The protection of crowded places from terrorist threats: does protective security advice meet the needs of security managers?

Crowded places have long been identified by the UK Government as terrorist targets. It is therefore crucial that security professionals responsible for the security of crowded places are provided with the relevant support and security awareness training to enable them to enhance protection. This research sets out to gain a better understanding of whether current protective security advice and training meets the needs of security managers. This study shows there are a range of challenges stemming from the received security advice; and in some cases, advice hinders the enhancement of protective security at some crowded places. Whilst significant efforts have been made by policymakers and Counter-Terrorism (CT) Policing to enhance security to protect against terrorist attacks, greater efforts are still needed to promote CT security.