So can the secret Ring of Steel save the City from terrorism?

The following is all about an exhibition I recently visited following reading an article by Kieron Long in the Evening Standard. the exhibition was at Hanbury Hall near Brick Lane, E1. 'Allegedly' it was a photographic trip in time and Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM). It wasn't, but still interesting just the same.

The article in the Evening Standard by Kieron Long was about a phenomenon that had been relatively covert, until documentary photographer Henrietta Williams and cartographer and trainee architect George Gingell began their project ‘Entering the Panopticon’: a study of the Ring of Steel, earlier this year.

In essence Williams and Gingell attempt to take us on a journey of how their research revealed one of the most significant transformations of an urban planning anywhere in London, 17 years of alterations to the public realm that have fundamentally changed the way the city meets the rest of the city. Or in layman terms and as we security people know designing out the hostile vehicle attack through Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM).

The project now complete and their comprehensive mapping and photographic survey of every element of the ring of steel ready for show, I with a couple of colleagues attended.

The article stated that Williams and Gingell's work had documented a landscape of explicit security measures, such as new chicanes in roads manned by armed police, security cameras and bollards, as well as more subtle segments of the ring. The pictures reveal decorative water features and planters that are in fact built solidly enough to prevent car-bomb attacks. They also showed many places that were once streets but are now private property that staffed by security guards who move on homeless people, prevent photographers from taking pictures and stop kids skateboarding.

Unfortunately the exhibition did not translate well, and what Williams and Gingell were probably attempting to communicate was lost in its surroundings. There were a limited amount of pictures on display and some of them were not any type of HVM, the bollards in one of the pictures were that of a different London borough and were not HVM and this was disappointing.

I was unable to attend and walk the planned tour earlier in the day, but I doubt that any commentary would have helped me in understanding the point as the exhibition had already lost any credibility through obvious mistakes.

The Ring of Steel itself as quoted by Kieron Long is 6.5 miles of bollards, police boxes, CCTV cameras and other more subtle obstructions that has transformed the capital since it was conceived in 1993. It is the City of London's defence against car-borne terrorism, an unbroken security cordon that encircles London's financial heart.

What I would say is Williams and Gingell's had a fascinating idea and as a topic is ignored daily and although the exhibition is now over, I would suggest visiting the square mile and playing eye spy the HVM. I personally believe both the City of London and the Capital as a whole can offer the modern day counter terror security advisor some great examples of how best to mitigate this increasing threat around in the world. Maybe next time walking around the capital I'll get my camera out and take some pictures, introduce myself to some security staff and have a argument about the risk and the right to take pictures in public (that of course is a whole other argument nowadays and one not for me).

Counter Terror Conference 7-8 December, Russell Square, London UK

On the 7th & 8th December 2010 at Hotel Russell in London, Richard is attending and presenting.

Counter Terrorism is delighted to welcome the following keynote speakers: 

• Detective Chief Superintendent Liam O’Brien, ACPO TAM Interoperability Lead
• Adrian Dwyer, Counter Terrorism Risk Advisor, British Transport Police
• Mike Downing, Deputy Chief, Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau, LAPD
• Andrew Huddart, Program Manager, National & Local London Resilience Team
• Rob Bartlett, Programme Manager Operations, Government Olympic Executive 2012
• Sue O’Sullivan, Deputy Chief of Police, Former President of the Counter Terrorism Alumni Association, Ottawa Police Service
• Col Tony Abati, US Army Special Forces Chief of Current Operations Deputy Director for Special Operations (J37) 3000 The Joint Staff, The Pentegon
• Detective Chief Inspector Chris Philips GCGI, FSyl, National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO)
• Superintendent Alan King, CBRNe Co-ordinator, Metropolitan Police
• Joris De Baerdemeaker, Bio Terrorism Prevention Program Manager, INTERPOL General Secretariat
• Chief Inspector Tim Marjason, Strategic Business Continuity Manager, CO3 Emergency Preparedness OCU, Metropolitan Police Services
• and Me, Richard Bell, Security Audit Manager, Transport for London

