Extremists Plotted Attacks across Europe, Spanish Paper Says

According to CNN, citing the Spanish newspaper El Pais, suspected extremists arrested last week in Barcelona were planning al-Qaeda-style attacks in Spain, Germany, France, Britain and Portugal, according to an informant who "infiltrated" the group.

The news report claims that the informant had told the authorities that the cell comprised of six suicide bombers including himself. He claimed that the cell had planned to mount three attacks in Spain, one in Germany and others in France, Britain and Portugal.

For the full story click here.

ARC Training's one-day Protection against Explosive Devices Workshop will take place in 2008 on the following dates:

3 April

7 August

20 November

And in-house on request. Contact Janet for details.

CCTV Cameras Worn on Body Armour

Cutting edge CCTV cameras are being fixed to police uniforms in Tayside, UK, to help in the fight against crime, reports the BBC. The force has become the first in Scotland to pin the lightweight devices, which will be used to gather evidence, to body armour or a jacket.

The company behind the project, SCS Security Design, has already undertaken a project to fit small CCTV units to police bicycles.

For full details click here.

Securing the Water Supply

An oficial US report entitled Terrorism and Security Issues Facing the Water Infrastructure Sector reports the following:

"Threats resulting in physical destruction to any of these systems could include disruption of operating or distribution system components, power or telecommunications systems, electronic control systems, and actual damage to reservoirs and pumping stations. A loss of flow and pressure would cause problems for customers and would hinder firefighting efforts. Further, destruction of a large dam could result in catastrophic flooding and loss of life. Bioterrorism or chemical threats could deliver massive contamination by small amounts of microbiological agents or toxic chemicals, and could endanger the public health of thousands. While some experts believe that risks to water systems actually are small, because it would be difficult to introduce sufficient quantities of agents to cause widespread harm, concern and heightened awareness of potential problems are apparent. Characteristics that are relevant to a biological agent’s potential as a weapon include its stability in a drinking water system, virulence, culturability in the quantity required, and resistance to detection and treatment. Cyber attacks on computer operations can affect an entire infrastructure network, and hacking in water utility systems could result in theft or corruption of information or denial and disruption of service."

If you are in the water industry, or responsible for critical infrastructure protection, and would like a copy of the report, contact David.

Seven Common Signs of Terrorist Activity against Critical National Infrastructure

“Military, police, and security personnel are encouraged to monitor critical infrastructure target properties for evidence of terrorist activity in general, as well as indicators of the presence of a suicide bomber in particular. Surveillance, elicitation, tests of security, acquiring supplies, presence of suspicious people, dry runs, and deployment of assets constitute seven common signs of terrorist activity.”

This is according to a paper entitled A Précis of Suicide Terrorism by Daniel Kennedy, University of Detroit Mercy. For a copy of the paper contact David.

ARC Training’s new training programme Protecting Critical Infrastructure takes place 14-18 July 2008. For details contact Janet.

Adding Value to Security Management

Delegates attending the recent one-day Business Continuity Workshop in Lagos, Nigeria, discussed a range of events, external and internal, that might threaten the continuity of business operations. In Nigeria, risks can be particularly acute and the scenarios put forward by the programme participants were wide and varied.

Business continuity planning provides assurance to stakeholders that the organisation is prepared for unforeseen events that could have a serious impact on the continuation of business operations. It is therefore an issue of good corporate governance. Its importance to security managers cannot be overstated, since coordination of the business continuity response is an excellent opportunity for the security manager to add value to his or her organisational contribution.

Business Continuity Management is a module on Security Management Stage 2, but may also be attended as a one-day workshop on the following dates:

8 July 2008
21 October 2008

Or in house, by request.

Please contact Janet for details.

David Cresswell and Phil Wood MBE Pass PSP Certification

David Cresswell and Phil Wood MBE received news today that they had passed the ASIS PSP (Physical Security Professional) certification examination, held in November. This means that all three full-time ARC trainers are now “dual certified”. Peter Horsburgh was the first to certify in 2004.

Early indications of PSP and CPP results indicate that 2007 could be a record year for passes, with 11 out of the 12 candidates who have so far opened their envelopes being greeted with good news.

For information on how to take part in the 2008 CPP and PSP certification programmes, contact Janet.

Security Management Training Focus: Leading Asian Security Professionals Meet in Dhaka

ARC’c ground-breaking university accredited security management training programmes are continuing their progress towards global domination with the Security Management Stage 3 course which is currently being held in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s bustling capital city. Led by Phil Wood, the course of 10 delegates from tobacco, oil and gas, telecommunications and mining industries throughout Asia is exploring the strategic issues concerned with security management in the 21st century and the emerging future threats and risks.

The course, hosted by BAT Bangladesh, is the second held in the country after this year’s Security Management Stage 1 course, with many delegates returning for another taste of the action. Phil reports that debate and discussion is “lively and productive, with many innovatve thoughts and ideas being produced by this very talented and intelligent group of corporate asset protection specialists”. David will complete the round of ARC courses for Asia in February 2008 with Security Management Stage 2 in Kuala Lumpur.

If you would like more information on these or any other of ARC’s courses either overseas or in the UK, please contact Janet.