Watch back the panel discussion that took place in June at IFSEC Connect, where four industry experts provided viewpoints on the future of protecting cities and public spaces.
Sponsored by Avigilon, part of Motorola Solutions, the webinar focused on the crucial topic of public safety in our cities and urban environments. In a world where there are ever increasing threat levels, and as cities become even more digitised and connected, it is vital we protect citizens and organisations from physical and cyber threats. Police and law enforcement have their role to play of course, but so too does the private security sector – from end-users, through to consultants and installers.
A key theme of the discussion explored how an integrated approach can support the development of large, secure urban areas, and how this might progress over the coming years. And, we asked how technology and physical security procedures will converge and develop to mitigate emerging threats?
We’ve seen several incidents in recent years of the threat posed to urban environments. Terror attacks in London and Manchester, as well as incidents in Vienna and France – and that’s just Europe. Surveys have shown the public remains concerned over the terror threat as countries continue to emerge from lockdowns, while the UK is working on legislation as a result of the tragic Manchester Arena attack in May 2017 as we speak.
Martyn’s Law, or the Protect Duty as it is officially known, has been campaigned for tirelessly by Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, one of the victims of the Arena attack, and is currently under consultation for how public spaces can be better protected and set up to mitigate threats.
There’s also the cyber security issue. Severe incidents have made headlines this year, where critical national infrastructure in the US and elsewhere has been a victim of cyber attacks. As cities become ever more connected, which increasingly involve IoT-based physical security devices such as surveillance cameras and access points, how does the industry ensure they’re on top of the issues and aware of the threat?
We discussed all this and more with an expert panel. As host, I was joined by:
- James Willison, Founder of Unified Security, and Co-Chair of the IoTSF Smart Built Environment Group
- Sarb Sembhi, CTO & CISO of Virtually Informed, and Co-Chair of the IoTSF Smart Built Environment Group
- Mark Weatherley, Senior Sales Director at Avigilon, part of Motorola Solutions
- Stuart Williams, Founder of Blackford Security Consultants, and representing the Security Institute