An initiative conceived and funded by the Security Industry Authority (SIA), supported by Police Scotland and the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC), won a major award at the second Counter Terror Awards in London on 5th March 2019.
The Security Industry Safer Scotland (Counter Terrorism) Group (SISS CT) won the ‘best UK and Ireland Counter Terrorism project award' for their support to the SIA and Police Scotland's ‘You Can ACT' awareness raising initiative.
Ed Bateman, the SIA's Acting Director of Partnerships and Interventions, said:"We are delighted with the award. It recognises the hard work of Police Scotland, the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) and SIA colleagues to get the group together over two years ago. But just as importantly, it acknowledges the security businesses, town centre managers, local authorities, stadia security directors and other partners around the table who have given their time and energy to working with police to make Scotland safer from terrorism."
The SISS CT Group began in March 2017 and is chaired by Brian Muir, Chief Security Officer at Hampden Park Stadium. It includes representatives from the major security providers, stadiums, local authorities, buyers, town centre managers, hospital and university security providers and Ancient Scotland. Their aim is to ‘enhance the capacity and capability of the private security industry to counter terrorism' and the ‘You Can Act' initiative is one of several projects being supported by the Group.
Police Scotland and the Security Industry Authority launched the ‘You Can Act' events, intended to upskill front-line private security operatives in the fight against terrorism, in Glasgow in June 2018.
The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) endorsed the new Police Scotland CT training product currently being piloted in 18 Scottish towns and cities. When first developed, members of the SISS CT Group provided feedback on the initiative that allowed police to tailor the scenarios and language to the private security industry.
540 security operatives from across Scotland have attended the ‘You Can ACT' events which aim to give attendees confidence to respond to a terrorist incident. The sessions feature the strapline "You can make a difference". Attendees are given a 45 minute presentation followed by a 90 minute interactive scenario exercise taking them through a simulated terrorist attack.
DI Simon Broadhurst, who collected the award on behalf of Police Scotland's Organised Crime & Counter Terrorism Unit (OCCTU), said: "Police Scotland are very pleased to be recognised, together with the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC), as having supported the setting up and ongoing work of the Security Industry Safer Scotland (CT) Group. It was enough of a privilege to be considered with other agencies and excellent projects for the Counter Terrorism Project (UK/Ireland) best project award so winning was unexpected and definitely the icing on the cake".
The SIA and Police Scotland are currently piloting a new ‘You Can Act' format, in which delegates complete the Action Counters terrorism (ACT) e-learning package (replacing the 45 minute presentation) before attending the interactive scenario session reducing the events to two hours.
The Counter Terror awards, which are organised by PSI and supported by Security and Counter Terror Expo (SCTX), acknowledge excellence in the global fight against terrorism. The Counter Terrorism Project (UK/Ireland) Award is presented to a governmental organisation or public/private partnership which has developed and implemented an effective counter terrorism strategy or awareness campaign.
Organisations and Individuals from the UK and overseas were recognised in twenty categories for their contributions to reducing the threat of global terrorism.
The winners were announced by former Defence and Home Secretary Lord John Reid, who held seven cabinet positions between 1997 and 2010 under Prime Minister Tony Blair.