Protest Action: Guidance paper for personal safety

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Contents

1. Introduction
2. Planning for the Threat
3. Site Security
4. Good Housekeeping
5. Action in Event of a Protest
6. Knowing the Law
7. Telephone Threats
8. Suspect Packages
9. Personal Safety

1. Introduction

This webpage has been produced by the police service to assist staff and management to review their current security arrangements. It provides advice on physical security and personal safety. Situations and circumstances can vary considerably, and this material should not be considered as a definitive guide, but the advice and recommendations adapted as necessary. If you need further specific advice, please ask to speak to your local crime prevention officer.

2. Planning for the Threat

The responsibility for planning and protecting company buildings, contents and staff, lie with the owner or occupier of the premises.

• Think about the threats you may face, what matters to you, what is most vulnerable.
• Develop a security plan and identify measures to reduce the risk.
• Identify a security co-ordinator to implement any procedures.
  
• All staff have a responsibility to consider security procedures.

3. Site security

You need to consider:

• The protection of staff and visitors
• The building contents
• The building itself

Regularly review existing security measures e.g. CCTV, access control, perimeter protection. Remember, security systems mil only be effective if used correctly. All staff share responsibility for the security of the site and the safety of their fellow staff members.

Doors

All external doors should meet minimum standards in respect of robustness and locking systems. Those not in regular use should have strong internal bolts.

Internal doors between reception areas and offices should be access controlled to prevent unauthorised entry.

Access Routes

The most effective control is an efficient reception area.

Windows

Laminated glass and good quality key operated locks should be fitted to all windows to which access might be gained.

Intruder Alarms

Choose one that suits your site.

CCTV

Cameras can make an important contribution to security. They may also help to deter protesters.

Lighting

Good lighting is a deterrent.

4. Good housekeeping

• Introduce a visitors book and badge system. Signs should be erected in the car park and at all site entrances to direct visitors and contractors to the reception area. ALL visitors to the site should be requested to sign in and give details of their vehicle. They should then be issued with a visitor's badge and accompanied by a staff member throughout the duration of their visit.
  
  
• It is important that there is a central record of who is on site (including staff members). Many access control systems have a memory function so that staff movements can be checked. Reinforce the need for a "challenge culture" with staff members. If someone unfamiliar is seen on site, staff should be reminded to politely ask them who they are and if they can help. If necessary, they should ask for identification. Strangers should not be allowed to wander around unchallenged. Unauthorised visitors will be easier to detect if staff are asked to wear their passes at all times.
  
  
• Consideration should be given to fitting a panic button under the reception desk so that the receptionist can summon assistance if protesters enter the building.
  
  
• The ability to lock the external main entrance door remotely from behind the reception desk should be considered. If the receptionist becomes aware that protesters are on site, the door can be locked without jeopardising the receptionist's safety by pressing the remote locking button.
  
  
• Consider what information staff give out over the phone -it could be used against the company or individuals associated with the company. Staff should always identify the caller. If they are unsure, they should tell the caller that they will phone them back, after independently checking their telephone number in the telephone book. Staff should not accept a number offered by the caller- this may be bogus.
  
  
• Consider a 'clear desk' policy. Staff should be encouraged to keep as much paperwork out of sight as possible. If desks are lockable company policy should dictate that paperwork is locked away at the end of each day and over the weekend.
  
  
• Protesters may rummage through rubbish bins and retrieve company information. Discarded, sensitive documents should be put through a shredder or in a shred safe box.
  
  
• Staff should take responsibility for closing and locking all windows in their office area at night and at weekends.
  
  
• Computers and monitors should be turned off when staff leave the site. Install password protection on PCs where possible. If staff leave the office during the lunch hour they should ensure that their computer is switched off and that unauthorised access is not possible.
  
  
• If offices hold sensitive information staff should be encouraged to lock doors when leaving the room. The last person out of the building/office should take responsibility for locking up offices and store cupboard.
  
