Delivering a "Safe and Secure Major Sporting Event"

’The challenge of securing major international sport events has never been greater and the demands of hosting a safe, secure, fair and successful major sport event are growing in scale and complexity.’’

A safe and secure sporting event is not a coincidence - It is Deliberate!

We have recently seen that security is becoming increasingly important in the planning and staging of major sporting events and it will continue to do so in the future. No country, city or venue is exempt from the local and global threats that it faces as it prepares to host a major sporting event.

Numerous Security Risks include Terrorism, Corruption, Cyber Attack, Hooliganism, Field of Play Invasions, Lone Wolf Attack, Insider Threats and Drones to name a few. But, the greater threat will come from the adversaries targeting locations such as Fan Parks and Open Events which are soft ‘targets’.

Safety and Security plays an integral and essential part in the planning and staging of any successful major sporting event. No city or venue is exempt from the local and global threats sport now faces as host cities and nations prepare to host high-profile sports event.

A flexible, well-planned, integrated safety and security approach involving intelligence sharing amongst all public and private stakeholders, one which is able to adapt and evolve in a changing situation, is crucial to an effective security response. Along with the growing influence of technology on major event security, ensuring a coordinated approach to information sharing and intelligence between local, regional and international agencies - as well as key stakeholders from public and private sector - is one particular security challenge sport now faces.

Another particular operational challenge identified is ensuring clear roles and responsibilities – and focal points to each stakeholder - are identified at the earliest possible stage of the overall safety and security strategy, framework, planning and implementation.

Whilst this can sometimes be a complicated task given the numbers of stakeholders involved in securing an event, if clear roles and responsibilities are identified early on within the major event security plan through a comprehensive threat and risk assessment and subsequent risk management plan then this will have a significant benefit and reduction in costs later on once security plans become operational.??

Security plays a central and critical role in hosting successful major sporting events and we are all committed to helping major event organisers and venues around the world protect themselves from emerging security threats, risks and challenges.

I encourage venues and major sporting event organisers to apply a flexible, well-planned and integrated approach to safety and security.

?The number one priority for anybody staging an event or designing a venue that should prioritise safety and security. Safety and Security must be approached as a comprehensive, multi layered, multi-faceted enterprise; it absolutely cannot be an afterthought.

By integrating safety and security from the very start and into other areas of tournament operations, potential threats and risks can be identified earlier and planned for in a far more cost-effective and proactive way’

To consider key facts to ensure safety and security:

• Maximum security with minimum restrictions;
• Integration is of the upmost importance;
• Safety & Security is first & foremost a customer service;
• Security must be taken into account from the outset in the planning (economic, social and cultural factors to consider);
• No field for trial and error;
• Functionality of modern stadiums must be given;
• Weaknesses in infrastructure can never be perfectly compensated by personnel measures.

FINAL THOUGHT

It is important to understand that ‘one size does not fit all’ when it comes to safety and security around major sporting events and I would recommend the following focus areas:

• Intelligence sharing at local, government and international level
• Early stakeholder engagement, integration and communication, particularly across all stakeholders and functional areas
• Flexible proactive and reactive approach to security risk management
• Affordability and Scalability e.g. within budget and increasing with threat level
• Human vs technology integration?
• Flexible threat and risk assessment plan
• Safety and Security Training to be a key "focus area" in the security programme (Governance and Compliance)

It is also worth remembering that safety and security at a major sport event is not just about the venue. It is also about creating a safe and secure environment in other public areas like fan zones, public viewing areas and transport zones. This ensures that spectators have peace of mind and can fully experience a city or country by using local infrastructure to create that ‘special’ atmosphere that many organisers are looking for.

?Nevertheless, it is important though that sport does not lose sight of the many new threats in the world today and that we do all we can to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for fans, athletes and the many others that love and attend sport events.

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