National plan to protect crowded places
- Crowded places are defined as locations easily accessible by large numbers of people on a predictable basis
- They include sports stadiums, public transport, shopping centres, pubs and clubs, places of worship, movie theatres, parks or pedestrian malls
- Owners and operators of crowded places have primary responsibility for protecting their sites and the people who work or visit there
- Security considerations must be incorporated into planning - including executive decision-making, training staff and encouraging them to report vulnerabilities and incidents
- Police will run crowded places forums where business and venue owners and governments can share information
- Forums will report regularly to a national advisory group
- An online self-assessment tool will help decide how attractive a particular crowded place might be as a terrorist target
- Assessment factors include historical, religious, cultural or political symbolis, how many people can gather there, and whether the timing of crowds is predictable
- Crowded places security audit available online plus suggestions for how to hire a reliable security consultant to do an assessment
- Deterrence and detection measures include fences, CCTV cameras, lighting, security patrols, barriers or bollards, alarm systems, and screening procedures
- Measures to respond to a potential attack include having trained security staff, an emergency communication system and comprehensive security plans
- Detailed guidelines for dealing with armed offenders, bombs, chemical weapons and vehicle attacks are available online at www.nationalsecurity.gov.au
- Police will provide specific information on local threats to owners and operators
- General public encouraged to report suspicious or unusual behaviour to local police on 131 444 (in Victoria 1800 333 000) or the national security hotline on 1800 123 400
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