New Standard and Vehicle Security Guidance on Vehicles as Weapons
11 May 2021
Attacks on the public involving commercial vehicles have had tragic consequences in recent years, including in the Westminster and London Bridge attacks of 2017. The British Standards Institute (BSI), sponsored by the Department for Transport, has therefore developed a new standard and associated guidance (which was published on 10 May 2021) designed to prevent commercial vehicles, including lorries, buses and coaches from being used as weapons in acts of terrorism and other forms of serious and organized crime or anti-social behaviour.
The new standard, which comes into effect on 31 May 2021, has been developed by transport, safety and crime experts and is published by the BSI and sponsored by DfT and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and sets out many and varied security measures to prevent criminals and terrorists from accessing commercial vehicles
To ensure this new standard is met, the Government is working with the industry to develop accreditation and certification schemes for commercial vehicle operators – further details will be announced in due course.
To obtain accreditation, operators must:
- improve their knowledge of potential risks and determine which of those risks apply to their business
- develop a security management plan
- assess risk exposure
- put in place management and accountability for security
Other requirements will include checks of drivers’ references and previous employment history and also regular visual checks of vehicles for signs of tampering.
The BSI guidance can be downloaded here.
For further advice, contact our Regulatory team on 01254 828300 or Regulatory@backhouses.co.uk
