REVIEW YOUR SECURITY Protest events are by their nature unpredictable, but businesses can help minimise potential disruption to themselves by taking protective measures. The appointment of a DECO (see previous pages) is strongly advised: his or her responsibility will be to produce a risk assessment and oversee control measures, to devise appropriate contingency and search plans, run evacuation drills, and liaise with the police and the emergency services. All organisations with offices in the City should review and test their internal and external security procedures on a regular basis.


Potentially vulnerable points in your premises such as delivery bays, access points and post rooms should have effective security systems and procedures in place that track deliveries of large packages or goods and verify the identity of staff and visitors.


Check that all CCTV equipment is operational and that cameras are sited strategically. Proper maintenance and positioning is vital if CCTV monitoring is installed in reception lobbies or lift areas, in order to provide a visual, timed record of everyone entering and leaving the premises. The City of London Police advises that CCTV pictures should be of a high quality in case they are needed as evidence in court and that they should be kept for a maximum of 31 days.


If a demonstration has been identified as potentially violent, the decision as to whether or not to board up premises must be left to the individual business owner, but the installation of quick-close security gates and protective barriers may be worth considering anyway as a safeguard against other threats.


You may also wish to consider increasing or introducing manned guarding at your premises to provide a visible deterrent to disruption and violence. Guards should be


easily identified and should be trained and well briefed as to their roles and responsibilities. Whatever the threat, businesses can reduce the risk to themselves, their employees and clients by staying security minded. Just a small investment in security measures helps to protect businesses against crime of any kind.


All businesses in the City of London should take note of Project Griffin, which specifically targets the terrorist threat but has implications for security in general. The Project Griffin Awareness Day covers such topics as the current threat level and hostile reconnaissance.


For advice concerning the correct installation and use of CCTV cameras, and a downloadable version of the relevant Code of Practice, visit the section on CCTV at the Information Commissioner’s web site at www.ico.gov.uk


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