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For the second month in succession, New Scotland Yard’s Anti-Terrorist Branch has urged security managers to plan effectively and efficiently against the current terrorist threat. The latest police warning follows last month’s parcel bomb blast at a Post Office delivery depot in Hendon.
The Real IRA is believed to be behind the latest attack on the UK mainland, which destroyed windows at The Hyde depot in Hendon, north west London. Although no-one was hurt in the blast, which occurred at 11.30 pm on 14 April, part of the nearby Edgware Road had to be closed after police cordoned off the area following the explosion.
Police condemned the attack as “reckless”. No warning was given before the device exploded in what is predominantly a residential area. “The device could have caused horrendous injuries or even death,” suggested Alan Fry, head of the Anti-Terrorist Branch and Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Fry believes the device could have contained anything up to 1lb of high explosive, a similar size to the device used at Hammersmith Bridge in June 2000.
The anniversary of the Easter Rising in 1916 at the General Post Office in Dublin, the current state of the Good Friday Agreement and ITV’s screening of the film about Irish Republican hero Michael Collins have all been considered as possible motives for the blast, which occurred just six weeks after the violent car bombing at BBC Television Centre, White City.
The Real IRA has threatened to continue its attacks on the UK mainland, and security managers are warned to stay alert at all times.
Advice on combating the terrorist threat can be found in this month’s feature ‘Exploding the myths’.
Police have urged workers and managers on London’s Canary Wharf estate to be extra-vigilant in the wake of five bomb threats in one week – all of them believed to be the work of dissident Republican group The Real IRA, reports Brian Sims.
The most serious warning, one that was designed to cause maximum disruption, came via a coded message received at the British Telecom exchange in Nottingham which suggested that a device had been planted in Canada Square. Workers at One Canada Square were then forced to remain inside the building for two hours.
Subsequent threats were received by the switchboard at Trinity Mirror, then The Telegraph. The fourth bomb threat call, stating that there was an “explosive device” in Canada Square, was received at The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
A police spokesman told SMT: “Security managers must remain vigilant about the threat of terrorism. Any suspiciously-parked cars or packages should be reported to the police immediately.”
Managing the security for a high profile development like Canary Wharf is no easy task, and there are lessons to be learned for SMT’s readers. With this in mind, we have interviewed Richard Flenley (group security manager at the Canary Wharf estate) for his take on blue chip security in the fast lane.
Police condemn Hendon bombersFor the second month in succession, New Scotland Yard’s Anti-Terrorist Branch has urged security managers to plan effectively and efficiently […]
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