Security Week at Bucks New University

A brand new series of security-related conferences has been organised by Bucks New University and will take place from 21 – 25 September 2009.

Known as Security Week, this is the first event of its kind and will be held at Missenden Abbey Conference Centre in Buckinghamshire. Supported by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and Skills for Security, it will feature a host of renowned industry speakers and the themes of the conferences will be safety, sustainability and crowd management. Delegates are invited to attend individual or all four conferences during the week.

Professor Chris Kemp, Pro Vice Chancellor at Bucks New University and the inspiration behind the event, commented: “The nation’s awareness of security issues and need for crowd safety has grown extensively in recent times and there is an increasing requirement for events such as these. People involved in security, and those from organisations and venues which hold large numbers of people, can come to hear about the latest techniques and how they can make their environments safer places to be, which is essential advice in today’s world.

“As one of the country’s leading providers of security, crowd management, police and criminology training, Bucks New University is ideally placed to deliver this series of events, and I would like to thank all of our partners, both industry bodies and companies, for their support in the development of this programme. We hope it is the first of many to come.”

Day one, Monday 21 September, is ideal for anyone involved in education security and is entitled, Planning for an armed intruder in an educational setting. Focused on the growing threat to schools, colleges and universities of an armed intruder entering educational premises, this day features highly practical workshops along with presentations from senior figures with first-hand experience of tragedies such as Dunblane and Hungerford.

Counter terrorism in crowded places will be held on Tuesday 22 September, a must for all those working in organisations or on events involving large numbers of people.The conference, which is sponsored by Show & Event Security, offers perspectives on dealing with counter terrorism in areas and events attracting mass crowds, and includes presentations from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), as well as other industry experts and examples of UK government training exercises.

This day also sees the opening of the Sorensen Security Library at Bucks New University. Named after its benefactor Jørgen Philip-Sørensen, the former owner and founder of Group 4, the Sorensen Security Library offers an extensive reference facility and is a key feature of the University’s International Centre for Crowd Management & Security Studies.

Wednesday 23 September will see a green theme with the Sustainable event management conference. The increasing focus on environmental and green issues will be discussed by a range of industry figures, with key topics including emissions from event-related travelling, planning sustainable events, and maintaining and developing sustainable initiatives during an economic downturn.

The 8th European Health and Safety Conference will be held on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 September. This will comprise two days packed with presentations, workshops and exercises focused on counter-terrorism, crowd-modelling, simulations and emergency planning. Sponsored by G4S, this conference is key for venue managers, local authority personnel, and event and festival organisers, and offers extensive networking opportunities including a gala dinner on the evening of Thursday 24 September.

Security Week is supported by the BSIA and Skills for Security. Bucks New University is also working in conjunction with Yourope, the European Festival Association, who are generously supporting the Sustainable event management conference and 8th European Health and Safety Conference, and offering Yourope members a discounted rate.

For further information please contact Tom Harrison at Bucks New University on 01494 601 620 or tom.harrison@bucks.ac.uk