This Counter Terrorism 2010 Conference, is being billed as an essential event for all counter terrorism stake holders wishing to hear the latest on the following:

• Expanding the use of scanning devices outside of airport security
• Operational command and control
• Overcoming communication challenges to improve response times
• Operational feedback from anti terror CCTV
• Future requirements for surveillance technology
• Combating the emerging threat of cyber terrorism
• Latest developments in biometric identification

£3m 'anti-terror' CCTV cameras 'set up to spy on Muslims' to be covered

The 218 cameras have sprung up in Birmingham’s Washwood Heath and Sparkbrook areas – to the outrage of residents who say they were not asked. They have been paid for with £3million from the Association of Chief Police Officers’ terror and allied matters fund.

None of them will be used until a public consultation exercise has taken place.
Rodger Godsiff, Lab­our MP for Hall Green, said: ‘Police have got themselves into a bit of a hole now because they have a difficult problem to explain to the public and try and get them on their side. ‘If the money did not come out of a counter-terrorism budget they may have got a different reaction.’

The Respect Party’s Sparkbrook councillor Salma Yaqoob said: ‘In terms of reassurance it’s going to take a lot more than plastic bags.’ The police say the cameras are there to fight all types of crime.

TfL Press Release - Crime falls again on the Tube as investment in security continues

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that crime on the Underground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) went down by 4% in 2009/10.

Some of the most notable statistics released by the British Transport Police (BTP) showed that:

• Violent crime has been cut by nearly eight per cent
• Public disorder offences are down by around 23 per cent
• Vandalism has reduced by 17%
• Drug-related offences have seen a reduction of nearly 22%
• Pick pocketing has seen an 11% rise

Following the increase in theft of passenger property TfL has worked with the BTP on dedicated operations to tackle these offences and pickpocket figures are already starting to see a significant reduction.

Continued improvements in safety and physical security on trains and stations, as well as TfL's ongoing collaborative work with the BTP, have helped with this overall reduction. But there is always more that can be done which is why significant resources are devoted to catching and prosecuting criminals and CCTV cameras across the network are being increased from 12,000 to more than 14,000 in years to come.

In addition London Underground (LU) is consulting on changes with trade unions on operational staffing at Tube stations, which would see staff from behind ticket offices move out onto station platforms and gate lines to provide a more visible presence for passengers. There are now more than 1500 Help points across the Tube network and our most recent market research shows people feel safer while travelling on the Tube.

In addition, crime on London Overground has remained low overall with significant reductions in robberies and drug-related offences. Some interesting figures released by the British Transport Police (BTP) show that for 2009/10:

Crime on the LU/DLR network was down by 4%
There are now just 13 crimes for every million passenger journeys
Violent crime has been cut by 7.5%
Sexual offences have been reduced by 3%
Criminal damage has gone down by 17.2%
Theft of passenger property or pick-pocketing has seen an increase of 10.8%
Theft of railway property, including cable theft, has seen an increase of 6.8%
Public disorder offences have gone down 22.7%
Fraud offences, including tampering with cash and ticket machines on LU property, have gone down by 10.4%
Drug-related offences have gone down by 21.7%
Robbery saw an increase of 0.7%
LU carried more than a billion passengers in 2009/10

Figures released by the BTP for London Overground also show that for 2009/10, Crimes on the London Overground network was down from 523 to 517:

Violent crime increased from 111 to 113
Sexual offences have been reduced by 38.5%
Criminal damage increased from 49 to 58
Theft of passenger property or pick-pocketing has seen an increase of from 73 to 85
Theft of railway property, including cable theft, was reduced by 27.8%
Public disorder offences went up from 87 to 91
Fraud offences, have gone down by 60%
Drug-related offences have gone down by 25%
Robbery saw a decrease of 26.7%

£430m loss, let's blame the Security Guards!

Five master pieces valued at up to £430m have been stolen from the Museum of Art in Paris. Museum officials discovered the theft early on Thursday, when they found a smashed window and a broken padlock which had been cut to gain access to the five paintings.

