Security on Your Side

Last Updated: 04 March 2024
SOYS
Downloadable assets

Security on your side. Areas like this are filled with security measures. Some you can see, some you can't. #SecurityonYourSide

When members of the public visit your organisation, venue or event it may not always be obvious which security measures are in place to protect them. The same can be said of someone wishing to do harm to your site and its visitors. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) refer to these people as ‘Hostiles’.

HOSTILES: Individuals who want to attack or disrupt an organisation for profit, or to make a political or ideological point.  Hostiles can be terrorists, organised criminals, those using illegal protest activity or threats from other states.

Security On Your Side is a newly developed Security Minded Communications (SMC) campaign designed to amplify the deterrent effect of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) measures. As some of these measures are increasingly designed into normal street furniture (i.e. benches, bins, planters) it was realised that they may lose their visual deterrence.  Similarly, more traditional HVM such as bollards and barriers are also becoming a regular feature of today’s street scape.

Designed with the every-day site user in mind, SOYS is a toolkit of communication assets, layered across a range of communication channels, that amplifies the HVM and other security assets that could be in place at your venue.

Using tried and tested techniques from our SMC approach, the Security on Your Side campaign can enhance your customer service by making your customers and visitors feel safe, whilst creating the opportunity to exploit and exacerbate a hostile’s feelings of paranoia and anxiety that they may be caught or disrupted during their attack planning.

Security-Minded Communications (SMC) is an approach developed by the NPSA. It has been informed by an extensive research programme and can help to equip organisations, venues and events with the ability to use communications as part of your protective security measures. It is designed to disrupt hostiles during the reconnaissance stage of their planning. 

Security on your side

Areas like this are filled with Security Measures. Some you can see, some you can't.

The designs feature six venues including a train station, an airport, a stadium/arena, a street market, a bridge, and a high street.  Each scene depicts the venue on a normal day specifically highlighting HVM assets and several other security measures.  All of which are free to download.

SECURITY ON YOUR SIDE delivers an impactful message layered within a softer communication style.

The SOYS suite of assets have been extensively tested both at the design and pilot phase, where they were evaluated at different venues across the country. 

Our independent evaluation findings have shown that when given ample and obvious exposure through a range of communication channels (posters, digital assets, social media posts) the campaign messages resonate well with the public.   Nearly 85% of respondents could recall the key messages of the campaign.

As with all SMC and deterrence messaging there is a need to strike a balance between delivering a strong security message without causing alarm.  The evaluation results suggest that SOYS does exactly that:

  • 88% did not feel worried that an attack was any more likely.
  • 87% disagreed that the poster made them feel worried or alarmed.
  • Two thirds of respondents felt reassured by the SOYS assets.

After piloting SOYS at their venue for four weeks at a variety of events, one security manager summed up the campaign by saying:

“It's crucial to convey a message that fosters a sense of safety among our visitors rather than instilling fear, all while deterring any potential threats. I believe that the SOYS campaign effectively strikes this delicate balance.”

Security on Your Side builds on and complements our other disruptive effects initiatives including See, Check and Notify (SCaN).

SCaN is a suite of training modules that aims to help businesses maximise safety and security using their existing resource. It empowers staff to correctly identify suspicious activity and takes them through how to act when they encounter it. The skills learnt help provide both an enhanced customer experience, but also helps to ensure that individuals or groups seeking to cause your organisation harm are unable to get the information they need to plan and carry out their actions.  

View the Security on Your Side assets and download for free.