is entering the building but who is approaching it. Security teams are constantly required to look beyond the front door and ask, ‘Who’s looking at my building? Who’s walked past three times today?’ Hostile reconnaissance – individuals ‘scoping’ the building for a host of reasons, whether for theft or even more serious intent – is often the first sign of an impending incident.
We are continually looking for improved technologies and methods of operating. While initial outlay can be higher with these technological approaches, they are an invaluable complement to feet on the ground and, when used correctly, prove highly cost- efficient in the long run. And, of course, all the information is recorded and stored.
Managing assets
Counter terrorism is of utmost importance but it is not the only challenge iconic building security teams face. We can never take our eye off the ball with asset management - the property and contents of the building. Conferences and banqueting operations see large amounts of expensive technology entering and leaving the building on a regular basis – sound, audio-visual and lighting equipment – while guests need to use their laptops and phones in publicly - accessible areas. We have to be alert all the time and, with a less experienced team, this could impact on customer service. We have developed real techniques and skills in the way that visitors are approached that don’t make them feel threatened or intimidated but
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