Mission Library.2

MISSION LIBRARY #2 - MANCHESTER, UK 2017

OPERATION GLADE

WIKIPEDIA - MANCHESTER ARENA BOMBING - LINK

MANCHESTER 2022 - The terrorist attack in Manchester on 22 May 2017 was an Islamist suicide bombing that took place after a pop concert by US singer Ariana Grande at Manchester Arena in Manchester. The attack was the most serious in the UK and the first suicide bombing since the 7 July 2005 terrorist attacks in London. 23 people, including the bomber, were killed. 116 injured people were taken to hospitals. In May 2018, the total number of injured was revised to over 800. Children were among the fatalities, as were twelve of the injured under the age of 16. The youngest child killed in the attack was eight years old.

  • Target Group

    The target group is security companies, security staff, police and rescue forces who, because of their decentralised mission, could be put in a position to become first-line forces because of their location.


    In particular, the focus is on security managers, heads of crisis teams and those who have to become those at short notice and completely unprepared.


    The training has an operational component in which the trainee can observe, identify and, if necessary, address the suspect at the operational level. After the situation has developed dynamically, the perspective changes to the leader of the overall situation in a leadership role.


    For security companies and established teams, it is also possible to carry out different tasks within the situation within a training room and, for example, to cooperate with each other via different levels and radio circuits. In virtual space, it is possible to operate on several spatial levels simultaneously, although the physical level is the same. No real stadium or other special infrastructure is necessary.

  • Tactical Difficulty

    The tactical level of difficulty is rated as "extreme". Due to the decentralised infrastructure, the masses of people, the comparatively small number of emergency forces, the lack of clarity, personal and institutional incompetence, the element of surprise and chaos, this large-scale disaster situation is to be considered the most difficult scenario for command and executors to master.

  • Emotional Difficulty

    The emotional difficulty of the scenario is rated as extraordinarily extreme, especially against the background of real livelihoods. The involvement of children is highly likely to lead to KPTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in individual participants. 


    Instructor Statement:

    OPERATION GLADE OF LIGHT is a multi-level training operation. The target group is experienced emergency, security and rescue personnel.

  • Focus

    The focus of the scenario is to resolve the situation against the backdrop of overwhelming demands. It also lies in showing that even if the operational forces do many things right (addressing the suspected assassin), the disaster cannot be prevented. It is intended to show learnings for processes, for example that the radio circuit must be kept clear at all times and leaders must absolutely pay attention to radio discipline and a short radio operating language. That when there is a smell of chemicals in the hallway, it is the exception and not the rule, that an outside area of a concert is also a security area and people can be the target. That security staff also have to pay the ultimate price and an excuse for too strict control would have saved the lives of even more people in the end.

  • Connected Technology

    Security Forces:

    XR radios, XR irritant sprayer, hand tracking, SLAM freedom of movement, full-body tracking.


    Emergency forces:

    XR radios, XR irritant sprayer, XR firearms, hand tracking, SLAM freedom of movement, full-body tracking. 


    AAA Analysis Technology:

    Radio analytics, motion analytics, interaction analytics, voice analytics, eye tracking analytics, security determination analytics


    Coming Soon:

    XR Tourniquet, XR IFAK

Situation: 


There are 21,000 seats available in the concert hall "Manchester Arena". On 22 May 2017, 14,200 people are present - a disproportionate number of them are young girls. US artist Ariana Grande finished her concert shortly before. The visitors slowly move towards the exits. 


At 2215, a father reports a suspect to a security guard at the concert hall because he is carrying a heavy backpack. The suspect had already been sitting in the foyer for about 1 hour. A security guard observed the suspect but did not intervene as he did not want to be considered racist in a potentially false suspicion when the suspect said he was just waiting for a friend. The security guard attempted to report the observation to the incident room, which failed due to a busy radio circuit. At 2231, the suspect killed himself in the east exit vestibule with an improvised explosive device made of 32Kg TAPT and nails.



OWN FORCES: A 43-year-old off-duty female police officer is killed instantly. First on the scene is an off-duty doctor. 4 police officers are deployed together to the nearby Victoria Station. There are no forces immediately on the scene.

Preventive perspective: Head of Security Management

TASK: Own forces are deployed as a security team within the framework of a concert. Their limitations are economically, legally and procedurally regulated by the management. Your economic responsibility is that a concert cancellation will cause the company an economic loss in the 8-digit range. Their mandate is to coordinate regular business operations, but also to assume responsibility in special situations.

 

EXECUTION: You will take on the role of a security officer at operational level and afterwards that of a security manager to coordinate the initial measures. The training puts you in both perspectives to check the feasibility of your assignments and instructions.


SOP (Standard Operating Procedure): Instructions for action Special situations Security companies


Multi-user - preventive perspective: security companies

EXECUTION: You and your team take on responsibility at operational AND management level at the same time. During the situation, you work together in the role of security manager and operational security staff to manage the situation.


SOP (Standard Operating Procedure): Instructions for action Special situations Security companies. Improvisation.


Reactive Perspective: Police

MISSION: Own forces are deployed in a Life Threatening Situation (LTS) to secure the concert area.

 

EXECUTION: First forces on the scene take charge of the operation and search the scene for perpetrators and further explosive devices.

 

SOP (Standard Operating Procedure): First responders also take on teamleader duties.

 

In VR, you have reached the scene with your team and create a situational report, assist in the evacuation of injured persons and coordinate the arrival of further emergency forces. You understand that your task is NOT only the actual prevention of danger, but also to take over the management on site. For you, the situation is completely unclear, as pieces of luggage may contain additional explosive devices. In the confusion of people fleeing, you have to recognise possible suspects and isolate them as part of the security response.

Multi-User - Reactive Perspective: Rescue Forces

COMMING SOON

Instructor comment:

In the real situation, there were major communication difficulties. Both in the initiation of the situation, as well as during the situation between emergency forces. Delays in life saving due to leadership incompetence was the result. 

For the time being, this will go down in history as the biggest attack in Great Britain and is therefore relevant for all types of emergency services.



Training Objective:

The trainee will master the standard course of action in a special situation bomb threat or attack.



Instructor Learnings:

Investigations into the attack have shown that there was significant misconduct by intelligence agencies prior to the attack. Police and other security and rescue personnel must face the reality that not all situations are prevented and, in this context, must be better integrated in training, facilitating communication at the working and command levels. In situations of this nature, rescue and protection forces must be led and protected by armed protection forces in the red zone. It is imperative to prevent rescue forces from having to proceed and act alone in unsecured areas in an unclear situation, as not enough forces are available for danger prevention or it is unclear what the red zone even is. It is also important to realize that the situation could have ended differently if, for example, the employee had not hesitated at the beginning.


The responsibility for not intervening due to racial profiling accusation fears in spite of the OPENLY very suspicious load in the backpack of the suspect must be clarified here in terms of management policy, since this issue probably plays a role in many departments and many companies. It is necessary here at the management level to create a TWO-FOLD instruction for action and also to demand it, who does what, when, for what purpose. It is not very effective if forces are trained in mindfulness but deliberately ignore it in reality. The resulting incompetence cannot be causally combated even by militarizing emergency forces.



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