HOSTILE VEHICLE MITIGATION
PERIMETER SECURITY Paul Jeffrey, chairman of the Perimeter Security Suppliers Association, writes about permanent solutions for full perimeters, including entry point protocol
PHYSICAL PROTECTION AGAINST HOSTILE VEHICLE ATTACKS T hese days, Hostile Vehicle Mitigation or HVM is a very common type of specialist security protection used primarily to keep distance between a threat vehicle and its target. This mitigation can be seen in many forms covering both entry point and static perimeter, as well as perimeter extension, to create improved stand off from the main target infrastructure. While the perimeter is one of the key locations for security measures to be introduced, it should be noted that perimeter security should always be regarded as just one of a series of layered security measures designed to protect sites from attack. With the ever expanding levels of protection, the potential targets have become far more wide ranging and now include sites that historically would never have been considered at high risk of attack. This is primarily due
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COUNTER TERROR BUSINESS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 42
to the fact that security measures are aimed at protecting vulnerabilities and rarely address the underlying threat which simply moves to the next most accessible target. Our role in the security industry is to provide suitable protection where needed while still being conscious of the impact of the measures introduced on other elements. These elements would include employees as well as the public that are put at increased risk as a result of the measures and other infrastructure more likely to be impacted as a result of greater stand off at a protected site. An example of these considerations is - if a threat and risk assessment leading to an Operational Requirements plan (ORP) has been completed and the need for entry point vehicle security barriers (VSBs) to protect against a vehicle borne improvised
