Two Rolling Stones concerts became the latest star-studded events to receive the highest level of protection against potential terror attacks.
As more than 30,000 music fans descended on the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, on 2 June 2018, and a further 50,000 on Manchester three days later, to watch the legendary Mick Jagger and Keith Richards play, an innovative road block system was deployed to protect the events and its attendees from any security breaches.
Surface Guard, the state-of-the-art security solution developed by ATG Access, the world’s leading innovator of road blockers, bollards and barriers, was installed at three locations around the Ricoh arena and at two locations around Old Trafford Stadium.
This security solution has been designed in response to the recent surge in vehicle attacks across Europe. The Surface Guard barrier can withstand the impact of a 7,200kg vehicle travelling at 32kph and has been tested in accordance to the IWA 14 crash test standard.
The barriers’ lightweight and modular design meant that it was deployed at both locations quickly and efficiently minimising disruption to event operation and the surrounding area. The system was then removed equally as quickly by Stadium TM – a specialist hostile vehicle mitigation barrier installer.
Two Surface Guard Vehicle Access Points were also deployed around the Ricoh Arena to allow emergency vehicles to easily pass through the barriers in the event of an accident, injury or attack.
Glenn Cooper, CEO at ATG Access, said: “Following the appalling attacks at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris and also at the Manchester Arena, event organisers have realised that they need to take additional steps in order to protect attendees.“The safety of fans is paramount, and it is great to see that event organisers are increasingly turning to our innovative Surface Guard solution as the answer. When it comes to pedestrian-permeable, temporary event security, there aren’t any other security solutions that can challenge Surface Guard’s effectiveness, nor its ability to be rapidly deployed. This makes it an excellent option for securing temporary events and concerts.”
“High impact, low technological methods to disrupt and intimidate society have taken place in recent years and we must do all we can to mitigate such methods. The Surface Guard providing an ideal solution in temporary event security due to its deployable nature and how it fits into the event surroundings. Making communitites feel safe and secure in environments to enjoy world famous music artists is something we are very proud to do.”
The Rolling Stones’ concerts weren’t the only major events secured over recent weeks, as Surface Guard was also chosen to protect the 40,000 attendees at this year’s BBC: The Biggest Weekend, Coventry 2018.
For more information, visit: www.atgaccess.com
