Without a doubt everyone has their mind on the Manchester attack. A suicide bomber was able to detonate his bomb at the end of a concert performed by Ariana Grande. As the investigation continues a network of 8 suspected terrorists have been discovered leading me to believe that this could have been one of many planned attacks on soft targets in The United Kingdom.
What can we learn from a security prospective from this attack? Stopping terror attacks early is reliant upon our own vigilance. During the planning stages of an attack many would be terrorists scout an area and even attempt physical penetration testing. Scouting of a target can be done at any time during busy hours to avoid detection or at times where the venue or business is empty. It is important for security guards and camera operators to remain vigilant and to challenge any and all persons who display the signs of someone attempting to gain access or to test the facilities security. Immediately engaging those persons shows quick and effective reaction and may even deter those individuals.
Every building and campus has vulnerabilities and no matter how hardened it is the will still have soft target areas. For Manchester it was the queue line as concert goers exited the stadium. Before an event thought should be given to entrances and exits into and event. Is the entrance near a public way? Is there a reasonable standoff distance between the street and the building? Does the queue line have any sort of barriers or restrictions?
The threat of terrorism is not going away, but we can mitigate its effects or prevent them together.
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