Fighting Terrorism With Security Bollards

Security professionals must constantly think of ways to fight and prevent terror attacks. Their work is difficult. While success for security professionals requires them to deter or eliminate every single threat, a terrorist just needs to be right just once in order to successfully complete their mission.

Unfortunately, the terror threat is not going away. According to an annual study by Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center, tens of thousands of terror attacks occurred throughout the world last year, resulting in approximately 18,000 civilian deaths.

While the number of terror attacks and fatalities slightly decreased in 2017 compared to 2016, the world remains a dangerous place. Security and law enforcement professionals must do their part to ensure that they are taking the proper precautions to deter potential attacks and, should an attack occur, minimize damage and casualties. They must pay particular attention to terror attacks executed by vehicle, where a terrorist uses a car, truck, or any other vehicle to cause death and destruction. Vehicular terror attacks have caused fatalities and destruction in major cities like London, New York City, Barcelona, Berlin, and Nice. 

The threat is real and it continues to exist. That said, what can be done to combat these sort of attacks? 

One of the most effective ways to fight vehicular terror attacks is through the use of security bollards.

If you are not familiar, a security bollard is a barrier—typically used in groups—that can limit vehicular traffic in a particular area while simultaneously allowing pedestrian traffic. Security bollards can either be permanently placed on the surface or can be retracted at will, which allows free movement of vehicle traffic as necessary. 

The main security benefit of a security bollard is that it can prevent a vehicle from entering into a particular area. The bollards are often manufactured from heavy gauge materials and are highly dependable. The most obvious use case for a security bollard is that a security or law enforcement organization can cordon off a particular error (a park or plaza, for instance) or can place bollards in front of an important building or structure (like the houses of Parliament). 

Compared to other security alternatives, security bollards provide a number of unique benefits. Most notably, they can contain vehicular terror attacks—whether they are accompanied by explosives or not—outside of a sensitive area. Should a vehicle attempt to bypass a row of security bollards, the vehicle will fail to breach the row of security bollards, thus preventing an attack from occurring in a defined area. Not only do security bollards prevent an attack in a defined area, they deter potential terrorists from using a vehicle to attack the protected area, as they know that they will be unable to breach a protected area due to the strength of the bollards. 

Along with the containment and deterrent incentives, security bollards provide a high level of security while maintaining the beauty of the protected area. They are often shaped like spheres (although the shape can vary) and can be aesthetically pleasing compared to a fence or some other barrier. The design of security bollards is often customizable, so security professionals can choose a cover to best blend in with the surrounding environment. In sum, if you want to protect a certain area while keeping aesthetics and public perception in mind, security bollards may be your best bet. 

Security professionals who are thinking of purchasing security bollards must consider several factors. First, they must account for the driving environment that surrounds the area they want to protect. Important factors include proximity to traffic, the speed of the surrounding traffic, traffic frequency, and driver behavior. They should consider whether they need security bollards that are fixed or bollards that can retract to allow permitted vehicular traffic into a secured area. Significantly, they should also consider the particular type of security bollard to use, as certain bollards may provide different features than others. Last (but not least), security professionals must mind their budget and ensure that they can allocate enough funds to purchase as many bollards as necessary. 

Ultimately, security bollards are a great way to fight vehicular based terror attacks. In a world that sees thousands of terror attacks each year, security professionals must seriously consider this cost-effective method to combat vehicle-based terror.