Manchester United ‘Bomb’ Blunder: What are the Lessons for Security Firms after Premier League Terror Scare?

Photo: André Zahn, under CC BY-SA 2.0

It would be overstating things to describe events at Old Trafford on Sunday as a security firm’s worst nightmare.

The most horrendous scenario, of course, is that a misjudgement on the part of security staff should permit a security breach that leads to injuries and loss of life.

Nevertheless, the abandonment of a Premier League match – the first security-related abandonment in the league’s 24-year history – is still pretty egregious.

An oversight by security personnel left 75,000 fans cursing their luck and wasted journeys – with the away fans making a nine-hour round trip from Bournemouth and United fans coming from as far away as Sierrra Leone. It also wasted the time of police officers and the Army’s bomb squad.

Old Trafford was evacuated on Sunday after a suspicious device was found in one of the toilet blocks. But it turned out that the suspicious item – described by police as an “incredibly lifelike explosive device” – was actually a training aide.

Chris Reid, director of Security Search Management & Solutions Ltd (SSMS), confessed to a “devastating mistake” after wrongly logging the “mock-up of a pipe bomb” as ‘found’ following a training exercise on Wednesday. Reid, a retired Scotland Yard police officer, said the confusion arose because “a similar item which had not been used” was already in his bag.

The dummy bomb, which was destroyed in a controlled explosion, was actually labelled as a ‘training aid’.

“Businesses must have a robust evacuation strategy in place”

John Robb, segment manager for commercial buildings EMEA, Eaton

The events at Old Trafford on Sunday underline the importance of having robust evacuation plans in place. All commercial buildings and venues must plan for a growing and increasingly diverse range of safety risks, including both traditional and unexpected threats.

Sports stadia present particular challenges. There are high concentrations of people, most of whom are probably not familiar with exit routes and evacuation procedures. The evacuation of Old Trafford was well managed, by all accounts. However, the consequences could have been very serious if the facility and its staff had been less well prepared.

Life safety ought to be a high priority for all building owners and managers. To help raise awareness of the key considerations, Eaton has launched a major campaign in the UK, including an extensive white paper that provides guidance on evacuation planning.

Eaton are exhibiting at FIREX 2016 (stand G180, hall 2), which takes place between 21-23 June at London’s ExCeL and is co-located with IFSEC International 2016. Visitors to the stand can access the white paper and find out more about the campaign. Register to attend here.

“A smartphone app can use a ‘guard tour’ system and QR code plaque to require guards to attend fixed points and locate specific items”

Simon Chapman, MD, Lodge Service

The major reason for security lapses is that agreed processes are not followed. To avoid this it is essential that security staff are regularly trained and processes audited – and good use made of new technology.

A smartphone app can be used as an activity log and checklist and the results relayed to the rest of the security team on site, as well as back to the ARC intelligence centre.

The App can use a ‘guard tour’ system and QR code plaque to require guards to attend fixed points and locate specific items of equipment, such as a dummy bomb, and then scan the code. This ensures that the management team at the ARC knows exactly what has happened on site and that all checks have been made.

Lodge Service are exhibiting at IFSEC International 2016 (Stand B810), which takes place between 21-23 June at London’s ExCeL. Register to attend here.

 “The closest analogy I can ascribe to this situation is the difference between live and blank ammunition in the military”

Jeff Little OBE, founder and director, TriTectus

The closest analogy I can ascribe to this situation is the difference between live and blank ammunition in the military.  Live ammunition is clearly fatal but blank can also cause injuries and must be treated with great respect and carefully accounted for.

Likewise, a dummy Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has to be accounted for and treated with the same respect as a real, live device.  Each one should be accounted for at the end of an exercise.

If there is one missing at ENDEX, then an immediate search is launched until the item is located and safely stored away.  Should it not be found, then the authorities are notified, the police made aware and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams across the UK informed of the loss.

Jeff Little OBE will be presenting on ‘Security, resilience and recovery in an increasingly uncertain world’ at Facilities Show 2016, which is co-located with IFSEC International. Jeff’s presentation will take place on the afternoon of 22 June in the FM Excellence Arena at ExCel London. Register to attend here.

“To plagiarise Brian Hanrahan on his famous broadcast from an aircraft carrier during the Falklands conflict, you have to count them all out and count them all back in again”

Mike Gillespie, founder, Advent IM; director, Security Institute; C3i Committee Member

It is laudable that Man United were carrying out this training exercise, let’s keep that in sight while we search for explanations. Crisis management and terror drill plans have to be tested regularly but so do the procedures of the testing body.

If you are going to use fake devices that are apparently as convincing as the accidentally discovered one was, you need to be well practiced yourself. To plagiarise Brian Hanrahan on his famous broadcast from an aircraft carrier during the Falklands conflict, you have to count them all out and count them all back in again.

So not only do entities like Man United need to practice their procedures, as they clearly were, the testers need to be impeccable in their own procedures too. Proper control over manpower and equipment and a comprehensive kit-check and de-brief would have uncovered this situation before it cost the match and resulted in so much disappointment and worry.

Mike Gillespie will be at IFSEC International 2016, taking part in a panel discussion on How the relationship between physical security and IT is evolving. The panel takes place on 22 June at 11.00 and will also have speakers from ASIS Interntaional, Pelco and Noord-Group. Click here to register for IFSEC International 2016

“As an industry we’ve worked hard to improve our reputation. This puts the industry back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons”

Abbey Petkar, MD, Magenta Security

The events at Manchester United’s stadium on Sunday were nothing short of a fiasco and have caused uproar when the situation could have easily been avoided.

It highlights the need for stringent processes to be put in place and followed to the letter. Every threat to the safety of people needs to be taken seriously, and exercises such as the one that was carried out at Old Trafford are a necessary part of the training security personnel need to go through.

However, there needs to be a thorough process whereby equipment – particularly when an item could be perceived as a viable device used in a terrorist attack – is checked out and checked back in.

As an industry we have worked very hard to improve our reputation. Unfortunately events like these take us a step back and puts the industry back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

“Although human error can never be completely eliminated, all necessary measures must be taken to avoid them”

Brian Dillon FSyI, director, Rubicon Resilience Limited, and a Fellow of the Security Institute

The cancellation of the Manchester United and Bournemouth football match on Sunday due to mistakes in an exercise is highly regrettable. Like everyone else the Security Institute feels for all the fans who were disappointed on the day.

We must not forget that the terrorist threat level remains at severe. Despite the inconvenience and cost of Sunday’s incident we should remember that at the time everyone thought this was a real bomb scare. We can take comfort from the efficiency of the authorities, Manchester United and the public in dealing with this challenging situation.

Nevertheless, Sunday’s incident highlights the need to ensure that all training and exercising is accompanied by sound planning arrangements. Safeguards must be incorporated so that although human error can never be completely eliminated, all necessary measures are taken to ensure they are avoided. The Security Institute awaits the outcome of the post-event review and will assist if required.

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