Private sector security staff in the greater Manchester region are now included in the fight against terrorism as a result of ‘joining' Project Griffin, a scheme launched by the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police Service in 2004 to raise awareness among security personnel about counter-terrorism issues (‘From Guards to Guardians', SMT, May 2005, ).

In this way, the officers involved are better equipped to deal with their organisation's security challenges on a day-to-day basis, and in the event of a major incident.

Representatives from the security industry attended a Griffin Awareness Day on 31 March, and thousands of employees are now expected to take part in a roll-out across Greater Manchester.

Speaking to SMT at the Awareness Day, DI Mark Smith of the Greater Manchester Constabulary's Counter-Terrorism Security Unit said: "Nearly every terrorist attack requires a great deal of forward planning and preparation. The security industry can therefore play a crucial part in helping the police to fight the terrorists by acting as additional eyes and ears with regard to suspicious activity. We need to make Greater Manchester a hostile environment for terrorists."

Project Griffin consists of three strands. The first is the aforementioned Awareness Day, which includes inputs on the current terrorist threat, explosives, terrorist planning and cordon management. The second involves a weekly conference call for those companies who sign up to the scheme, whereby the police service provides them with details on threat levels and crime trends. Stage 3 entails Griffin-registered security staff supporting the police during incidents.

Currently, up to 3,000 security personnel across London have attended the Awareness Days. For those who would like details on Project Griffin in Manchester send an e-mail to: ctsa@gmp.police.uk

Source

SMT