Protecting publicly accessible locations
The Home Office, the National Protective Security Authority (previously known as CPNI) and its National Security partners, are working with the National Security Technology and Innovation Exchange (NSTIx) with the aspiration to promote Science and Technology Co-Creation in support of improving protective security measures.
We are holding two workshops, one will be held on Wednesday 19th July in Cranfield and the other in Sheffield on Wednesday 26th July.
Background of the event
One area of interest is identifying innovative technological solutions to improve protective security at Venues and Public Spaces, with a particular emphasis on developing solutions that are more suitable for protecting a wide range of Venues and Public Spaces (and the people within and near them) from low-sophistication terrorist attacks.
The largest and most “security mature” Venues and Public Spaces (e.g., major sports stadia, large music venues, national visitor attractions and flagship shopping centres) already have an effective palette of protective security solutions available to them (e.g., hostile vehicle mitigation, CCTV with a dedicated control room, behavioural detection), but these solutions often aren’t appropriate or proportionate for a wide variety of midsized Venues and Public Spaces that still attract large numbers of people (circa 500-3,000 people attending).
Venues and Public Spaces span a wide variety of sectors and business / operating models; some permanent premises will regularly be quite crowded, others will be crowded only rarely and/or for short periods, and events such as festivals are by their very nature temporary.
Innovate UK KTN (IUK KTN) are interested in identifying participants for two workshops to be held in July 2023 examining the use of innovation to protect publicly accessible locations (PAL’s) that cater for 500 – 3,000 people. These PAL’s may include (but are not limited to) smaller festivals, cinema’s, car boot sales, street festivals and food markets.
IUK KTN are especially interested in hearing from [academics, industry professionals or SME’s] who are currently active in this area or provide technology to support the safety of such events. We are also interested in organisations that provide security for such events.
Further details
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- Develop a new understanding of what more appropriate and effective protective security solutions could look like at a wider range of Venues and Public Spaces for which higher end, established solutions wouldn’t be as appropriate.
- Identifying innovative technological solutions to improve protective security at Venues and Public Spaces, with a particular emphasis on developing solutions that are more suitable for protecting a wide range of PALs (and the people within and near them) from low-sophistication terrorist attacks.
- Highlight capability gaps – other areas of technology that the Home Office should be reviewing to protect against attacks and mitigate loss of life.
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Each workshop will aim to attract 15-20 participants. Participants will be from a variety of different sectors e.g. Solution providers (primarily from areas outside security field but with some in the existing security field), academics, security consultants, Venues and Public Spaces operators and Operators of Security at Venues and Public Spaces (where possible).
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Question 1: Innovation to deter and detectWhat innovative solutions could be used to deter and detect of hostile reconnaissance pre-event?Question 2: Innovation to MonitorWhat innovative solutions could be used to manage people during the event to reduce the risk of terrorist related incidents?Question 3: Innovation to ReactWhat innovative systems or processes could be used to inform people during the event where an active incident was occurring?Question 4: Emerging InnovationWhat emerging innovation could be used in the future to protect people at an event? How would the technology work operationally and current security measures?Question 5: The art of the ImpossibleUsing your imagination what crazy, weird or whacky ideas would you come up with to protect Venues and Public Spaces locations?
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- 09:30 – 10:00 – Registration, orientation and coffee
- 10:00 – 10:15 – Welcome and Introductions
- 10:15 – 10:45 – Scene Setting (10 minutes each)
- 10:45 – 11:30 – Question 1: Innovation to Manage
- 11:30 – 12:15 – Question 2: Innovation to Monitor
- 12:15 – 13:00 – Lunch
- 13:00 – 13:15 – Introduction to afternoon activities
- 13:15 – 14:00 – Question 3: Innovation to React
- 14:00 – 14:45 – Question 4: Innovation
- 14:45 – 15:30 – Question 5: The Art of the Impossible
- 15:30 – 16:00 – Review of outcomes
- 16:00 – Workshop close