  
• All communal areas, stairs, hall, toilet/rest room should be kept clean and tidy.
  
  
• It is important that staff are vigilant in the car park. They should be encouraged to challenge individuals who are unfamiliar. Keep a sharp look out for unusual behaviour or item out of place. They should not leave personal belongings identifying personal details in their vehicles e.g. diary. If individuals are sighted writing registration numbers down or photographing/videoing people/buildings/vehicles, then the Security Manager should be notified immediately. These may be protesters gathering information about the company or staff members.
  
  
• Outside, keep everywhere as tidy as possible, including shrubbery.
  
  
• Staff, particularly high profile management staff, should be aware of the possibility that they could be followed by protesters when driving home from work. It should be remembered that protesters may know some of the route home and follow from any given location. If they believe they are being followed they should be advised to vary their route, to double check. If they are still in doubt they should drive to a Police Station or busy, public place (e.g. petrol station) where they can get help.
  
  
• Suspicious incidents should always be reported to the member of staff with responsibility for security. Information should be recorded in an incident book and passed to the Police at regular intervals. This is how patterns are established and protest plans foiled before they are established.
  
  
• A designated member of staff should have responsibility for logging details of all suspicious incidents in an incident book. All staff should be aware who this person is and where the log is kept. Staff should be encouraged to report suspicious incidents.
  
  
• A member of the management team should be designated to have specific responsibility for co-ordinating staff in the event of a protest.
  
  
• It is important that the designated manager with responsibility for security is familiar with the exact site boundaries. If there is a need to request protesters to leave the site, the manager will need to be certain that they are in fact on company property.

5. Recommended action plan in the event of a protest

Action by Designated Security Manager

• When the protesters arrive, the designated manager with responsibility for security and staff co-ordination should be alerted.
  
  
• The designated manager should contact the Police and if possible notify all staff. There are various ways of doing this. For example, using the tannoy, varying the tone on the fire alarm or using a cascade telephone system. It is important that all staff are familiar with the alerting system and that they know what action they are expected to take.
  
  
• The management team should be clear about the Company's attitude to prosecution. Clear messages will need to be relayed to the Police about the action that the Company is prepared to take in the event of criminal acts being committed by the protesters.

Action by Staff

It is recommended that the number of staff who have direct contact with the protesters is kept to a minimum. These guidance notes recommend that the majority of staff are kept safe, inside the building, and away from the nucleus of the protest.

Staff should be advised to take the following actions:

• Switch off all computer equipment including laptops.
  
  
• Remove any paperwork from their desks.
  
  
• Lock filing cabinets.
  
  
• Close and secure windows. Pull down blinds.
  
  
• Lock office doors (otherwise protesters may ransack the office looking for information to support their cause).
  
  
• Stay in their office (if appropriate), or make their way to the designated assembly area. Once the designated officer has notified staff that it is safe to resume their normal duties, they may return to their offices. However, if the fire alarm sounds at any time during the protest it is imperative that all personnel and visitors follow the fire drill and leave the building immediately.
  
  
• The contingency plan should be practised and must be taken seriously. The intention of this plan is to minimise contact with the protesters. However, if staff members do come into contact with the protesters, they should be encouraged to remain calm and adopt a non-aggressive demeanour. They should not respond to personal or emotive comments.

Contact with Protesters

Follow the establishment's recommended procedure. However, if there is no procedure in place, the following action may be considered appropriate:

• The designated management representative should ask the protesters to leave the site, reminding them that it is private property.
  
  
• If the protesters refuse to move, they should be informed that they are trespassing.
  
  
• Efforts should be made to move photographers/cameramen away from buildings. However, under no circumstances should staff attempt to snatch or cover their cameras.
  
  
• If the protesters take anything (e.g. documents, equipment) they should be informed that it is an act of theft and that it will be reported to the police.

Handling the Media

A highly organised protest group will court media coverage. If their cause is topical or high on the political agenda (e.g. genetically modified crops), it is likely that their protest could attract wide local, and possibly national media interest.

