Securing major events takes over a decade of strategising

There’s a perennial theme in the approach to every Olympic Games: is the host city ready? The question, “Is Paris ready for the Olympics?” produces over 50 million Google search results.

While readiness can be defined in many ways, for one of the biggest public events on Earth, it’s often taken to mean whether the host country can handle the influx of visitors and deliver a safe and enjoyable experience. Certainly, the biggest challenge that all host cities will face is finding the right balance between securing the Olympic events and the entire city, all while remaining unintrusive.

This will be put to the test where a key security feature of Paris 2024 from a security perspective is QR code-based access control at checkpoints to enter parts of the inner city. Despite significant bilingual communication, weeks out from the event there remains some considerable confusion around who needs it and when. This highlights the challenges of employing technology-based controls to secure the Games, given the cross-section of people that have to interact with these systems.

For Brisbane organisers, observing security policy and implementation in action in Paris should provide some indication of how they’re tracking with their own early preparations.

It may also give pause to bringing some timelines forward. Brisbane is in the midst of reviewing its security protocols for the Olympics and other major sporting events in the coming years. Historical observations and experience point to over a decade of detailed planning and strategising going into securing each one.

For Brisbane organisers to advance this work, there are several foundational best practices for large-scale public event planning that can be incorporated into their security preparation.

Where Brisbane can make strides on security now

The key component to understand about securing major sporting events is that it requires large-scale coordination between thousands of people and dozens of organisations. At a foundational level, collaboration between all local, state and federal governments is imperative to the safe and successful delivery of the Games.

In the early planning phases, cities must find ways to bring public and private agencies together. Too often these different teams work in silos and use systems that run independently.

Police, public safety, first responders, mass transit teams, venue security and others need to be aligned. Staff and volunteers at large sporting events must also stay connected. There needs to be a constant flow of communication about what’s happening between all these stakeholders. Ensuring a clear understanding of what needs to be done exists when an incident arises. The ideal outcome is that everyone has access to the same information and that issues can be resolved before they escalate.

This level of collaboration can only happen with a unified approach. That means aligning all of these parties together as early as possible.

One way to do this is by building central command centres to manage operations. These can take the form of real-time crime centres (RTCCs) or security operations centres (SOCs). These centres are designed to act as a centralised command post that unifies data streams and operations across city departments and beyond.

Everything from receiving emergency calls and dispatching information to live video, number plate recognition and sensor data stream onto video walls for all operators, investigators and commanders to see. In moments, they can all watch what’s unfolding and can act quickly to mitigate the situation.

An RTCC or SOC works best when it’s underpinned by an open and unified security platform that empowers operators by analysing and correlating all incoming information and then pointing officers to the most pressing situations. All relevant videos and data are displayed on an interactive city map. This offers added situational context to make faster, more informed decisions.

Having decision support capabilities is also important. Operators should automatically receive guidance to pre-programmed response procedures for various types of events. No matter what stressful situation arises, they can remain confident and in control.

In addition, with a command centre powered by the right physical security platform, host cities can develop public–private partnerships to strengthen security. This involves reaching out to venues, local businesses and even residents, and asking for permission to connect selected video management cameras to the security centre. Given the expense of being a host city, being able to utilise any existing camera infrastructure at existing venues like stadiums, or along cycling or marathon routes, is an effective way to save significant taxpayer dollars by using devices that are already in place.

Overall, building a comprehensive strategy to secure the Olympics is a significant undertaking, involving years of hard work, varying stakeholders and many considerations. Getting it right requires more than the right technology: it’s also about choosing the right people.

Ultimately, securing any large major sporting event is a shared responsibility. It’s through collaboration and partnership that host cities can ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all.

Image credit: iStock.com/ChrisBoswell