Archive for December, 2009

Earlier this year we reported how Police in the UK are worried that a knife made in the US to protect hunters and divers from Bear and Shark attack would find its way onto British Streets for more sinister uses.

ITS HERE.

The Wasp knife contains a small CO2 gas cartridge in the handle and when a buttion is pressed the gas is expelled through a channel in the blade and into the body of the victim. There is enough gas to expand to the size of a Basketball and this expulsion takes place nearly instantly at 850psi.

Watch the video. Follow the link below and see the devastating effects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa_NC-_fvKs

Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN, also known as pentrite) is one of the most powerful high explosives known.

PETN is used in Detonating Cord of which it is the explosive core where it develops a velocity rate of 21,000 feet per second. PETN is also the component used in percussion caps of bullets and also a component of detonators used to detonate High Explosive charges. The more conventional types of High Explosives require a massive shock to be passed through it in order to detonate it and that is why PETN is so efficient as PETN requires very little energy to initiate it but when initiated provides the massive boost to detonate more conventional High Explosives. In layman’s terms it is a very effective and powerful explosive that requires a lot less energy to detonate it than most other High Explosives but when detonated has devastating effects.

PETN is a component of the plastic explosive (Semtex-H) used to destroy a commercial jet (Pan Am Flight 103) near Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

PETN explosive was used by the so-called shoe bomber Richard Reid, who attempted to blow up an American Airlines flight between Paris, France, and Miami, Florida, in December 2001.

The would-be assassin of Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Nayef hid his bomb in his underwear, apparently believing that cultural taboos would prevent a search in that part of his body. The Saudis said they think the bomb weighed 100 grams of PETN.

Cut and paste the link below into your browser and see what 50g (typical bag of peanuts) of PETN can do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZENvUVG6TE

The Threat level is decided by JTAC (Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre) JTAC was created in 2003 as the UK leading body for the analysis and assessment of international terrorism. In setting the threat level JTAC look at a number of things including:

Available intelligence

Terrorist capability

Terrorist intention

Timescale

The threat levels and their meaning are:

Low – an attack is unlikely

Moderate – an attack is possible, but not likely

Substantial – an attack is a strong possibility

Severe – an attack is highly likely

Critical - an attack is expected imminently

The threat levels relate to the threat to the Country. There are response levels which are then set by individual security practitioners and can vary from location to location the response levels are:

Normal:

Routine protective security measures appropriate to the business concerned
(Low and Moderate)

Heightened:

Additional and sustainable protective security measures reflecting the broad nature of the threat combined with specific business and geographical vulnerabilities and judgements on acceptable risk. (Substantial and Severe)

Exceptional:

Maximum protective security measures to meet specific threats and to minimise vulnerability and risk (Critical)

Although the threat level changes as it did on the 20 July 2009 it doesn’t mean an automatic reduction in security measures in place at individual locations. If a building or location is high profile and a prime target then the response level may well be further enhanced to take into account terrorist belief that there guard may be relaxed due to a reduction in threat.

As 2009 draws to a close the UK and indeed the World is no better place than when the Year began. We have reported in the last 2 weeks that London Business was briefed by SO15 (Counter Terror Command) that there was a threat of a Mumbai style attack in London in the New Year. On Christms Day Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up a trsatlantic flight as it came in to land in Detroit. He had evaded airport security with PETN in his underwear.

A Somalli man is in custody in Mogadishu for attemting to take explosives onto an aircraft in November. The style of attack was similar to that of the detroit attack and targeted a Daallo Airlines plane flying to the northern Somali City of Hargeisa then on to Djibouti and Dubai.

Airports in Somalia are one area that the fragile Government still has control of with help from the African Union peacekeeping force. With much of Somalia in the hands of radical Islamist groups it is the first reported attempt of such an act.

In the wake of the Detroit attack calls have been made for improved airport security on transatlantic flights. Why only transatlantic flights? In our opinion security improvements should me made accross the board and the Mogadisu attempted attack highlights that the targets of Islamist groups are not just American and British.