It is important to remember that the words and actions of staff may be recorded. Staff should be reminded of this fact, and should not be drawn into an argument or use bad language. By acting professionally, and in accordance with the establishment's policy, it is easy to turn the voice of protest around so that a balanced view can be gained.

If staff are approached by the media they should not get drawn into making any comment but politely refer them to the designated member of the management team.

6. Knowing the Law

Civil Trespass

"Trespass is committed by a person who is improperly on someone else's property without permission."

Trespass is not a criminal offence unless it is accompanied by other acts which make it so.

Where there is no other consideration, it is known as Civil Trespass.

Defined in law, lawful occupiers are those who have the express permission of the owners of the company to be on their property and those who rent any land or building, or part of therein.

In civil law, the lawful occupier has the right to exclude anyone from the premises at anytime, even if they are there lawfully. Failure to comply with this request renders the person guilty of a civil trespass.

Police can only act on the request of any lawful occupier or the designated manager, to assist in the removal of trespassers.

Rights of the Lawful Occupier

Civil Trespass

A lawful occupier may remove a trespasser using no more force than is necessary.

He/she may also call on others to assist.

Given that "reasonable force" is open to individual interpretation, for the protection of the lawful occupier, it is recommended that NO PHYSICAL CONTACT is effected with protesters. The lawful occupiers should try to position themselves between the buildings and the protesters to block their passage.

It should be noted that unless a criminal offence has occurred (e.g. theft) the Police can only assist to prevent a breach of the peace. They cannot expel protesters just because they are requested to.

Burglary

Protesters may enter the buildings as a trespasser, but their actions whilst in the building could render them liable to prosecution for burglary.

If they enter the building to protest and do not:

A. Steal or;
B. Injure or;
C. Rape or;
D. Damage property

whilst in the building then NO offence of burglary has been committed.

If however, once they have entered the building and been asked to leave they decide to steal company property or assault an individual then they have committed the offence of burglary.

Additionally, if they intentionally damage property whilst on your property they can be arrested and charged with criminal damage.

If they enter as a trespasser and no criminal offence is committed, they can only be dealt with as a trespasser.

Action to be taken by staff who witness a criminal act

If criminal offences have been committed or are being committed these can be dealt with by the police.

The staff member(s) who witness the incident should bring the incident to a police officer's attention immediately.

As soon as possible, they should write down a detailed description of the offender including any name / nickname used. A note should then be made of exactly what happened, and the time and location of the offence.

These notes will assist the staff member when making a statement to the Police, which may be necessary to support any resulting court proceedings.

7. Telephone threats

Threatening, abusive or nuisance calls (not bomb related)

It is an offence to make any threatening, abusive or a series of nuisance calls on a telephone system.

Police with the assistance of the telephone service provider may be able to trace and prosecute an offender depending on the comments made or the nuisance that has been caused.

The company should have a policy covering under what circumstances complaints will be made to the police.

Any threat made to a named individual should be reported in any case.

Any member of staff receiving problems on their home telephone should contact their local police informing them of the circumstances of the call and where they work.

Police may request to place a telephone line trace on your system to obtain 'independent' evidence via your service provider.

A written record of any such calls should be kept, including as much detail as possible to the nature of the call.

Telephone bomb threat warnings

Most telephoned bomb threat calls are made by malicious pranksters whose threats are empty. But making such calls is a crime, and they should always be reported to the police.

You should initially always consider such a call as genuine. These calls constitute a threat to the lives of your colleagues or others in the community, and they must always be treated seriously and handled urgently.

Such calls may be the closest that you and your staff will come to terrorism. Because of the potential seriousness of each and every call, planning is needed, just as it is for other forms of attack.

Handling such a call is never easy. It is difficult to remain calm and react effectively. Regular training is therefore essential - practising with a small team will assist if and when a real threat is made.

