Tory Minister announces security crackdown in public spaces

24 February 2020, 18:43

There will be a consultation to raise the standards and assure consistency of security within public spaces, the Security Minister has announced.

Nick Ferrari was joined on the line by James Brokenshire MP who was unveiling plans for a new statutory duty on public spaces in an attempt to ensure the safety of the public in public spaces.

The plans come in the wake of the London Bridge inquest which called for greater safety measures for the public in any space. Minister Brokenshire outlined that the consultations will be on a case by case basis and requirements of each space will depend on the space itself.

"It may be a question of training" Minister Brokenshire stressed. "It may be a sense of vigilance around where your exits are".

Nick pushed on the point of scalability after the minister mentioned there may be a need for metal arches at football grounds. He wanted to know if there would have to be measures rolled out across the board if one space carries out security works. Mr. Brokenshire assured Nick that such policies will take on board the concerns and systems already put in place by venues and spaces.

"We will listen very keenly to what our counterterrorism security advisors give us and equally those venues themselves."

"How do you determine what is proportionate?" quizzed Nick. The MP from Southend stressed the goals of this project is to just "see a level of consistency applied here". He stressed that where security infrastructure is already high, there will be nothing to worry about.

When Nick asked of the Minister's views on Michael O'Leary's comments last week, he used the point to stress the importance of having policy like the one to be rolled out.

"It is multi-layered and you can't take a simplistic approach" he said, referencing issues such as trafficking and the rise in far-right terrorism, stressing that the implementation of his plans would help combat all levels of security threat.

There were also questions of how the policies would work at the Notting Hill carnival, where the Minister yet again stressed the changeable nature of the projects, pointing out that "it's fluid and it has to recognise the differences that are there" within policing and security. Minister Brokenshire continued the point stating that the plans to ensure consistency in public security will work alongside the police and secret services to maintain a high standard of safety.

On a final note, Nick shocked the minister by asking him if he'd eat chlorinated chicken from the US as part of a potential trade deal with the states. Mr. Brokenshire laughed off the question and ensured that he wished to maintain the highest food standards post-Brexit. The Security Minister stressed that he wanted "the right standards are being held up here".