Rory McGoldrick, CEO of security specialist, SAFECROWDS, discusses strategies for assessing the terror risk in the public realm and integrating terrorism protection into urban planning and landscaping
FOLLOWING the devastating vehicle as a weapon attacks in Magdeburg and New Orleans last December, the need to protect crowded spaces from the threat of vehicle attacks or incursions has been making headlines.
In both of these incidents, crowds had gathered to enjoy seasonal celebrations, but such events are not the only times that pedestrians are vulnerable. In towns and cities across the UK, the drive to encourage footfall means that urban centres are evolving, with pedestrianisation, markets, and the use of town squares as event spaces all creating environments where crowds are likely to congregate.
The challenge for placemakers and urban designers is to integrate hostile vehicle mitigation and security measures into urban centres, while retaining uniqueness and a welcoming aesthetic.
What is HVM?
Hostile vehicle mitigation systems (HVM) are barriers or bollards that have been tested to withstand a vehicle impact in order to protect pedestrians. HVM systems are rated in line with test criteria that certifies their performance according to the size, speed, and trajectory of the impacting vehicle, and they can be temporary (surface mounted) or permanently installed with foundations. Some permanent solutions enable the bollard or barrier section to be removed to enable access or allow deployment only on an as needed basis.
Although many events held in public locations are now protected using temporary HVM, there is a growing trend towards integrating permanent HVM into the public realm. When specified as part of a landscaping project, this provides an opportunity to protect people, while seamlessly integrating HVM into the public realm in a way that is both operationally considered and aesthetically appropriate. Investing in permanent HVM as part of urban realm planning and design ensures that protection is always in place, which can be more cost-effective over the long term.
Risk assessment and early engagement
If there is even a possibility that HVM might be a requirement for a public realm regeneration or landscaping project, now or in the future, early engagement with a specialist that can deliver a Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (TVRA) and Vehicle Dynamics Assessment (VDA) and advise on suitable solutions is essential.
A TVRA considers the potential threats to any event spaces or pedestrianised areas, including pavement seating areas and outdoor dining, along with the vulnerability of those areas to different types of attack or vehicle incursions. Although the purpose of HVM is to prevent a vehicle attack, it’s important that other threats and vulnerabilities, such as a marauding attack using knives or other weapons, are also considered as part of the risk assessment.
Terrorists often use a vehicle as a first weapon or means of access. HVM will provide time for the alarm to be raised and for people to take evasive action; it will not make a perpetrator pack up for the day and go home. Consequently, in addition to considering which locations need to be protected from hostile vehicle attacks and how, the TVRA should consider means of escape and safe haven options for pedestrians too.
Carried out as an integral part of the TVRA, the VDA considers the road layout and topography to assess the potential size, speed, and trajectory of attacking vehicles. So, for example, if the road leading to a market square is narrow and bendy, the risk is reduced because a larger vehicle will be less likely to use the route and unable to gather speed.
Conversely, if there is a wide, straight road on an incline leading to the vulnerable location and a vehicle can gather speed as it moves downhill, the risk is significantly increased.
Specification should always be aligned to risk. By determining risk early in the design and planning process, there may even be scope to alter road layouts, add traffic calming, introduce landscaping features, or create pedestrianised zones that mitigate risk by reducing the potential for vehicles to gain access or gather speed.
In this way, HVM becomes part of a wider, more holistic landscaping strategy, facilitating the creative process and supporting urban design inspired by public safety and town centre security, rather than restricted by it.
This organic approach to integrating risk mitigation with design can often offset the cost of carrying out a TVRA and VDA by reducing the amount of HVM required and opening up creative approaches to active travel strategies, directing footfall towards local businesses and creating a town centre layout that works for how people use the public realm now, rather than in the past.
What’s more, by considering risk more holistically, public realm projects can also boost criminality deterrence, with measures such as improved lighting, CCTV, and reduced opportunities for hostile reconnaissance all included in a robust TVRA and counter terrorism consultancy process.
More than bollards
Where HVM is required, it’s important to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all, off-the-shelf approach. The specified system must be correctly rated for the identified risk; something is not better than nothing, because a poorly specified, inadequate HVM system will only provide a false sense of security.
While bollards may sometimes be the preferred choice to complement the design, there is a huge array of aesthetic and practical choices. The rated protection can be disguised as all kinds of design features; from street furniture and planters, through to cycle racks and public art.
HVM could even be integrated as wayfinding signage, combining rated protection with a map of the area and safety information as part of a joined up approach to resilience, preparedness and public information.
Where there are heritage or local planning considerations, these can be incorporated into the design too, with shrouds disguising the HVM made from timber, local stone or powder-coated to complement ironwork features.
Next generation
Our old towns and cities are adapting to meet the needs of new business landscapes and new generations – they must also adapt to mitigate evolving safety and security threats. By integrating risk mitigation with the design process, protecting people in the public realm becomes a creative opportunity.
• Further guidance is available from the National Protective Security Authority’s (NPSA) Public Realm Design Guide: Hostile Vehicle Mitigation.