A number of news headlines highlighted the that the guard/s (some reports state that 3 were on duty) were sleeping and the Evening Standards headline said 'Guards dozed as thief stole Paris paintings'! Why is it that the security guards sleeping hits the headlines and not the other catalogue of errors and issues that took place at the Museum :

• CCTV cameras pointing only at the roof
  
• Managements decision to switch off the alarm system because it kept going wrong (parts were on order).
  
• The paintings may not have been insured
  
• £15 million was spent upgrading security during a two-year refit which ended in 2006.
  
• Theft not discovered for up to 3 hours
  
• The intruder slipped into the Museum after simply removing a window.

• Insiders working for low pay in galleries are often suspected of helping criminals.
  

I think this really goes to prove a point that I made in this blog after my recent visit to IFSEC. You can spend an awful lot of money on technology (£15m in this case) but you still have the human element 'who leave cameras pointing at the ceiling' or the senior member of management that 'turns of the alarm systems due to false activations' or the member of staff who 'leaves the door unlocked in return for €50's'.
There is and always will be a requirement to have a robust security management regime (including Physical Security and Personnel Security) in place along with regular security audits to provide assurance that these measures are proportionate and effective. Although the night guard failing asleep is a serious issue (and one which is a common in the industry) it hardly deserves to be the headline for what is a heist of the century and a £430m loss of some of the rarest art pieces in the World.

One of the pieces stolen a £15m: Fernand Leger's 'Still Life with a Chandelier'

SOME OF THE BIGGEST ART THEFTS IN HISTORY

• May 2010: A lone thief stole five paintings possibly worth hundreds of millions of euros, including works by Picasso and Matisse, in a brazen overnight heist at a Paris modern art museum.
• February 2008: Armed robbers stole four paintings by Cezanne, Degas, van Gogh and Monet worth $163.2 million from the E.G. Buehrle Collection, a private museum in Zurich, Switzerland. The van Gogh and Monet paintings were recovered.
• December 2007: A painting by Pablo Picasso valued at about $50 million, along with one by Brazilian artist Candido Portinari valued at $5 million to $6 million, were stolen from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art in Brazil, by three burglars using a crowbar and a car jack. The paintings were later found.
• February 2007: Two Picasso paintings, worth nearly $66 million, and a drawing were stolen from the Paris, France home of the artist's granddaughter in an overnight robbery. Police later recovered the art when the thieves tried to sell it.
• February 2006: Around 300 museum-grade artifacts worth an estimated $142 million, including paintings, clocks and silver, were stolen from a 17th-century manor house at Ramsbury in southern England, the largest property theft in British history, according to reports.
• February 2006: Four works of art and other objects, including paintings by Matisse, Picasso, Monet and Salvador Dali, were stolen from the Museu Chacara do Ceu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by four armed men during a Carnival parade. Local media estimated the paintings' worth at around $50 million.
• August 2004: Two paintings by Edvard Munch, The Scream and Madonna, insured for $141 million, were stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway by three men in a daylight raid. The paintings were recovered nearly two years later.
• August 2003: A $65 million Leonardo da Vinci painting was stolen from Drumlanrig Castle in southern Scotland after two men joined a public tour and overpowered a guide. It was recovered four years later.
• May 2003: A 16th-century gold-plated Saliera, or salt cellar, by Florentine master Benvenuto Cellini, valued at $69.3 million, was stolen from Vienna's Art History Museum by a single thief when guards discounted a burglar alarm. The figurine was later recovered.
• December 2002: Two thieves broke in through the roof of the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and stole two paintings by Van Gogh valued at $30 million. Dutch police convicted two men in December 2003, but did not recover the paintings.
• December 2000: Hooded thieves stole a self-portrait by Rembrandt and two Renoir paintings worth an estimated $36 million from Stockholm's waterfront National Museum, using a motorboat in their escape. All paintings were recovered.
• October 1994: Seven Picasso paintings worth an estimated $44 million were stolen from a gallery in Zurich, Switzerland. They were recovered in 2000.
• April 1991: Two masked armed men took 20 paintings - worth at least $10 million each at the time - from Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum. The paintings were found in the getaway car less than an hour later.
• March 1990: In the biggest art theft in U.S. history, $300 million in art, including works by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Manet, was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, by two men in police uniforms.
• December 1988: Thieves stole three paintings by van Gogh, with an estimated value of $72 million to $90 million, from the Kroeller-Mueller Museum in a remote section of the Netherlands. Police later recovered all three paintings.
• May 1986: A Vermeer painting, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, is among 18 paintings worth $40 million stolen from Russborough House in Blessington, Ireland. Some of the paintings are later recovered.
• August 1911: Perhaps the most famous case of art theft occurred when the Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by employee Vinczo Peruggia, who was caught two years later.

