Police avert car bomb carnage

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Title – Police avert car bomb carnage
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 29th June 2007

Terrorist attacks have plagued major cities across the UK for decades, the IRA carried out many successful attacks throughout the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s until the ceasefire was finally agreed. Since then there have been several devastating successful attacks and many more failed attacks on the UK’s infrastructure carried out by groups with a suspected links to 'al-Qaeda'.

Many of the IRA’s attacks were directed at areas where the public gathered as well as high profile locations many of which were given verbal warnings prior to the explosions, but there were also attacks without warning that killed and maimed many victims. Suspected 'al-Qaeda' linked attacks seem to take a much more random approach; the targets tend also to be high profile locations but it is conceivable that they consider any target in the UK to be legitimate, areas that are packed with members of the public, targets that will cause the most disruption, targets that will cause the most casualties and devastating injuries and above all targets that will induce fear in as many members of the public and the government as possible; warnings are not given before explosives are detonated.

For people working in the licensed retail sector, transport and high profile tourist areas, this means that the thirty years worrying when the next wave of IRA attacks was going to take place may finally be over, but the stress that accompanies the threat of attacks is back and now they have a new threat to deal with.

In June 2007 the staff and customers at Tiger Tiger in central London had a remarkable escape from what could have been a devastating attack planned for outside their front door, at a time the premises was packed with customers enjoying a night out. Thanks to the vigilance of an ambulance crew who noticed the fumes coming from a vehicle and alerted the authorities, an explosion and certain mass casualties was averted. The emergency services, who acted promptly and decisively at great risk to themselves to make the car bomb safe and evacuate the area, also deserve much credit.

Door Supervisors are once again in the front line of these latest attacks as licensed premises once again become a favoured target for terrorist. Their role in the safety of customers and members of the public is once again paramount and the serious nature of the threat anywhere in the country should not be underestimated. Equally any premises where the public congregate in any numbers under this more random target selection, should be taking measures to reduce the risk to their staff and customers. There is the potential that the more plots the police, emergency services and the public thwart, the softer the target the terrorist will look for; so everyone must remain alert no matter where they work.
Beyond The Blue runs the National Certificate for Door Supervisors course (NCDS) that will qualify successful candidates to works as door supervisors or security guards once they successfully apply for the SIA Door Supervisors Licence. We also run In-house Security Induction Training (IHSI) directed at specific venues usually based on a Consultancy project to develop and reorganise a clients security systems. These courses will examine the role staff play in prevention of any attack, as well as emergency evacuation responses in the case of any threat.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk