Vehicle security barriers at event venues

Vehicle Security Barriers at Event Venues – Reducing the impact of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation on spectator flow

The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the SGSA have released joint guidance on vehicle security barriers at event venues.

This guide introduces safety risk owners, engineers and practitioners to ways of reducing the impact of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation on spectator flows at venues and public spaces such as high footfall areas, arenas and busy transport hubs.

Vehicle security barriers are an integral part of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) measures in the vicinity of event venues. HVM is a protective security discipline focusing on reducing risks associated with vehicle borne threats posed by terrorists and criminals. The guidance addresses the critical issue of understanding how vehicle security barriers impact pedestrian flow and safety.

Sports grounds guidance emphasises that security measures should not compromise ingress, egress, accessibility or crowd circulation, yet there was previously limited practical guidance on achieving this balance. The guidance draws on extensive research involving observations at sixteen events across eight UK venues, with tens of thousands of data points collected to assess crowd movement through bollard arrays.

Event venues face the challenge of providing appropriate physical protection whilst maintaining safe pedestrian movement and accessibility for all users. Poor vehicle security barrier placement can create bottlenecks, increase crowd density to dangerous levels, and potentially introduce new hazards rather than reducing them. The guidance provides evidence-based recommendations to help venue operators take a holistic approach that balances security needs with crowd safety requirements.