With thousands of outdoor events and festivals attracting millions of visitors the need to keep people safe is as important as ever. The country remains on a heightened level of security risk from terrorism with events being seen as an easy target given attendance numbers. Events like this also attract recreational drug use, excess alcohol consumption and other related anti-social behaviour, so what do festival organisers and security providers have to think about in planning a safe and secure event?

No 1 – Work with the Local Authority and Emergency Services

Getting the event right at the planning stage is crucially important, thinking ahead and planning for the worst. Having a robust Event Management Plan and Security Plan detailing how the event is to be organised, what impact the event will have on the local area infrastructure, the emergency arrangements should anything happen and the mechanism for how outside agencies will be involved is extremely important. So engaging with these organisations at that planning stage will prove beneficial.

No 2 - Having Good Policies and Procedures

Like any organisation, having good processes that are understood by the whole organisation is extremely important and no more so than at an event, so it is worth spending time making sure those rules are well constructed, are clear and precise and can be understood by all involved. Added to this there needs to be a good process of how things are documented so take time in making sure any checklists are easy to complete and capture the necessary information.

No 3 - Getting the Right People involved

Managing the crowds, being able to implement an evacuation process and generally keeping festival visitors safe is a skill so getting the right festival security staff throughout the event is extremely important. Because the skillset required is broad all staff should be SIA trained and hold current SIA licences relevant to their required duties as listed in the Private Security Industry Act 2001 [PSIA2001] and should be able to provide a high-level experience and knowledge of all aspects of festival security and security management.

When considering the services of a Security contractor suitable for your requirements they must be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the role that is required of the company and be conversant with current policies and security procedures.  For most larger events they will need to provide a detailed security plan clearly setting out their security arrangements for the event or festival which gives due regard to all other event departments, activities and risks.

They also need to demonstrate their ability in working with local safety advisory groups [SAG] and emergency services to ensure inter-operability planning.

No 4 - Crowd Management

People want to feel safe when they attend a Festival so having security staff in attendance throughout the event, including the set up stage is crucial. Security staff need to be visible and proactive, engaging with the public. Choose a contractor that has that reputation for having a highly visible and professional presence and a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

No 5 - Public Awareness

Much of keeping the public safe is down to what the public can do to keep themselves safe so why not put details on the Festival Website, on the back of the ticket or on social media of what to do at the event so that they remain aware but also are prepared.

SL Consultants have much experience in helping Event Organisers and Security Companies in that planning stage and getting things right at the start will prove worthwhile.