Secure platform

Iain Chorlton, Special Services Director and lead for Project Blueprint, Amulet gives an overview of the innovative security software and how situational awareness tools can take security services to the next level

Historically, security has been built on assumption – if you have more cameras, and more security guards, you will be more likely to succeed in responding to a crisis.

Albeit a very basic approach, there is some truth to this. If you have more vigilant bodies on the ground, you will have more eyes that might be able to spot a crisis unfolding and more guards on hand to respond to these threats.

Unfortunately, such a mindset fails to offer opportunities to be proactive and get ‘ahead’ of a problem. It leaves scope for missed threats and therefore greater risk – risk that organisations cannot afford to take.

Prior to joining Amulet, I held a number of critical lead roles in coordinating emergencies, crisis response and organisational governance to train and prepare others to deal with real life challenges. In 2018, this led me to working with a shopping centre in conducting a large-scale counter terror exercise to evaluate the preparedness of all those agencies and organisations involved in the event of an attack.

In no uncertain terms, the coordination of multi-agency activity completely fell apart under the stress test, revealing a number of agencies being worryingly unprepared.

THE EVOLUTION OF PROJECT BLUEPRINT

The shopping centre exercise in particular highlighted the need for a better understanding, at all levels of management, of what was occurring on the ground, based on real-time information in order to support informed decision making, to improve the coordination of resources.

The Airbox Systems’ MOSAIC platform was identified as the only effective solution able to address the problems encountered in gaining an accurate picture of what was happening and coordinating activity to improve the preparedness of organisations in dealing with the type of threats that faces the UK today.

The MOSAIC platform quickly became a tool that was used on an everyday basis, not as part of emergencies, but in supporting organisations to deploy resources and share information as part of routine activities. Today, it is used by every facet of the emergency services, from helicopter rescue teams to ambulances, police officers, the fire service and the coast guard, with over 100,000 operations conducted in the UK during the last 12 months using the platform.

Yet the benefits of real-time situational awareness software aren’t simply limited to the public sector safety realm. Private sector organisations can completely transform not just their security, but their day-to-day operations, by adopting this unparalleled yet easy to use technology.

Both Airbox Systems and Churchill Services recognised how they could combine their efforts and talent to offer the benefits of this platform to the private sector and so, Project Blueprint was born.

HOW PROJECT BLUEPRINT WORKS IN PRACTICE

Launched mid-2021, Project Blueprint has a simple goal – to make the UK a safer place to live, work and enjoy. Project Blueprint has exclusivity to offer this flexible and rapidly configurable platform to support routine tasks or unexpected circumstances.

A ‘same page’ philosophy simply enables everyone to understand what is happening through a real-time collective picture of the working environment, delivering information when and where it is needed. It manages resources by knowing where everybody is and what they are doing by connecting users at all levels. Maximising their value by easily assigning and reassigning them to specific tasks as required.

Without an accurate understanding of what is going on, key information can be missed, or interpreted incorrectly. Poor communication is often the Achilles heel hampering effective service delivery, with confused messaging leading to mistakes and lower quality services.

It ensures one and all are ready for the challenges of the day by empowering informed decision making underpinned by interactive mapping, resource tracking and a unique ability to visually represent the ‘ground truth’ to all stakeholders.

Essentially, it provides all the capabilities you require to effectively manage your business, during routine activity or emergencies, all in one place.

Ensuring all security team members are always seeing the same picture allows security incidents to be dealt with in a timely manner by defining the situation and enabling informed, timely and coordinated responses.

ENABLING ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

There is no one-size-fits-all mantra – rather, the software is adaptable and customisable as per the end organisation’s needs.

Be it train operating companies, sporting grounds or critical national infrastructure, it can be deployed to suit multiple scenarios. While the technology’s capabilities are the same, it can work differently for different people, with a variety of varying features able to cater to a range of needs.

Our teams continue to support this approach as part of its deployment, providing full training and technical support and a review of how the software is being used, bringing to light potentially useful ways in which end users may benefit that are not currently being realised.