Vigilance can authoritatively report that Transport Security Expo, the annual gathering of professionals at the sharp end in delivering protective security measures across transportation networks, returns to London Olympia 13-14 September.
This year’s event brings sharp and timely focus to the challenges faced by those tasked with securing and protecting public transport systems as the capital gears up to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
London is no stranger to attack on its transport networks. The suicide terrorist strike on underground and bus services in 2005, in which fifty-two people died and over seven hundred were injured, remains etched in the mind. This almost simultaneous attack serves as a potent reminder that such mass transport systems are extremely vulnerable to those with intent to do harm.
Train, underground and bus networks have a pivotal role to play in transporting an estimated third of a million visitors a day to the various Olympic venues around London and elsewhere across the country. The task of delivering utmost security and crime prevention across this diverse and dispersed transport network, has presented substantial challenges to planners and required innovative thinking.
Delegates attending the “Securing & Protecting Public Transport Systems” conference will be given valuable insight into the challenges faced in securing such open and accessible transport systems, as well as an overview of the preparations being made for the Olympic Games, in two keynote presentations by Niki Tompkinson, Security Consultant and former Director TRANSEC, and Stephen Thomas QPM, Assistant Chief Constable Operations, British Transport Police.
History has shown that global events such as the Olympics are considered high value targets. Being held against a backdrop of increasing instability across the world and the potential that such unrest may give rise to further terrorist activity, it is hardly surprising that vast sums are being invested in ensuring the Games remains open and accessible but safe and secure.
Delegates attending this vitally important conference will discover that lessons learned in preparing transport networks for their pivotal role in the 2012 Games have significant legacy benefits in the years to come. Richard Harris, Director – Intelligent Transport Systems, Logica, will outline how technology and innovation is the key to strengthening public transport security and how this might be applied in the years to come.
An enquiry conducted by the London Assembly as well as findings from Coroners Inquests have laid bare failings by emergency services and others in the intervening years since terrorists struck on the capital’s transport network.
Responding to such a devastating and near simultaneous sequence of events presents significant challenges. Paul Dadge, Senior Consultant, PC Paramedic Solutions Limited and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Bernie Higgins, Head of Special Operations Group, London Fire Brigade, will deliver insightful commentary on what was done well and what could have been done better and the complexities and complications facing emergency first responders to such horrific events.
Transport Security Expo’s “Securing & Protecting Public Transport Systems” conference brings clarity to the present day challenges imposed across the mass transit networks.
Focus on freight
Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA), the multinational agency with a sharp focus on mitigating supply chain losses, has joined forces with Transport Security Expo, to drive the message home that such losses are reaching unsustainable proportion.
Theft of in motion high value products within the European supply chain remains lucrative business for criminals.
A four year old report commissioned by the European Union (EU) estimated the cost to business to be in excess of €8.2 billion a year and there is every reason to expect this figure has risen substantively in the intervening period.
TAPA will focus attention toward intelligence, auditing and insurance issues and deliver key insight into the threats faced within the UK operational theatre in consort with Truckpol.
TAPA is a unique forum that unites global manufacturers, logistics providers, freight carriers, law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders with the common aim of reducing losses from international supply chains. It’s membership includes many of the world’s leading manufacturing brands as well as their logistics and transport providers with combined annual sales of over US$900 billion.
TAPA security requirements are recognised as the industry standard for cargo facility and transport security globally. The organisation’s Incident Information Service (IIS) captures and shares data, enabling its members to use the latest cargo crime intelligence to avoid incident ‘hotspots’, protect goods in transit and, if required, report and trace stolen property.
Statistics show that the United Kingdom has topped the European league table for truck crime for the entirety of the year. TruckPol recorded 349 truck thefts in the first quarter alone. Many of these trucks were probably stripped down for their components as well.
Dangerous occupation
The crime is also becoming increasingly violent.
The death of a Polish lorry driver in the UK seven months ago, highlighted the dangers that drivers of high value loads are exposed to when on the road.
Bogdan Bartczak's lorry was found minus its load of televisions.
Six men and teenager will go on trial in the UK in July faced with charges including kidnap and robbery in relation to this theft.
Police say his death was mostly likely due to a heart attack.
Elsewhere in Europe, drivers have been incapacitated with pepper spray and severely injured by criminals armed with knives, within the first five months of this year.
Many of these attacks are carried out by organised criminal gangs. Although police forces across Europe are having some success in countering this crime, much more needs to be done.
A recent Europol coordinated international operation in France, Hungary and Romania, resulted in the arrest of a 22 member strong gang who had been targeting vehicles across the European Union. Spain’s Civil Guard arrested 10 Romanians suspected of involvement in cargo thefts from trucks in motion earlier in the year.. The gang is accused of carrying out at least 50 cargo thefts on national roads in several provinces, including Zaragoza, Valencia, Madrid and Alicante. They specifically targeted vehicles carrying electronics, mobile phones and perfumes.
TAPA and Truckpol have a clearly important message to deliver within their conference at Transport Security Expo.
Key calendar event
Transport Security Expo also focuses in on security issues in the aviation and maritime sectors.
Aviation has been on the terrorist radar again in the past couple of years, and the industry is battling to find methods to identify hard to detect and highly innovative improvised explosive devices implicated in several attempts to down passenger and cargo aircraft inflight.
Maritime is still struggling to address the issue of piracy within the vital sea lanes around the Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean. Despite a significant naval presence within the region, Somali pirates continue to seize and hold vessels, crew and high value cargos for ransom. A significant number of vessels and hundreds of crew members remain in captivity.