Installing electronic measures is fine and there are some fantastic products on the market but with every electronic system there needs to be effective human intervention to interrogate and investigate what the electronice device has detected. Whereever Humans are involved there will always be the chance of failure.

One way of limiting the chance of failure is to provide a robust well planned and well executed training programme and not the run of the mill packages currently available. I have travelled from UK airports and can spot weaknesses in security at every level.

If we can spot these weaknesses then so can terrorist operatives engaged on Hostile Reconnaisance, and be under no illusion that Hostile Reconnaisance will be taking place all the time.

Spain has just incresed their terror alert level as it prepares to adopt the EU Prsidency on Friday. Raising threat levels is fine but what do they mean? Ask most people involved in physical security what the UK threat level and responses are and they wont have a clue. Give the same people information and training as to what it means wont defeat terrorism but it will reduce the risk.

Not a plesenet way to end 2009 but it is reality.

We wish you all a safe end to 2009 and look forward to providing information to help keep you safe in 2010.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our friends a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Stay Safe.

We reported yesterday that SO15 (Counter Terror Command) had warned City of London business of the threat of a Mumbai style terror attack.

In recent weeks the Police have come under criticism for stopping and searching people who have been taking film and pictures of public buildings around London. They have been citing Sect 22 of the Terrorism Act.

The Met has called for Officers to use common sense in the matter. One of the ways terrorist Cells gather information is through film. In recent weeks the Police have seen an increase in Hostile Reconnaissance which is used to gather vital information and intelligence prior to an attack. It is so serious that the Police have issued some of the footage seized in an attempt to raise awareness and get people to report suspicious activity.

Taking a picture of a famous building may not raise suspicion but taking pictures and film of CCTV cameras should indeed arouse suspicion.

If you would like more information on how to protect your company call us now.

SO15, the Metropolitan Police Counter Terror Command issued a stark warning 12 days ago to City of London businesses. The warning came as chatter and electronic intercepts have increased over the last 2 weeks.

SO15 said companies should anticipate a shooting and hostage-taking raid involving a small number of gunmen with handguns and improvised explosive devices.

The warning, the bluntest issued by police has underlined an assessment that a terrorist cell may be preparing an attack on London early next year.

In Mumbai terrorists killed 174, most of whom died in the first 1/2 hour of the Commando style attack. The worry is that the SAS would arrive to late from Regents Park Barracks.

A demonstration takes place every Sunday at Brighton Sea Life Centre.

The demonstration takes place between 1300 – 1500 to highlight the conditions that marine animals are subjected to at this an other Sea Life Centres.

For more information go to

http://www.veggies.org.uk/event.php?ref=594

To discuss Security implications call us.

02392 41 55 40

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Corporate Manslaughter sentencing guidelines have been finalised and publishes.

Initially the Sentencing Advisory Panel (SAP) issued recommendations that in cases of Corporate Manslaughter the penalties should be £500,000 and in most cases 2.5-10% of turnover based on gross turnover for the previous 3 year period..

This has been rejected by the Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC) on the grounds that it would be un infoceable especially in the 3rd Sector.

The SGC has now said fines imposed should very rarely fall below the £500,000 threshold and could be in the £m.

As well as the £500,000 Corporate Manslaughter guide there will be a publicity order placed on companies making it compulsory to notify the press and other Media of sentence. Non compliance with this order will result in further Court action and fines.

This has been broadly welcomed by IOSH but it seems from their statements they were hoping for the former.

Guidelines have also been issued for Death caused by Health and Safety breaches which as the SGC say should rarely fall below £100,000 and in most cases should be hundreds of £000 and more.

For more information call us.

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Demonstrations take place every Tuesday and Friday at Novartis Primate Research Centre, Horsham/Southampton.

Novartis support and carry out animal testing on behalf of Huntingdon Life Sciences, the largest animal testing labs in Europe.

Restrictions and banning orders make demonstrations at the main HLS site in Alconbury impossible so subsidiary sites are targeted.

Demos take place at various times. For more info visit:

http://www.veggies.org.uk/event.php?ref=492

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