This Is Guernsey

By Tom Edwards

Left to right: DS Alan Husher, counter-terrorism security adviser Craig Aitken and DCI Chris Phillips.

BUSINESSES are prime targets for terrorist attacks and the situation is no different in Guernsey, according to specialist security advisers.

Officers from the National Counter- Terrorism Security Office were in the island on Tuesday to urge business leaders to prepare for the worst. Detective Chief Inspector Chris Phillips said terrorism was undoubtedly going to have an impact on everyone.

‘It’s a generational thing and we will have to face it for years to come. Terrorism has been around for centuries, but what we now have to deal with is totally different. Its measure of success is the number of human casualties coordinated through multiple attacks and it’s businesses that are the primary targets.

‘Terrorism is a means of changing government and the business community is in the firing line.’

The Nactso is a police team working at the Centre for the Protection of the National Infrastructure, based within MI5.

It trains, tasks and coordinates 150 counter-terrorism security advisers in  the UK and that will soon increase to 230.

Training areas include terrorist weapons and explosives, radiological protection, pathological and toxins protection and blast effects.

The local presentation made use of case studies, such as the July 2005 London bombings and the June 2007 Glasgow Airport incident, to examine terrorist attacks.

‘What attracts business to Guernsey is its good reputation, but if something happened here and it wasn’t dealt with effectively, then that reputation would be damaged forever,’ said DCI Phillips.

‘Look at how London reacted to the attacks in 2005 – it was business as usual the next day and now it has cemented its reputation as one of the most resilient cities in the world.’

Guernsey’s counter-terrorism security adviser is Craig Aitken, who has been in the job for a year.

He urged businesses to get in touch with him with any questions about preparing against the threat.

‘This was our first event and the response from the business community has so far been very positive.

‘We are hoping to have more while exploring other ways of making information more accessible, such as putting it on the Guernsey Police website.’

A terrorist incident elsewhere in the world could easily affect Guernsey businesses, he added. ‘We are not vulnerable just to attacks here, but anywhere in the world and because we are an island, we have limited resources with which to respond, so the effects can be devastating.

‘We want to promote an awareness of the issues and ensure businesses have a plan in place and are prepared for the worst.’

Chamber of Commerce president Mark Trenchard said Guernsey’s finance industry had been aware of many of the terrorism issues for some time.

‘It’s not a new topic, but I think the general businesses have been more sheltered. The idea that Guernsey is somehow not at risk is totally wrong and it is clear the nature of the threat is changing and we all have to be more aware.

‘It was an extremely interesting talk – there is definitely work to be done.’

Business continuity is being taken more seriously as companies realise how exposed and slow to recover they might be without a contingency plan in place, said Bob Childs of Itex.

‘Whether it’s a terrorist attack or even problems caused by extreme weather like we’ve seen over the last few days, an increasing number of firms of all sizes want to know that if disaster struck locally, they have a “plan b” in place,’ said the business-continuity manager.

‘It was a good move by the Guernsey Police to bring the experts over from the UK to talk through the issues with business leaders.

‘For local companies, the most important thing is to plan for continuity – to be better able to respond and recover.’

Article posted on 13th March, 2008 - 2.30pm