The golden rules are:

1. Keep calm.
2. Try to obtain as much information as possible. Write down and record exactly what has been said.
3. Dial 1471 (if that facility operates).
4. Report it to the security co-ordinator and the police immediately.

8. Suspect Packages

Postal Explosive devices have been used in the United Kingdom by terrorist organisations and supporters of various radical causes.

Such devices may come in any shape or size, parcels, envelopes, video cassettes, postal tubes and padded "jiffy bags", either delivered through the Royal Mail systems or by courier service.

Postal devices are designed to operate on being opened, i.e. victim operated, and are therefore generally safe to handle.

There are often "telltale" signs accompanying such postal devices and it is therefore important that all staff who are required to open mail and parcels are aware of these signs and the action to take when identifying suspicious items.

It should be remembered that postal devices are designed to injure the addressee, upon opening the letter or package or disrupt day to day business.

Victim operated devices will normally have travelled through the postal service, been well handled and often treated quite roughly. It is most unlikely that the device will function until an attempt is made to open the package/envelope, and therefore in the majority of cases, will be safe to carry.

Initial acceptance of mail / packages

All items should be initially delivered to the mailroom.

If practical, the item, date and who made the delivery should be recorded by some means. For example:

Ideally every letter / package should be checked and x-ray considered. (We are not only concerned about explosive devices, which will normally be bulky, but also think about razor blades and hypodermic needles.)

Have you considered a process forewarning the mailroom staff when other departments expect unusual deliveries?

Encourage good practice in those who you deal with regularly by having a clearly identifiable sender shown on each item. One of the simplest ways in which to by-pass security is by organisations having supporters of their cause on your staff. Mail could then be placed directly in the office of the intended victim. Therefore all staff should be responsible for their own security and not assume that security staff have checked all items of mail.

What to look for

When checking mail think of dangers other than explosives - a lot of harm can be done to a person opening a normal every day letter using their finger when a razor blade or hypodermic needle has been secured under the flap!

Always consider the simplest forms of devices first. An envelope only containing wires and a battery will have the desired effect in disrupting your everyday business. A matchstick, friction strip and impregnated paper that will ignite when being opened is a simple incendiary device. Similarly a small, low voltage bulb filament, watch battery, together with some type of trigger device, (simple yet very compact) could cause injury or damage to property.

Common "telltale" signs of devices

• No return address or fictitious.
• If there is a return address is the postmark from that area?
• May bear endorsements such as "PERSONAL", "PRIVATE" or "CONFIDENTIAL".
• Grease marks on envelope or wrapping.
• Unusual odour, such as marzipan, oil or petrol.
• Visible wiring or tin foil, particularly if the package is damaged.
• Unusually heavy for the size of the package.
• Weight distribution uneven.
• Contents rigid in a flexible envelope/packing.
• Excessive wrapping (to prevent leakage).
• Wrongly addressed.
• Unusual / Unexpected postmark.
• Poor spelling, handwriting or typing.
• Excessive amount of postage stamps for the weight.
• Delivered by hand from unknown source.
• One end of package, heavily sellotaped.
• Unusual or unidentified contents displayed on x-ray machine.
• Booby trap devices normally direct the person opening it towards a particular side or end by deliberately using excessive tape, etc., on the non-trigger end.

Briefing for mail handling teams

What to do with suspect package

• Do not use a radio.
• Place item in blast proof container.
• If no blast proof container installed, the package should be placed on the floor.
• The supervisor should evacuate all staff in the immediate area, plus rooms to the sides, above and below.
• The room containing the device locked and the key retained by that person.
• Security to be informed.
• For a large device a full evacuation of the site may be required.
• Police contacted immediately.

