Transport of Hazardous Material
Materials such as explosives, pathogens and toxins, chemicals or radiological sources which could be exploited by terrorists may be vulnerable whilst in transit between secure sites. The means of transportation can range from simple courier delivered packages to road delivered material escorted by armed police. NaCTSO and the CTSA network seek to identify actual or potential weaknesses in the movement of hazardous materials and work with the different transport sectors and officials to minimise the risk of compromise.
NaCTSO in partnership with other agencies such as CPNI, IMO, TRANSEC and VOSA works to reduce the risk to the transport sector.
Security of Dangerous Loads. This work is centred on the protective security of loads such as radiological, chemical and petroleum cargo movement around the UK, in keeping with current legislation such as the ADR regulations.
‘Trojan’ vehicles. Terrorist activity in the Middle East has included the delivery of improvised explosive devices using stolen vehicles such as ambulances and police cars or vehicles disguised as such. This has been done to overcome perimeter security measures and to allow the terrorist to get as close to the intended target as possible. NaCTSO works closely with all the emergency services and local authorities to ensure that decommissioned vehicles are disposed of securely and that they are secure whilst temporarily out of service (for example when being repaired or serviced).
Hostile Vehicle Mitigation. The identification, surveying and protection of the Critical National Infrastructure and other vulnerable sites against the delivery of an improvised explosive device by vehicle. This can be achieved by a range of counter measures such as traffic calming, barriers, vehicle search regimes and vehicle access control. NaCTSO together with the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) delivers appropriate training to all the CTSAs to enable them to give advice locally.
Maritime Security. NaCTSO assists our security partners in TRANSEC, CPNI and the IMO in the protection of sea-ports around the UK. We ensure that the CTSA officers support the network of TranSec Inspectors with security advice that complements measures imposed under the regulations issued through the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code [ISPS] codes of practice.