Major Events

Risk Group personnel are specialists in managing operational risks at events. Our team has in-depth experience at events ranging from regional rock concerts, corporate events, public gatherings and celebrations, to Olympic Games planning and international cricket.

For example, we provided a complete security risk management solution to the local organising committee for Cricket World Cup 2015 (Australia and New Zealand). Our principal was embedded as lead consultant in developing the tournament security master plan, strategic framework, risk management plans and master security standards for all match venues, training venues, hotels, airports and transport arrangements. Working with a wide range of stakeholders at local, state and federal government levels, our advice extended to analysing every aspect of the tournament and developing policies, procedures and standards to mitigate risks to this iconic international event. Our work included contract management for acquisition of private security services and deployment of more than 8,000 security staff across more than 160 separate locations. The tournament was the largest sporting event in the world in 2015 and has been hailed as the best ever world cup in terms of attendance, broadcast audience and a host of other key success factors.

Risk Group also recruited, trained and managed close personal protection personnel for all participating teams and match officials throughout the tournament and managed a network of host city security managers around Australia to ensure consistent service delivery. During the operational phase, Risk Group took the lead in oversight and quality assurance of security services at all matches and ensured that the security mission that “no crime mars success of the tournament” was achieved”.

Risk Group can deliver a whole of event solution that includes:

• Comprehensive threat and risk assessments for the event and all venues and preparation of all relevant documentation
• Prepare all event security policies, strategic and operational plans and procedures to be delivered by the commercial security workforce and volunteers.
• Commercial security study. Work with the commercial security industry to complete a ‘supply vs demand’ analysis and identify the number of trained workforce required, core competencies and potential recruitment pool to draw upon.
• Analysis of costs for all security services
• Prepare security contracts and scope of work to engage private security providers, including training, licensing and competency requirements.
• Manage the procurement process for all security services and develop a Training Needs Analysis (TNA), Training Management Package (TMP) and Request for Tender documentation
• Prepare specifications for sub-projects, command centres, venue security strategies for crowd management
• Mentoring of the security contractor to ensure delivery against specifications and best practice approaches.
• Auditing of security service delivery
• Define and design security hardware solutions, including CCTV and Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM)
• Crowd modelling (ingress, circulation, egress and density) and span of control analysis
• Preparation and testing of emergency management plans

Enterprise Risk Management

Riskgroup has considerable experience in the development of risk management frameworks for a wide variety of clients in government and the private sector, with recent and relevant experience in managing risks to major sporting events. Our core business is the conduct of risk assessments that typically include all or any of the following elements:

• Business analysis to determine risk exposures
• Conduct of risk management workshops to assist your team to identify, analyse and manage risk
• Preparation of detailed risk registers
• Preparation of risk management plans, policies and procedures
• Design of physical security solutions and control measures to mitigate identifed risks
• Development of operational requirements for security staff, security systems, access control and accreditation systems
• Design and delivery of training programs for stakeholders and key decision-makers to ensure they are confident in their ability to make decisions and to apply the procedures and contingency plans if the need arises.
• Oversight of security solutions that align with well documented risks and control measures

For example, we developed the risk management framework for the Victorian Government to assist in analysing and understanding the risks during planning for the $300M Statewide Mobile Radio Network upgrade for all emergency services.

Crowded Places Security – Counter Terrorism Risk Assessments

The Australian Federal government is working to strengthen national security arrangements in order to help owners and operators of venues better protect crowded places from terrorism. The new guidelines, [Australia’s Strategy for Protection of Crowded Places from Terrorism] reinforce the primary responsibility of owners and operators of crowded places for protecting their sites, including a duty of care to protect people that work, use, or visit their site from a range of foreseeable threats, including terrorism.

This raises several critical questions:

• Do you know what your obligations are in managing the risk of terrorism in your venue or at your event?
• What exactly are the risks to your organisation, your brand and reputation in relation to terrorism?
• How do you start to develop a sound methodology for managing this significant and enduring risk?
• What is your corporate and individual exposure if you fail to implement reasonable security measures?
• Would your management team withstand close scrutiny in the aftermath of a terrorist event, active shooter or any other major emergency?

Risk Group is at the forefront of implementing Australia’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism. Our team of subject matter experts have both the technical and operational expertise and commercial experience to guide you in the development of compliant plans, policies and procedures to mitigate the risk of terrorism. Risk Group can provide the following services in this critical area of operational risk management.

• Crowded places vulnerability and compliance audits
• Development of safe systems of work that translate into safer and more secure spaces for users and all stakeholders
• Advice on physical security measures to mitigate the risk of terrorism, including technology, hardware and common-sense low-tech approaches for cost effective solutions
• Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) solutions based on qualified forefront modelling for vehicle approach speeds and impact analysis
• Strategic planning for safe and secure venues and events
• Operational planning for deployment of security staff and technical support systems
• Preparation of comprehensive security master plans, policies and procedures
• Procurement, deployment and management of security manpower services
• Mentoring of security contractors to ensure they deliver effective services

Public Safety Systems

Risk Group personnel have decades of experience in law enforcement and the military and substantial commercial experience in the design, build and operation of Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems for police, fire and ambulance services. We advised the US multinational Intergraph Corporation in the design, implementation and management of CAD management systems for emergency services throughout Australia and New Zealand. This included migration of these mission critical services from entirely paper-based methods to fully computerised systems and the creation of a world-first fully outsourced model of emergency call taking and dispatch. Contract values for these projects exceeded $300M and we spent more than five years in changing the face of public safety systems in Australia.

Risk Group continues to advise police services on emerging technologies including the use of sophisticated software for social media monitoring and investigations.

Security Workforce Management and Review

Risk Group principal, Stephen Frost, established the private security industry licensing, training and accreditation regime in Victoria, Australia and is credited with developing the industry code of practice and training standards that were adopted nationally as part of the National Training Reform Agenda. He has consulted widely to many other government agencies in the development of similar regulatory models and has provided expert evidence in numerous government enquiries and cases of litigation related to the private security industry.

Risk Group has mentored many security employers in Australia to achieve best practice in manpower service delivery, with a particular emphasis on key areas of recruitment, training, supervision, documentation and audit. We have conducted in-depth analyses of security company operations, delivering qualified assessments for current and potential clients in government and business and preparing strategies to improve contractor performance, especially in the retail sector and major events space.

We have worked extensively in retail, mining, international ports, manufacturing and government sectors, to conduct detailed risk assessments and provide comprehensive operational security plans, policies and procedures to mitigate risk.