RiskUKNovember2017

News Update
Home Office announces package of
new measures specifically designed
to tackle violent crime
Prison sentences for those who repeatedly
carry corrosive substances without good
reason for doing so are among a set of new
laws being proposed by the Home Office with
the key aim of tackling serious violence.
The measures include a new offence of
possession of a corrosive substance in public
without a good or lawful reason. It would
place the onus on the individual caught in
possession to explain why they’re carrying
such a substance, rather than on the police
service to prove that the substance was
intended to cause injury. Those convicted of
this offence for a second time would face a
mandatory minimum sentence in line with the
existing knife possession laws.
The proposals are part of the consultation
on new legislation around offensive and
dangerous weapons. This duly sets out
legislative measures to reduce violent crime,
respond to recent rises in police-recorded
knife and firearms offences and deal with the
emergence of attacks where acids and
corrosive substances are being used.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd (pictured)
explained: “All forms of violent crime are
totally unacceptable, which is why we’re
taking action to restrict access to offensive
weapons and crack down on those who carry
acids with intent to do harm. Acid attacks can
devastate lives and leave the victims with both
emotional and physical scars. By actively
banning the sale of the most harmful corrosive
substances to those under the age of 18 and
introducing minimum custodial sentences for
individuals who repeatedly carry corrosive
substances with intent to cause harm, we’re
sending out a message that the cowards who
use these substances as weapons will not
escape the full force of the law.”
Measures on which the Government will now
consult in detail are new offences pertaining
to the sale of acids and the most harmful
corrosive substances to people aged under 18,
possession of a corrosive substance in public
and restricting online sales of knives such that
they cannot be delivered to a private
residential address and must instead be
collected at a place where age ID can be
checked and verified.
Sarah Newton, the Minister for Crime,
Safeguarding and Vulnerability, has just
announced the launch of the £500,000
Community Fund for local projects aimed at
tackling knife crime in tandem with more than
£280,000 of successful bids for community
work determinedly focused on ending gang
violence and exploitation.
BRE Global/LPCB Attack Testing
Zone set for expansion at IFSEC
International 2018
Security is the biggest challenge the world is
facing at present, with the need to safeguard
people and property arguably now greater
than at any point in the past. On that basis,
end users need to know the products and
solutions about which they’re making critical
purchasing decisions are fit for purpose.
With this in mind, IFSEC International’s
organiser UBM EMEA will once again be
partnering with the experts at BRE Global and
the LPCB to host the 2018 event’s Attack
Testing Zone.
Following the hugely successful introduction
of this new demonstration area in June, the
Attack Testing Zone will be expanded and
moved to a prominent position in the Borders
and Infrastructure area of IFSEC International
2018, in turn providing dramatic
demonstrations of the capabilities of worldclass
security solutions.
Expert technicians from BRE Global/LPCB
will actively demonstrate the effectiveness of
a range of physical security solutions. All of
the products on display are LPCB Red Bookapproved
and will have met the stringent
conditions laid down by a range of UK and
European standards. That being so, end users
in attendance at London’s ExCeL next June will
be watching ‘Best in Class’ products taken to
task in real-time scenarios.
Richard Flint, technical and business
development manager for physical security at
BRE Global, explained to Risk UK: “BRE Global
is delighted to once again partner with IFSEC
International in order to continue with the
Attack Testing Zone. We were hugely
impressed with the volumes and quality of the
visiting audience this year and, such was the
level of interest generated, we made sure the
IFSEC International team would both expand
and relocate this area for 2018. It’s a unique
opportunity for security professionals to see
leading products being tested in real-time and
showcases the impressive levels of security
and protection these solutions can provide.”
Gerry Dunphy, brand director for IFSEC
International, stated: “The Attack Testing Zone
was the star performer at IFSEC International
2017, with visiting customers standing fourdeep
around the area just to try and obtain a
view of what was going on. It’s clearly a major
area of interest for industry professionals.”
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