Your business, venue or location could be a Crowded Place – what is a ‘Crowded Place’?
Crowded Places are locations which are easily accessible by large numbers of people on a predictable basis. This includes:
- public and private buildings
- transport hubs
- sports stadia.
It also includes open spaces such as:
- parks
- publicly accessible events such as markets and festivals
- pedestrian malls.
Crowded Places will not necessarily always be crowded and may fluctuate depending on the time of day/week, season, or temporary versus static nature of the site.
Crowded Places remain the most likely target for future terrorist attacks.
If you own/operate a Crowded Place you have the primary responsibility to protect your site
Australia’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism(opens in a new window) is produced by the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC). It represents a nationally consistent approach to protecting crowded places and promotes the importance of proportionate responses that aim to preserve community enjoyment of a site.
The Strategy outlines the roles and responsibilities of owners and operators in preventing and mitigating terrorist attacks at their sites.
Owners and operators have the primary responsibility for ensuring the safety of their location by mitigating the likelihood of a terrorist attack.
This includes having a duty of care for the people that work, use, or visit the site.
The Strategy is supported by a suite of supplementary guidelines on specific attack methods including hostile vehicle attacks, active armed offenders, improvised explosive attacks, chemical weapon attacks and hostile reconnaissance.
Key steps for protecting Crowded Places
Protective security measures that are unique to safeguarding against terrorist threats should be a priority for all owners and operators of Crowded Places.
Implementing these measures should be considered at the earliest stage possible to improve community safety and promote seamless integration with the existing environment.
If you are an owner or operator of a crowded place, it is recommended that you:
| 1. | Visit the Australian Government's National Security website and familiarise yourself with Australia’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism(opens in a new window) and the supplementary guidelines(opens in a new window). |
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| 2. | Conduct a risk assessment(opens in a new window) and an audit of your site’s existing security(opens in a new window). |
| 3. | Take steps to understand and implement a layered approach to protective security based on the principles of deter, detect, delay and respond to a terrorist attack. Measures should be proportionate to the level of risk. |
| 4. | Consider operational security measures such as staff training and guidance on identifying and reporting suspicious behaviour, as well as physical measures (such as CCTV, bollards and perimeter fencing). |
| 5. | Join the Victoria Police SHIELD network(opens in a new window) for advice and to share information on implementing protective security measures with other businesses and security professionals. |
While following the above steps, it is important to consider:
Proportionality
Security measures should be proportionate to the level and type of threat (determined through site vulnerability and risk assessments). By employing only necessary measures that are proportionate to the risk of harm at a site, unnecessarily high costs and resource implications can be avoided.
Owners and operators are advised to consider that:
- All protective security measures should be proportionate to the level and type of threat.
- It may not be possible to protect everything, so priority should be given to the highest risk areas of a crowded place.
- Physical security is more cost effective when incorporated into the design phase of a crowded place. (More information for security managers on ‘building in’ protective security measures can be found on ASIO Outreach(opens in a new window)).
Layered approach to protective security
Embedding multiple layers of protective security into a site’s architecture is recommended to reduce the likelihood of a successful attack at a crowded place. The rationale is that if there is failure of any single layer, it will not significantly compromise the overall security of the place being protected.
Security measures may be physical (such as CCTV, perimeter fencing and signage) or informational/operational (such as staff training, identifying and reporting suspicious behaviour, security patrols).
The principles of 'deter, detect, delay and respond' provide a useful guide for considering what security measures to implement in a layered approach to protective security. This includes measures to prevent people from gaining information that may be useful in planning an attack (i.e. hostile reconnaissance). For more on these principles see ‘Step 4: Implement a layered security approach’ on the Crowded Places Overview page on the National Security website.
Hiring professional security
Security consultants play an important role in protecting crowded places. When hiring private security, a range of factors should be considered, including:
- security licence
- education, qualifications, skills, and experience
- referee reports
- security clearance (where required)
- professional association and affiliations
- previous experience conducting security reviews
- ability to effectively undertake the security review (subject matter knowledge)
- impartiality of advice (consider any commercial affiliations)
- published professional work.
See the Security Contracts Guiding Principles(opens in a new window) guidelines for more information and a checklist for engaging professional security services.
Staff training
Investing in protective security awareness and/or risk management training for your staff is essential to enhance knowledge among employees and increase the overall resilience of a venue. Staff training will also assist in building a positive organisational security culture, of which the benefits extend beyond the threat of terrorism and extreme violence.
Training materials have been developed by ANZCTC to guide businesses and owners and operators of Crowded Places, educating their staff on what to do in the event of a terrorist attack. This guidance should form part of standard emergency training. These resources can be found at What to do in an attack on the Australian National Security website.
Hosting or operating a publicly accessible event
As in the case of fixed sites, event hosts and operators have a responsibility to prevent and/or mitigate harm to those attending their events.
For events, the focus will primarily be on temporary security measures which are employed for the duration of the event, with police often being involved in the planning.
Key steps to follow when planning an event
1. Assess risks and develop a security plan
| Event planning will often focus on ensuring crowd safety and a positive visitor experience but may not prioritise security planning. A crucial step in securitising events is developing a security plan which outlines risks and mitigating strategies. Visit the National Security webpage for help getting started. |
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2. Engage with Victoria Police
| Victoria Police should be engaged at the earliest possible time for both large and small events and can assist in understanding risks and event management planning. See police.vic.gov.au/events(opens in a new window) for more information. |
| 3. Consider information provided in event promotions | Where possible, limiting detailed information such as site maps and dimensions is an important measure to prevent those who may be planning an attack from gathering information about a site. |
| 4. Implement security measures | Use a layered approach to protective security based on the principles of deter, detect, delay and respond to a terrorist attack. Security measures should be proportionate to the level of risk. |
| 5. Train staff and volunteers | It is important that staff are trained on security plans and what to do in the event of an incident or emergency. |
Consult the Safe and Healthy Crowded Places Handbook for more information.
Useful links
- Australian National Security – crowded places(opens in a new window) – for practical advice and guidance on protecting crowded places.
- Australia's Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism (PDF)(opens in a new window) by ANZCTC – for further advice on owner and operator responsibilities and implementing protective security measures. You can also view the supplementary guidelines(opens in a new window) webpages:
- Victoria Police Shield(opens in a new window) – The Victoria Police SHIELD program is aimed at owners and operators of businesses and the private security sector. Its goal is to build the resilience of crowded places and protect Victorians from terrorist attacks by strengthening partnerships with public and private sector businesses and facilitating information sharing on protective security concepts and responsibilities. Visit Victoria Police SHIELD(opens in a new window) for more information or to become a member.
- ASIO Outreach(opens in a new window) is the principal interface between the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and government and industry stakeholders. It provides information in a variety of ways, including a subscriber-controlled website, ASIO-hosted briefings, face-to-face engagement and joint government and industry forums. The platform aims to assist those responsible for security in recognising and responding to security threats and developing appropriate risk mitigation strategies.
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