Protecting public and private space

Nowadays, protecting public places is often associated with attacks involving vehicles, improvised explosive devices, firearms, as well as edged, pointed and blunt weapons. This is because these scenarios are still the most common attack scenarios, despite past incidents involving biological weapons. There exists several measures to protect the outdoor public space, and it is therefore recommended that advice is sought on the appropriate design. Examples include hostile vehicle mitigation by restricting access, and landscape design that provides blast wave reflection.

Although challenges related to the balance between security and desired freedom of access and usage patterns may exist, private organisations can usually delimit and design their own space. However, it is more complicated for private organisations to influence movement in the public space immediately outside their site or building, as management of the area often lies with the municipality. The area thus becomes a grey space, which may be difficult for private organisations to secure. This often means that private organisations can only secure their perimeter if they obtain special persmission from the authorities to establish security in grey space areas.