procuring counter terrorism
DESCRIPTION
A briefing given at CT Expo 2013TRANSCRIPT
Buyer Beware! The Pitfalls of Procuring Counter Terrorism in Times of Uncertainty
Chris Tomlinson – Arup Resilience, Security and Risk
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My Agenda
• Why worry about what the „buck‟ buys in terms of
preventing the „bang‟
• CONTEST‟s success
• The enduring adversaries
• Securing commercial developments in a recession
• Buyer‟s guide and what bad may look like
• Self-help sources
• Final thoughts on value and quality.
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So Why Worry?
• There has been a steady year-on-year increase in
expenditures on counter terrorism during this century –
the evidence is everywhere
• Surely we will be less of a target, as we scale back
deployments to Afghanistan over next few years?
• Most accept the „user pays‟ principle, but how much is
enough and what is defensive sufficiency?
• Raising questions about what is a fair level of
expenditure for commercial developers?
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Especially if CONTEST is working - isn‟t it?
• PREVENT must have reached its target audiences,
changed mindsets and we are withdrawing from
Afghanistan
• PURSUE the most newsworthy of the activities appears
to have caused plenty of adversary disruption
• PROTECT may have also played a part – e.g. the 2012
Olympics‟ security overlay
• PREPARE has probably evolved as well, but it is the
least interesting of the CONTEST strands.
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Lest We Forget – International Inspired Groups
• 11 UK nationals had planned to set off up to eight
rucksack bombs and possibly other devices in crowded
places
• Yes some have proved a bit incompetent, but we should
never bank on stupidity – these were dangerous
conspirators!
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Lest We Forget – Dissident Irish Republicans
• We are seeing a steady drive by Dissidents to resurrect
capabilities – UVBTs, mortars and RPGs
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Securing Commercial Spaces in a Recession
• “Can you tell me what we need to get our design past
the planning committee and can you explain that risk
appetite thing again?”
• Those that fund, design, develop, manage and occupy
are a diverse stakeholder community
• Those gifted with powers to reject poor security design
are not that empowered or inclined
• Security is always a grudge purchase and wiser heads
than I say that attitude is set to prevail
• A race to bottom in terms of the quality – perhaps!
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All this when:
• Building footprints are getting more „stacked and
packed‟ – economics of city space usage
• Public private property demises are harder to define –
territoriality is challenged
• The public is apt to forget that threats continue and
may evolve
• Policing is under pressure in terms of providing the
Thin Blue Line and design specialists
• The CT designer and system supplier/installer are
finding things tough commercially.
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Key Deductions for Buyers – the Stuck Record
• Get a threat and resilience assessment done early –
ensure the DBTs are understood and agreed
• Do match the HVM to the DBTs
• Stand-off is the most acceptable of CT measures, but a
luxury in a crowded central business district
• Look for design that facilitates detection and reaction
• Think back-of-house as well as front-of-house
• Work with the police design advisor - they can help
measure local borough „pushback‟ against CT design.
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Buyers of CT services need to look for:
• Qualified and experienced design consultants - RSES
• Approaches guided by CPNI, NACTSO and blessed by
local police specialists
• Mitigation measures that match the space usage,
threats, aesthetics and importantly risk appetite
• Mitigation measures that come with acceptable life-
span costs
• Threat response scalability
• Think about adjacent spaces and matching sufficiency.
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Self-help Sources
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“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get”
Warren Buffett