Proactive Protection Of Football Stadiums

By Peter Jackson, MD, Jacksons Fencing

The recent Euros football tournament brought some much-needed joy to the nation following over a year of intermittent lockdowns caused by the pandemic.

Wembley Stadium has a maximum capacity of 90,000, but the government approached the final with caution, and settled on a maximum capacity of 40,000 in the semi-final, which was then increased to 60,000 in the final. However, as Wembley Stadium opened its doors to ticket holders on Sunday 11th July, no one could’ve anticipated what was to come. An unknown number of ticketless football fans stormed the stadium, breaching the security barriers in place and overpowering any stewards in their way.

It was described as a ‘security shambles,’ by the media, and various parties have been heavily criticised for their handling of the situation. This event has forced the industry to revaluate what proactive protective measures are essential to ensure events run safely and smoothly, protecting people and property from threat.

Pushing For Positive Change

It is obvious from recent events that football stadiums are challenging to protect effectively, especially when presented with mobs of passionate fans. The government is intent on exploring the most effective way for them to work with the parties responsible for these locations to achieve improved security. This means establishing responsibility for safety in the venue, considering what the reasonable expectations are, and the potential role played by legislation in mitigating these issues.

In February this year, the government launched a consultation on newly proposed anti-terrorism legislation to protect the general public. The Protect Duty, as it’s billed, builds on ‘Martyn’s Law’, legislation campaigned for by the mother of one of the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.

The consultation will consider ways of developing proportionate security measures in locations that are accessible to the public. The aim is to make it a legal requirement for venue operators to assess and mitigate security risks, taking steps to protect the public, as currently there is no legal requirement to do so. Football stadiums fall into this category as they’re public venues with a capacity of over 100 people, with a minimum of 250 staff.

Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to predict or prevent all violent attacks, and any publicly accessible location can become a target at any time. It’s therefore essential that those responsible for the venues in question should be ready and prepared to take appropriate action at any given moment. This consultation aims to provide a security framework to help venues be prepared by considering the adequacy of adopted security measures, systems, and processes.

Stay Alert!

The consultation document includes a list of recommendations for venues:

• Be alert to suspicious behaviours, engage the person in a welcoming and helpful manner or report them to the police
• Be alert to abandoned bags
• Be security-minded, especially online. Avoid providing specific information that could aid a terrorist, for example, floor plans with security details
• Encourage and enable a security culture
• Complete and provide ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) Awareness e-learning
• Have a clear action plan. How would you respond to an incident inside or outside your site?
• Periodically review and refresh the risk assessment

Prep Work

The framework includes three key points that football stadiums and other public organisations should pay attention to:

Completing A Risk Assessment – This involves understanding what potential motivations could be to attack the venue, where they might target, how they might attack, and how those motivations and methodologies might change.

Considering Security As A System – Thinking of security as a combination of physical and behavioural interventions is critical. While erecting physical measures such as fences, bollards, CCTV and blast-resistant glazing, will add a firm layer of protection, it is also essential to build and sustain a security-minded culture, where vigilance is encouraged, and appropriate, robust training is provided for everyone involved in the day-to-day running of the establishment.

Correct Installation – Check that your system doesn’t conflict with other safety measures, such as health and safety and fire regulations.

Organisations are encouraged to use information and guidance provided by the government, and available through the police services to check their specifications comply. These will help when assessing the likelihood of terrorist threats to the public and staff at the stadium.

The guidance is designed to help highlight the potential impacts of the risks. These will vary depending on the specific functions or qualities of the site in question, as well as the security systems that are in place.

Venues should also consider a ‘reasonably practicable’ organisational preparedness system. The storming of Wembley Stadium was made far worse by the lack of security staff. Although not all employees need to become security staff, it is beneficial to providing training and share planning throughout the organisation so everyone knows how to react quickly in case of an emergency.

How Does Compliance Work?

Compliance is one of the questions the consultation is seeking answers to, but current suggestions include simple measures such as venues building in time, and budget, where possible, for periodic risk assessments and preparedness activities, as well as staff training.

How Are Partners Supported By The Government?

First and foremost, the government is offering advice on understanding threats and attack methods, practical preparedness measures, and how to stay vigilant and plan for incidents. A new digital platform will be launched this year for advice and training purposes.

In addition to this, sectoral and regional engagement days have been outlined in the proposal, with updates and revisions to training and e-learning programmes. An app devoted to ACT was launched in March 2020, and the government authorities Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) also provide advice.

Using Industry Knowledge As Power

There are also plans for the government and businesses to have more engagement with the security industry. Organisations specialising in delivering and supporting security solutions can help owners and operators of football stadiums and other publicly accessible locations comply with the Protect Duty.

It’s becoming increasingly more crucial that the market can provide sufficient high-quality advice, products and services. Later down the line, the government may consider introducing new schemes to promote and maintain appropriate standards such as accredited training and approved contractor schemes, in addition to existing initiatives.

Although the scenes at Wembley Stadium were shocking, they must now act as a learning curve. A renewed consideration of integrated security in public venues has been instigated and this can only be a positive outcome for the safety of future events.