Another year another visit to IFSEC

Has another year gone by already! If I am honest I found IFSEC 2009 a little boring but this year the website blurb says 'IFSEC is the world's leading global annual security event, uniting over 25,000 security professionals with more than 600 world leading companies, spread over seven product areas, to source all your security solutions and meet with your peers'.

I have been lucky enough to attend a number of events this year including Infosec (too many IT geeks there for my liking), the Counter Terror Expo (which was good and Richard was a speaker at the conference), HOSBD (which was very good, but with too much testosterone on show for my liking). I have learnt a number of important lessons whilst walking around 1) don't look anyone in the eyes you are not interested in talking to, 2) don't walk onto any stands you are well 'not interested in talking too' and 3) don't let anyone scan your badge otherwise you will be bombarded with spam (these are very important points to remember). Yes I know I sound miserable but with over 600 exhibitors (plus the Facilities and S&H expo's), frankly I do not have the time or dare I say the interest in some of the products, services or even the companies (maybe that's another blog idea).

The plan was to meet up with a number of contacts, look at some security 'porn' and to spend some time in the SMT Select Lounge networking, all of which I happily achieved and gained some valuable contacts from. IFSEC serves a purpose for me which is that it maintains my knowledge and awareness of the latest technology available in the industry (although IFSEC is a little 'death by CCTV'). I don't spec for systems but I do need to know if there is a more effective solution available. But it is much like attending the British Motorshow I wouldn't buy a car just because I saw it (or sat in it) at the show. IFSEC is without question a one stop shop for all the latest technologies available to security professionals.

Whilst having a cup of coffee I did overhear a conversation between two fellow visitors and one said to the other 'it is good but how many bloody CCTV cameras can you look it'! A fair point I thought.

I would be interested in knowing from any exhibitors what their conversion rates are. The stands are getting bigger, brighter and clearly more expensive (some even had cars on display) I guess it must be worthwhile attending IFSEC or is it purely making sure that your are seen......keeping up with the Jones?

A couple of areas I feel IFSEC is missing is around the areas of Risk Management and Security Audit/Assurance (both are very important factors in an organisation where Security is embedded). Technology is important but how do organisations provide the ongoing assurance to the rel event boards or committees that they have the appropriate measures in place to manage security and mitigate against risks? Also what about Personnel Security we all know how important this area is (and its an ever increasing list of companies that have now made security departments responsible for pre-employment screening) but I didn't see any stands showcasing this? If the organisers truly want to provide a world-class show these are areas which must be represented, after all we are in a very cost conscious climate and technology solutions are expensive and are not always an option!

I think it should be compulsory that all senior management (with responsibility for security) or at the least budget holders to attend this show. In terms of security it is glitzy and actually demonstrates that security is much more then a uniformed guard stood on a door. Dare I say the show was almost sexy! Just look at these.........
and these.............

Also for anybody out there who is interested yes I did attend the Facilities Show and yes I also attended the Safety and Health show (or Health and Safety as its known to most). How did they compare to IFSEC? Well it just wouldn't be a fair comparison.....IFSEC had an Audi R8 on display, but they were blowing stuff up in the S&H show!

I met lots of interesting people whilst at the show, then of course there is this photograph which is a good representation of a two modern day security professionals.........

So will I attend next year, yes why not, hopefully some of the more cost effective solutions might be on display and by then maybe automated security guard robots will be released upon the world.....although some say we already have these!

All in all good job IFSEC! I will see you next year.