Protecting heritage sites in the age of terrorism

On a Friday morning in April this year, more than 3000 tourists at the Statue of Liberty were evacuated with little warning, after a 911 caller threatened to blow up the place. 

Federal police investigations into the matter revealed the threat to be a hoax, but the whole incident was a reminder of safety concerns at heritage sites. Now, after the recent Paris attacks that reiterated the vulnerability of civilian infrastructure, providing adequate protection at heritage sites should be seen as a priority.  
   
There are three key reasons for this. First, militant groups like the IS are known for destroying heritage sites in the Middle East, and their reasons for such activities could extend beyond the region. 

Second, heritage sites are often popular tourist spots, and especially during holiday seasons, these are places of mass gathering. If a terrorist outfit were to plan an attack similar to that seen recently in Paris, heritage sites would be particularly vulnerable. 

Third, heritage sites are often the pride of a country. Harming them would cause a symbolic damage to any nation. 

Challenges to securing heritage sites

But safeguarding heritage sites comes with its own challenges. According to a guide from the British Security Industry Association, the main problem is that any significant change to a heritage item devalues it. Moving a statue from a park to a gallery makes it less available to the public, changes its aesthetic appeal, and reduces the quality of the park. 

It also doesn’t help that much of heritage sites were built without considering the kind of criminal issues that are present today. Many of them are situated far from adequate sources of power and from neighbors who can keep an eye on them. 

Overcoming the challenges 

But how then can you protect these sites? Rob Galic, Sales Director for Asia Pacific outside China at Xtralis says the key point is to be able to provide early warning of any kind of threat. Typically the use of video surveillance for the remote verification of all alarms with video ensures a rapid, coordinated and effective response to real breaches, while no time and effort is wasted on “false or nuisance” alarms. These technologies prevent disasters by giving users time to respond before life, critical infrastructure or business continuity is compromised.

“The main requirement for protecting heritage sites is to design systems that provide the earliest possible alert of a potential threat,” Galic said. “Security starts at the perimeter of the heritage site, with intelligent intrusion detection to prevent unauthorized entry into a sensitive or high-security area. From detecting suspicious activity or unlawful entry at site, outdoor intrusion detection and perimeter security solutions help proactively identify threats before they escalate.”

In the event of an intrusion, time is of the essence, and typically video surveillance recording and transmission is used to manage these situations. The quicker an incident is detected and transmitted, the lower the level of potential disruption and damage to property and assets. Rather than using video forensically, investment in intrusion detection combined with video for proactive surveillance offers real protection when you need it most. 

Heritage sites are often not manned 24 hours per day, so remote video monitoring is often deployed from a central station that can monitor multiple sites from the one location, providing cost savings, particularly when multiple sites require protection.

Providing non-intrusive protection

Security at heritage sites will receive more importance in the coming days, as issues such as terrorism make it vital that all key infrastructures are protected. 

But this has to be done without hurting the aesthetics of the building and its environment. Detectors must be as discreet and unobtrusive as possible. Visitors to the site should not feel intruded by the modern equipment installed there.  

All this do pose considerable challenges to systems integrators and solution providers. Indeed, it’s a unique vertical that demands specific requirements. But for solution providers and systems integrators, it offers a potential market that would see growth in the future.