Memorandum submitted by the Joint Security
Industry Council (28 April 2003)
Since we last addressed the HCDC on 20 May 2002
there has been some movement.
— JSIC has been invited to become a
member of the ACPO (TAM) Counter Terrorist Reinforcement Sub Group.
It joined this group at the 8 July meeting. The Sub Group is chaired
by Assistant Commissioner David Veness. Since July this group
has met four times and JSIC has made a number of suggestions to
the group as to how the private security industry could assist
in supporting the security authorities in protecting the homeland
from terrorist attacks by providing ground intelligence acting
as the "eyes and ears" for the security authorities.
The chairman welcomed this.
— Following on from JSIC initial involvement
with the ACPO (TAM) Counter Terrorist Rienforcment Sub Group,
JSIC set up its own Counter Terrorist Sub Committee. The role
and function of this committee is to co-ordinate and develop procedures
and actions that would assist the security authorities in their
aim of enhancing homeland security. The group would examine the
needs of terrorist awareness training to be given to all security
operatives working in public places, from shopping mall guards
to door supervisors at disco clubs. Threat dissemination, suspicious
activity reporting, both upwards and downwards.
— The JSIC CT committee has met twice
and its members are drawn from appropriate representative bodies
within the broad church of the private security industry. The
list of members is attached.
— The JSCI CT committee has recommended
that all security officers engaged upon guarding and door supervision,
as part of the licensing and regulation regime be given terrorist
awareness training as part of their basic skill learning package.
This was put to the Security Industy Authority at a meeting, chaired
by Assistant Commissioner David Veness on 10 January 2003. Discussions
are taking place between the SIA and the National Counter Terrorism
Security Office regarding the insertion of CT awareness into current
training modules. JSIC awaits with interest the outcome of these
deliberations. JSIC is not party to these deliberations. A copy
of the minutes of this meeting is attached.
— The JSIC committee meeting on 22
January developed a set of checklists as well as a capability
return, for JSIC members to complete. In addition we are currently
researching the locations and numbers of CCTV security control
rooms in the UK so that co-ordination of information both downwards
and upwards can be better effected than heretofore.
— The checklists we have developed
relate to:
— Suspicious activity relating
to terrorist reconnaissance activity at potential targets. (This
is not dissimilar to guidance issued by the US Homeland Security
Department on 20 March 2003).
— Suspicious activity relating
to private accommodation flats or bedsits.
— Suspicious activity relating
to possible suicide bombers (SBs).
Copies of these checklists are attached.
Efforts have been made to forge contacts with
the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS). We have asked for meetings
with Sir David Omand and his officials but we have been unsuccessful.
Our intention was to introduce ourselves and to offer our help
and assistance in the work of improving the security of our country
against attacks by Al-Qaeda and other such groups.
In conclusion:
— JSIC continues to try to develop
better co-operation and understanding with not only its own membership
but also those others who remain outside the JSIC tent.
— We believe that there is still a
way in which the threats posed by terrorists may be disseminated
down to those at the "coal face", but work on this aspect
by the Security Services appears to be bogged down. JSIC has not
been invited back to the Security Service head office, following
our very successful JSIC seminar on terrorism on 7 November 2001,
where we were asked by the delegates if we could improve the threat
dissemination, such as the VELLUM, such as it is, to the wider
business community but using the communications of JSIC to a wider
audience. Two meetings were held with the Security Service, but
nothing further was heard.
— We have not seen any advice to the
public regarding what to look out for regarding the symptoms of
a chemcial attack, although this information is readily available
to the armed services. No doubt the Government is concerned that
whilst sort of alert measures would be welcome the means to protect
the civil poputation is lacking, ie provision of respirators.
— Finally, nowhere is there any legislation
referring to security procedures and practices for the corporate,
industrial, or business sectors; unlike fire regulations, where
procedures and practices are to be found at almost all well run
establishments. These regulations are well established, comprehensive
and their compliance is mandatory. Nowhere does there exist any
matching guidance, regulation and best practice for physical and
personnel security practices. We believe that such regulation
is long overdue. We believe the Security Industry Authority is
not the place where such regulation should be developed. A paper
from central government must at the least, develop this.
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