Project Griffin at East Midlands Airport
Project Griffin
Assist your business and your customers in the event of an emergency.
More and more businesses in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are switching on to the benefits of being part of Project Griffin.
Project Griffin was developed by the City of London Police in April 2004. Its remit is to train managers, security officers and employees of small, medium and large public and private sector businesses about security, counter-terrorism and crime prevention issues.
It was launched in Leicestershire in February 2009 and, so far, more than 120 delegates from 80 local businesses have taken part in the training programmes which are held at East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington.
The half day courses focus on areas such as person-borne explosives, hostile reconnaissance, suspect vehicles, suspect people and crime scene management. It’s designed to enable the police to share information with trusted partners in the community and give course participants the confidence to report any suspicious activity and behaviour to the police.
Inspector Tony Marson, from Leicestershire Constabulary, said; “Everyone has a role to play in tackling the threat of terrorism and we’ve had very positive feedback from the large number of businesses whose staff have already taken part in the Project Griffin training. We are not running the courses in response to any specific threat but we cannot afford to be complacent.
“Businesses benefit because the training helps their staff and customers in the event of an emergency, it gives them the skills to recognise items that may be improvised explosive devices and makes them aware of suspicious activity. This can pay dividends in the event of a major incident in terms of minimising the disruption and cost to businesses. This greater awareness among staff can also reduce business crime because more vigilant employees are more likely to notice other problems such as theft.
“The courses cost nothing to attend other than the half day spent out of the office or working environment. There is a refresher course but this can be done interactively online. The commitment really isn’t onerous yet the benefits could be huge if, through their vigilance, a member of staff stops a major incident and the loss of lives and income that would cause.”
Menzies Aviation Plc, one of the world’s largest cargo handling agents, has sent three representatives on a Project Griffin awareness course at East Midlands Airport. Witold Proszynski, the Safety and Security Coordinator for the company, said; “Participation in Project Griffin has allowed us to familiarize ourselves with the current situation and gain insightful knowledge which allows us to prepare and plan for extreme circumstances which can potentially save, not only lives, but vast amounts of valuable time. The involvement of an increasing number of staff in the project will help us as a company to establish an even safer operation in the future.”
If you would like to get involved in a Project Griffin training day please contact Police Community Support Officer, Tony Gallagher at Leicestershire Constabulary on Leicester (0116) 222 2222 and, when prompted, key in his collar number 6517 or email him at Michael.Gallagher@leicestershire.pnn.police.uk.
