Counter Terror Expo 2015 at London Olympia

The 7^th annual Counter Terror Expo (CTX) was organised by Clarion Events in the Olympia National Hall, London, over the two days 21^st to 22^nd April 2015. Under the slogan "International Security for an Evolving World", the four, broadly based objectives of the event were to stop terrorist attacks, to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism, to strengthen our protection against terrorist attacks, and to mitigate the impact of terrorist attacks.

Whilst the Exhibition displayed the latest solutions to defeat and protect against terrorism, the packed Conference timetable comprised the World Counter Terror Congress, Critical National Infrastructure, Cyber Threat Intelligence and Transport Security Live.

Mark Rowley, Head of Specialist Operations and Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police responsible for London, delivered the opening address at the World Counter Terror Congress on the first day of Counter Terror Expo. According to him, the threat level to Britain from international terrorism that was raised from "Substantial" to "Severe" in August 2014 is likely to stay at that intensity for some time to come. "Severe" is the fourth level in the five-tier system of alert categories used by the UK Government since 2006 to warn of terrorist activity. The only higher level is "Critical", which is used when an attack is expected imminently.

Two co-located Exhibitions and Conference programmes also under Clarion Events were the Forensics Europe Expo and Ambition 2015, the latter for anyone involved in emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR).

The highlights of the Counter Terror Expo included many new and ground-breaking products and services from over 300 exhibitors. Accordingly some of those which particularly caught our eye are outlined below.

An application development partner on the Axis Communications stand, Derek van der Vorst, CEO of a first-time CTX exhibitor from the Netherlands, Sound Intelligence (www.soundintel.com), was demonstrating an exciting new product just shown at ISC West 2015 in Las Vegas. It turns an Axis network camera into an intelligent sound recognition device that filters out background noise to identify irregular sound patterns - potential incidents such as verbal aggression, gunshots and breaking glass. The embedded, advanced audio analytics from Sound Intelligence will then trigger the camera to send an alert and stream realtime video footage to control room operators or early responders, thereby diffusing dangerous situations before they can escalate.

British perimeter security specialist Townscape Products (www.townscapeproducts.co.uk) was promoting its new collection of hostile vehicle mitigation blocks to the PAS 68 standard for vehicle immobilisation. These aesthetically shaped blocks of granite, quartz or Dekton® are designed to prevent terrorist or criminal vehicles from having a free run up to buildings or other structures, thus enabling facilities managers to protect people and property discreetly and sympathetically to the local environment. Townscape offers more than fifty variants of patterns, finishes and colours in granite alone.

Zaun Ltd of Wolverhampton (www.zaun.co.uk) is now working with another UK firm, Binns Fencing Ltd of Potters Bar established 75 years ago, on the latest high-security perimeter protection systems to combat the rapidly evolving security threat. Impressive applications highlighted on their joint stand included secure units and prisons, such as Broadmoor, Wormwood Scrubs and a new £250m super-prison at Wrexham, North Wales.

A further excellent example of physical security product debuts was the Terror Screen high-security roller shutter door on the Hart Door Systems stand (www.hartdoors.com). It is to standard LPS 1175 SR4 Issue 7 and has third-party certification from BRE/LPCB. The Terror Screen is a large and heavy shutter that offers protection for up to 20 minutes against cutting, drilling, crowbars and axes due to its exceptional robustness. This allows enough time for security teams to arrive on site. The Terror Screen has already been installed at a number of high-security locations in Britain including power distribution and nuclear facilities. Combined with CCTV, alarms and direct links to police, it serves as a real deterrent against the sabotage of national infrastructure or theft of high-value goods.

Another UK company has claims to be one of the world's leading innovators in and manufacturers of thermal imaging systems. Thermoteknix Systems (www.thermoteknix.com) announced its new range of handheld thermal imagers for night vision. Ideal applications for the TiCAM series of monoculars and binoculars include reconnaissance, border security and surveillance, counter drug operations, police surveillance, search-and-rescue and VIP protection.

HGH Infrared Systems from France (www.hgh-infrared.com) launched its latest 360-degree infrared solution for critical infrastructure surveillance, Spynel-M. One single Spynel-M sensor effectively replaces up to 16 traditional cameras and is able to provide immediate alerts of human intrusion over a 1.5km area 24/7. The Spynel-M continuously captures fully panoramic, high-resolution infrared images every second to afford realtime security against conventional as well as asymmetrical threats including hardly detectable targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) or crawling men. Easily transportable, Spynel-M can be carried in a backpack, quickly deployed and operated remotely.

Cognitec from Germany (www.cognitec.com) introduced a video camera with integrated face detection and tracking to complement its well-known face recognition technology. This highly specialised IP video camera with built-in face detection and tracking technology is a component of Cognitec's FaceVACS-VideoScan product. So the FaceVACS-VideoScan C5 camera provides optimal image quality for realtime face recognition, even under challenging conditions, whilst requiring low computing hardware and bandwidth resources.

Meanwhile Fastlane Turnstiles (www.fastlane-turnstiles.com) majored on its Door Detective anti-tailgate system, which visitors to the stand could try out for themselves (www.doordetective.com). It is designed to increase the level of security at any door that uses access control, typically within buildings at border control posts, ports and airports. Multiple infrared sensors track movement in both directions through an open door and will raise the alarm in the event of any unauthorised passage. The Fastlane range of products is manufactured by Integrated Design Ltd (IDL) in the UK.

As ever, reliable communication is vital in emergency situations, and the SATcase^TM works by transforming the common smartphone into a sophisticated satellite phone (www.satcase.com). With this global solution, communication is still possible outside of mobile range, if coverage is cut off in a disaster or a remote area of the world. After users have placed their smartphone inside a ruggedised case, they simply install the accompanying application. The SATcase^TM comes with an SOS button to enable search-and-rescue teams searching by land, sea or air to pinpoint a person's location. Other features are two-way rescue communications, online track-and-trace for live monitoring, silent alarms and infrared strobes for victims of kidnap.

Finally, Millbrook's armoured Vauxhall Insignia was on that company's stand (www.millbrook.co.uk), showcasing its exceptional levels of protection without compromise to its profile, handling and ride comfort. Features of this discreet armoured vehicle include 360-degree ballistic and floor blast protection. Additionally the vehicle can be modified to include upgraded suspension, brakes and safety systems, whilst a blackout function, runflat capability and explosion-safe fuel tank can also be incorporated. On display too, Millbrook's newest vehicle, the armoured Toyota Land Cruiser L200, has undergone a punishing and extensive testing regime. Fully certified under the current standards to VPAM BRV2009 VR7 level, it is designed to respond to the increasing threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in hostile environments, and offers exceptional ballistic and blast protection.

So a very broad spectrum of product offerings for visitors to take in! They will now want to diary the next Expo, rebranded as the Security & Counter Terror Expo to accommodate more private sector applications alongside the many public sector ones. That will run at the same popular, easily accessible venue at London Olympia from 19^th to 20^th April 2016.

www.counterterrorexpo.com

www.forensicseuropeexpo.com

www.ambitionexpouk.com