Remember the member of staff who discovered the device will be required to give the following details of the item for the assistance of Police and Military Teams:

1. Size
2. Shape
3. Length
4. Diameter / Width (Sketch may help)
5. Postmark
6. Any details of sender
7. Excessive number of stamps
8. Any irregularity in address e.g. Spelling errors
9. Wrappings
10. Sellotape
11. Balance
12. Any other potentially useful information

It is vital in all cases of suspect mail, whether explosive devices or threatening / hoax letters that police can evidence:

• When, where and by what means was delivery made.
• Who accepted the item on behalf of the company?
• All people who later had possession of that item.
• Who finally handed the item to the police?

9. Personal Safety

How should I deal with incidents at work?

Protesters are allowed to peacefully demonstrate. Unfortunately they may also use tactics which involve: intimidation, harassment, damage and on occasions possibly cause: injury to staff. If those tactics are used Police and Site Security should be informed.

They need you to react to their intimidation to be successful

• The main concern for you at work will be intimidation at the company gate. Do not react. Inform your security of any incidents. They will know if police should be informed.
  
  
• You will probably be filmed entering or leaving the premises.

Do not react

• Often no film is in the camera or video. Tell security or police on site.
  
  
• Remember to concentrate on your driving at all times, do not drive fast in an attempt to avoid a confrontation.
  
  
• Do not engage in any conversation or argument with demonstrators - They want you to react.
  
  
• Keep your doors and windows locked when driving passed demonstrators.
  
  
• You may receive suspect mail - (see advice about what to look for) do not open or tamper with it. Place it in a safe place - Evacuate the room and lock it - Contact security.

Travelling to work and home: What should I do if I think I am being followed?

If you believe you are being followed:

• If you have a mobile phone -contact the police and follow their advice.
  
  
• If you do not have a mobile phone, attempt to drive to a police station if nearby, or return to your company.
  
  
• Failing this go into a large petrol station (preferably with CCTV cameras) and ask staff to telephone the local police.

If possible write down the: Registration Number - Colour - Make - Model of the vehicle following you. Also make a note of the numbers and
description of the occupants.

IF YOU THINK YOU ARE BEING FOLLOWED **DO NOT RETURN HOME**

• Protesters may know some of your route home and follow from any given location. Consider varying your times and route to and from work.
  
  
• Do not display any company stickers in your car (parking permits etc.).

IF YOU THINK YOU ARE IN DANGER DIAL 999

At home: What should I do if I have problems at home?

• ? If you are visited at home by protesters, phone your local police. Tell them where you are employed and what the company does. Inform company security. Draw your curtains and go to a room away from where the demonstrators are standing. If family or friends are expected to visit, then ask them to delay their visit till you contact them again. When Police arrive ask for their ID.

Do not engage in discussions with protesters - they want you to react

• If you discover incidents of damage to your property, inform your local police immediately. Tell them where you are employed. Also inform your company security.
  
  
• Consider asking your telephone company to make your home telephone number ex-directory.
  
  
• Ask neighbours in area if they see anything suspicious at your home to contact local police.
  
  
• Protesters may rummage through your rubbish bins and retrieve private Information.
  
  
• Neighbours themselves have been targeted in the past. Consider making them aware of your concerns.
  
  
• If you find a suspect package left at your home: **DO NOT OPEN OR TAMPER WITH IT** Place it in a safe place where children will not touch it.
  
  
• Contact company security or local police without delay

What should I tell friends and family?

Friends and family should be made fully aware of the current circumstances.

• Protesters have targeted friends and family in the past.
• Family may receive telephone calls, advise them to ask for the name, address and telephone number of the caller. Remember to do a 1471 check.
• Tell your family not to give your personal details to anyone without your knowledge.
• Advise your family to be vigilant and what to look for when receiving mail.
• Tell them not to open anything they believe may be suspicious. Put it out of children's reach. Contact the local police for advice.
• If they receive an abusive or threatening phone call at home, do a 1471 check. Contact your local police station and company security office.
• It may be worth making sure your family has a mobile phone.
• If they are approached in the street by protesters - go to the nearest place of safety - i.e. Police Station - Shop - Garage - (ideally with a security camera) - ask the staff to contact the police.

Do not argue with protesters! - They want you to react.