Over recent years the UK has enjoyed significant success at countering and controlling the animal rights extremist threat to research facilities with numerous successful prosecutions long prison sentences and effective use of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
Previously we had seen the growth in tactics aimed at targeting not just the research organisations but their staff and secondary and tertiary targets too. Worryingly we have also seen the growth in the use of extremist tactics across the globe and in particular in mainland Europe and the United States. The rapid sharing of tactics via the Internet has seen mainland Europe and the Netherlands in particular seeing sharp rises in incidents whilst the UK has seen a decline on incidences during the last few years. Across the Atlantic we are seeing fire-bombing, home visits and intimidation of researchers and their families, particularly on the West Coast – a worrying throwback to the previous times in the UK. Worryingly the open involvement of media machines such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has globalised the issue, they sponsor “undercover heroes for animals” and train infiltrators and get endorsement form “celebrities”.
In the UK we must not be complacent because whilst the main protagonists are in prison, there will be other’s perhaps wanting to take their places and the sharing of tactics with other domestic extremist groups such as environmentalists may lead to the development of new tactics. Globalisation of animal rights issues and targeting of secondary and tertiary targets will lead to organisations that are unfamiliar with the tactics becoming innocent victims of the threats.
This also means that multinational research organisations face similar issues across many different countries in which they are based. We have seen moves in some countries such as the Netherlands and the USA to clamp down on the illegal activities of the activists, however, in other parts of Europe the issue is not so clear, the statistics on animal rights crime is collected and collated in different ways making animal rights group intelligence and monitoring difficult. Now more than ever it is vital that organisations educate their supply chain across National boundaries, perform due diligence on suppliers and ensure that those working within their facilities and those involved in their build, design and research projects have their best interests at heart.
SECURITY IN THE BIOSCIENCE INDUSTRY
Richard Connelly, Screening Manager, Agenda Security Services
Public and private sector companies and organisations working within the bioscience industry have for many years been acutely aware of the need for appropriate security measures to be in place for the benefit of their staff, stakeholders, and not least the general public. Security measures differ from company to company, site to site and in many cases from building to building and even within buildings. This requires a detailed review to ensure the security measures adopted are fit for the purpose and proportionate to the requirements.
When looking to review your security requirements remember two things:
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Do not rely totally on technology alone to provide your security requirements
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Ensure your staff receive appropriate security awareness training
SECURITY AND BIOSCIENCE
The requirements for the highest levels of security to be applied are a necessity with the use of containment laboratories that tackle existing and emergent infectious diseases. Reports in the media are constantly reminding us that we live in dangerous times. We are constantly reminded of the daily threats from terrorist activity, threats from the environment, and threats from horrible diseases that may kill us all off. If we were led to believe these exaggerated musings from the media, we would be unable to lead our normal lives; but sensational stories do sell newspapers and make great headlines – especially on breakfast TV news programmes as it’s early in the day when people are at their most gullible!
There is a serious threat from infectious and other organisms to society which can be a local issue or on a global scale. The perceived and real threats need to be subject to meticulous laboratory investigations within secure and controlled environments. The specific methods taken to ensure both safety and safe working practices contribute and safeguard members of the public and also the laboratory personnel working with these dangerous agents.
It is very important that any organisation embarking on a building project with the ultimate aim of containment of infectious agents needs to be entirely sure of its plans and objectives for progressing the proposed programme at a very early stage of planning and development.
One issue must that not be disregarded as unimportant is the issue of security. Of all the items to be considered, this is perhaps the most important, security of the facility itself to prevent access by unauthorised personnel, and security of the staff working within the facility. However, most important is the secure containment of infectious or other agents being used for the research programmes taking place within the bio-containment areas.
Therefore security needs to be a requirement at all levels and failing to meet basic standards could lead to a complete breakdown. For example, the use of electronic access controls with barriers, guards, CCTV etc will be negated by poor security awareness training being provided to all staff.
Not too long ago I requested to undertake a ‘Social Engineering’ test with a client and upon arrival I was allowed to enter a research building by merely knocking on a door and asking to be let in! This company has the above measures in place yet I had not been invited, had no pass, and was allowed to wander unescorted in and out of offices unchallenged. My ‘tour’ was only interrupted when I was spotted by a member of staff who knew me. Social Engineering is a constant threat that is frequently either misunderstood or ignored. Do so at your peril!
Security should be considered from the start particularly when new builds are under consideration. It is essential that external experts are consulted at this early stage in order to gain their knowledge and experience, and to verify that what is being proposed is attainable. The cost of these ventures is considerable, and all involved in the build or construction of biological containment facilities are under no illusion as to how expensive and specialised these structures need to be, and the detailed specifications that are required to ensure that all requirements are met.
Bio-containment facilities need to be designed by specialised architects who have experience and knowledge, together with practical skills, for the development of these unique buildings. An essential pre-requisite is to search for, and retain, the services of a competent and experienced building contractor who is able to provide a portfolio containing recent successful projects similar to what is being proposed. Visits to these projects should be made and questions asked. Wherever possible, visits to different containment facilities at an early planning stage will contribute greatly to the proposed project at later stages – and perhaps save a considerable amount of time and effort.
Recent reports have highlighted various areas of security within the industry for review including:
- clarity of responsibility for bio-security especially on sites with mixed ownership,
- single unified framework for human and animal pathogens based on risk assessment
- resourcing in all areas including training,
- funding for projects and continuing development, and secure vetting of staff
Your Local Counter Terrorism Security Advisor should be your first and main point of contact who will provide all necessary help and assistance.
Richard Connelly
Security Manager
Agenda Security Services
www.agenda-security.co.uk
