High Profile Site Security "Needs a Major Rethink, Says UK's Leading Enforcement Agency

Shergroup's enforcement and security divisions have seen a rise in the number of incidents on which they are called in to help as campaigners become more expert in mobilising public opposition and taking aggressive direct action. Protest groups are now using Parliamentary campaigns, the courts, the planning process and the media to back up their site-specific campaigns.

The threat from a wide range of sources including eco-warriors, squatters and protestors to national utilities such as energy, water and gas companies is very real and increasing, which in turn adds another layer of cost to protecting assets from invasion and trespass. In this picture taken from the Shergroup archives you can see a protestor chained to the conveyor belt, which forms part of the infrastructure of a national coal fired power station.

Shergroup were instructed to handle another full-on protest in October this year when eco-protestors climbed up and locked on to a 650-foot chimney to make their point about climate change. Shergroup teams had to spend two-and-a-half hours climbing up the hot, dusty chimney to remove the protestors from a dangerous situation.

So what can companies do to combat these expensive and high-risk threats to their vital infrastructure? The simple answer is to bring Shergroup in right from the start, especially where the threat from disruption to production or damage to property is perceived as high-risk.

Alan Smith, Chief Operations Officer for Shergroup, explains: "We are urging the managers of high-risk installations to make a conscious shift in thinking, so rather than managing the risk when it happens and having to crisis manage the property that has been invaded or trespassed upon, they actually call us in at an early stage to assess the risks and allow us to help them to create a strategy to overcome those risks, thus preventing expensive fire-fighting. Our view is that too many high-risk sites are still marked by a short-term lack of investment and an unwillingness or inability to look at the larger security picture."

Shergroup's Action Plan for companies faced with securing high-risk sites recommends:

1. Carrying out a strategic review of the site to assess how susceptible it is going to be to trespass
2. As a result of the strategic review, assess weak points on the site which may allow trespassers to enter
3. Invest in measures to close those gaps
4. Think the unthinkable! Protestors and trespassers do their homework, exploiting the weak points in security, so make sure your organisation does the same!
5. Ensure your organisation does a thorough cost/benefit analysis when it comes to making decisions about how to close gaps and provide long-term security ? dropping adequate security levels may cost more in the long run

For more insight on how Shergroup can help your organisation when it comes to site security, look at our websites at www.sherbond.net or www.shercurity.net or call us on 0845 890 9213.

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