Hosting a major sporting event the likes of, world championships, continental championships and of course Olympic Games is a matter of international prestige and pride for any host country. Many a country sees this opportunity to be heralded as one of the next regional economic and politic superpowers and in some cases as economic superpowers of the world, using the Games as an opportunity to project the nation on the world stage. The understanding of the host nation that security should be incorporated into all other aspects of planning is imperative in order to provide a safe and secure event while being cost effective. A successful tournament lies on the ability of the host nation to harness all of its resources and government offices to the “mission” without ego wars and with passion and zeal. Police, intelligence, emergency, armed forces and many other forces involved must join hands while undertaking the assignment.
Changed Security Scenario
Security concerns over sporting events in the world have been heightened in the last few years, examples being the terrorist attacks on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore on March 3rd 2009 and the attack against the national team of Togo during the African Cup of Nations in 2010 hosted by Angola during which one person was killed and nine were injured. Heightened security issues have led to diplomatic tensions such as when Australia pulled out of the Davis Cup held in Chennai in May 2009, followed by England which pulled out of the World Badminton Championships held in Hyderabad in Aug 2009, due to security concerns. Therefore providing adequate security for any major sporting event
would be a major challenge that the Government would be faced with.
Providing a safe and secure environment for the games
Based on the analysis of past terror events and on our team rich experience in security consultation, we can say that major events security is comprised of three main components:
- Security concept. In order that a security deployment be robust and be able to deal with the threats, a process of planning and designing must take place. The concept must include definitions of the threat, analysis of the risks generated by these threats and the establishing of a set of leading principles and SOPs (standard operating procedures) for the security deployment. The concept should include a national security plan and specialized venue security plans and should be integrated into the overall operational planning of the event. Correct integration of security plans while planning travel routes will in the long run save many resources and enable a smooth transition into the games.
- Human Resources. We believe that security is a specialized professional field that should be implemented by professionals. A professional approach to security begins with properly recruited and trained security personnel. Planning for a major event should include provisions for national security forces, private companies and security programs for non security communities.
- The Technological Component of Protective Security. Technology plays a key role in any security deployment. The technological array should be based on a comprehensive security plan and fitted to local requirements and restrictions. The basis for the technological component should be the defined threats, budgets, HR capabilities and the ability to use these technologies for future projects once the event is over.
Future articles will focus on each of these components and bring more insights to protecting large sporting events.
By Mr. Asaf Talmon Co-CEO Lotan Security
Mr. Talmon served 12-years term in the Dignitary Protection Unit (DPU) of the Israeli Security Agency (ISA). Mr. Talmon has years of Experience in facilities protection – both assessment and risk management the three crucial factors: Building; Technologies and Human resources according to international standards; tailoring a complete solution suit from the stages of problem Definition and threats & risk assessment through choosing an optimal solution out of the variety Of options available.