2012 London Olympic Games security initiative attains significant milestone in 2020

The CSSC programme was founded back in June 2011 by a team of senior security experts who wanted to develop and operate a messaging platform that would facilitate communications between the public and private sectors on security and business resilience-focused issues. With 112 participants at its outset, the CSSC programme has since developed to the extent that, in the first six months of 2020, no less than 240 new organisations have registered to participate in the initiative.

As an independently-funded organisation, the CSSC initiative relies entirely on donations and subscriptions for its continuing monitoring and alert functions.

In practice, the CSSC works as a partnership between law enforcement, Government departments and industry sectors in London and further afield. Once a security issue is raised or otherwise develops as a direct result of a public order event, a transport issue or perhaps an environmental concern of some kind, an alert is then generated and sent to those registered with the initiative. This enables a single voice to deliver the truth about the issue and assist businesses and industry sectors alike in reacting accordingly.

Since its inception, the CSSC initiative has assisted companies in London to prepare for scenarios ranging from public order events and disruptions through to cyber crime episodes, transportation disruptions, episodes of fraud and security alerts.

The CSSC initiative is now being rolled out across the UK and already has networks in Scotland, Wales, London and seven other English regions (more of which anon).

Major endorsement

Graham Tucker, the CSSC initiative’s project director, sees the latest increase in registered organisations as a major endorsement of the CSSC’s role in supporting industry sectors and businesses across the UK.

Tucker explained to Security Matters: “When we started the scheme in 2011 we believed it would be an extremely useful tool in the organisation of the London Olympic Games and help the capital to cope with the obvious disruptions realised by such a large influx of visitors. Since then, we’ve seen the true value of having a single voice issuing warnings about travel problems, security concerns and other matters that can disrupt and damage both business and social operations.”

Tucker added: “Through the CSSC programme we can work effectively with the police service and Government departments to disseminate relevant and clearly expressed information on public security matters. This means we don’t have to rely on news and hearsay for general information. Instead, we can tailor the specific content to assist industry sectors as required. We view the CSSC initiative growing across the country because, thanks to announcements being disseminated at the earliest possible time, business leaders can make informed decisions based on a single and authoritative source of information relevant to their operational parameters.”

The CSSC initiative has registered myriad organisations in June 2020 including the Perimeter Security Suppliers Association, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, The British Council, Specsavers, the Ricoh Arena, Imperial London Hotels, Canterbury Cathedral, Live Nation, Kent County Cricket Club, Torbay Council, Abercrombie & Fitch, Alexandra Palace, Adidas, Selfridges, West Birmingham NHS, Frimley NHS and the University of Derby.

CSSC Hub

At the centre of the system is the CSSC Hub which acts as the interface between those who have information and those who need to receive it. The Hub is in permanent direct contact with the police and other authorities, as well as industry sector groups and businesses.

Bulletins and alerts from the authorities are shared with the relevant ‘Industry Sector Leads’ who cascade that information through to their own networks within their respective industries. In the case of larger firms, this may include nearby smaller businesses who might not have formal business continuity or security functions in place.

There are ten CSSC Hubs UK-wide: London, Scotland, Eastern, South East, South West, Wales, East Midlands, West Midlands, North West and Yorkshire & North East.

*Further information is available online at https://www.thecssc.com/