What does a Regional Security Advisor do?

Zelalem Takele, is one of newer members of the Spearfish Global Team. Now based in Addis Ababa he has been an invaluable asset to our clients during these unsettling times in the region.

I am a Regional Security Advisor for Spearfish in Ethiopia. I am based in Addis Ababa. As part of this sector for more than 17 years I understand my country's (Ethiopia) security context very well. Currently the country is in state of political reform; because of this Ethiopia is facing different security problems in different parts of the country. As a result of this it became difficult to predict the security situation of the country exactly.

Of course, no one could have expected a global pandemic such as Covid-19. No one could have predicted the impact it would have globally, and the way in which it would affect each one of us in some way. However, during these difficult times, we have worked hard to keep our clients safe and aware of the risks they might face due to Covid-19.

As part of my job have involved sharing regular updates on country and state regulations being imposed as a result of COVID and informing our clients of the impact these may have on their operations. As most South Asian countries have eased lockdown restrictions, I am now supporting our clients towards making a safe return to work by implementing necessary precautions and measures to mitigate the health threat.

Regional Security Advisor Platform and Digital Services

Contact us today if you are interested in our global Regional Security Advisor Platform which includes our new Spearfish Digital Services.

This monthly subscription service will be launched in December and will include region-specific daily regular news alerts directly from our RSA’s to your phone as well as access to our Security Risk Assessment Library and our interactive Security Risk Map.

Civil Unrest Continues in Nigeria

Although tensions remain, there is currently a lull in the violence unleashed by the poor and frustrated youth, criminal gangs and political activists, almost as though they are pausing for breath and are rather shocked by the havoc that they have caused.

SITUATION

The police are understandably demoralised by the fury of the attacks on them during mid-October, which reportedly resulted in 22 policemen killed, 26 seriously injured, at least 10 weapons stolen and over 100 police stations vandalised of burnt down.

 As part of efforts to reinforce zones of particularly violent unrest during the trouble, the police withdrew its mobile police (MoPol) assets from a range of clients, compromising the travel management of a wide number of national and international organisations. The MoPol are unlikely to be reassigned to these clients in the short term as the police still feel besieged, remaining unwilling to respond to emergency calls and only leaving barracks to patrol in force.

On 24 October President Muhammadu Buhari addressed the nation, calling on youths to stop their violent protest in order to prevent further breakdown of law and order. Although his plea appeared to strike a chord, the police had retrenched in barracks, shocked by the ferocity of attacks against them. The resultant unpoliced space gave free reign to the impoverished and hugely frustrated populace to loot and plunder at will. A wave of looting and vandalising of public and private property followed, with warehouses storing food items receiving special attention. 71 government warehouses and 248 private warehouses were reportedly looted with even windows, doors and the corrugated tin off the roof being taken away.

ASSESSMENT

 #EndSARS campaigners now have a wider aspiration for the complete reorganisation of Nigeria’s police force. The movement continues its campaign, with further protests planned.

Police morale has been massively damaged. This has led to a lack of confidence as to their place in society and a fear that they will not be able to deliver their role with any degree of safety. However, the level of resultant disorder does appear to be prompting calls for public support of the police, who are being invited to redeploy to provide day to day order on the streets.  Time and considerable investment is needed before some sense of  normalcy will return. In the meantime, everyone faces higher security risk.

ADVICE

International and national staff of client organisations are recommended to maintain situational awareness of local protest events and to minimise movement until the situation normalises.

International personnel should register and maintain links with their diplomatic missions for further guidance.

SPEARFISH DIGITAL

We have launched a new alert service - receive Nigeria specific alerts, advice and twice monthly by weekly reports straight to your phone with our new subscription service.

ONGOING SOCIAL MEDIA FUELED PROTESTS AND CIVIL UNREST IN NIGERIA -UPDATE

OVERVIEW

The scale, speed of escalation and enduring nature of the protests during the past ten days has caused growing alarm at state and federal government. Despite announcements initially suspending and then disbanding the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), protests have not only been sustained but have grown in attendance.

A protest movement started by Nigerians who are tired of police brutality & bad governance has, to an extent, been hijacked by thugs, gangs, the unemployed and the disaffected in support of their own agendas.

 A real fear of the security agencies is that further disorder is being incited by subversive elements, motivated either by internal national politics or resourced by international agendas, who seek use the protests to create anarchy and social upheaval.

Incidents – 19 October 2020

Widespread protests in Abuja Kano, Warri, Sapele, Benin City, Makurdi, Auchi, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Lagos and other towns. Key events include the blocking of airport access, Army Guards Brigade personnel deployed in Abuja, protest engineered breakouts from 2 Benin city prisons and the subsequent imposition of a 24 hour curfew in Edo State. There were also unconfirmed reports of several protest related deaths in Abuja.

Incidents – 20 October 2020

• Widespread protest across the country with hotspots in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Jos. Key events include:

• Abuja – key routes blocked – running battles with security forces – overhead live fire and tear gas.

• Lagos – Orile police station set on fire by protestors. A policeman killed, weapons and ammunition stolen.

• Lagos – 24 hour curfew imposed from 1600 hrs.

• Kano – violent confrontation in Sabon Gari area of city. Reportedly 2 killed and many injured.

BACKGROUND

SARS is a branch of the Nigeria Police Force’s Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID). The Squad came into being in 1992. The squad deals with crimes associated with armed robbery, car snatching, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and crimes associated with firearms.

For years SARS has been lambasted for acting beyond the law. Amnesty International's 2016 report stated that ‘SARS is indicted and responsible for human abuse, cruelty, degrading treatment of Nigerians in their custody, and other widespread torture. Some of the human rights abuse by SARS include the shooting of their detainees in the leg, mock or threats of execution, hanging and severe beating.’

ASSESSMENT

Targeting of and disruption to key transport infrastructure will impact on aspects of national security. Despite the President’s reassurance that Nigeria is a democracy in which peaceful protest is to be allowed and tolerated, continued violent protest is likely to attract a swift and heavy-handed response from the security services. Because of the deteriorating situation, if curfews do not serve to de-escalate tensions, it is quite possible that we will see the widespread deployment of the army to disperse protestors. This will almost certainly result in death or injury to protestors.

International and national staff of client organisations are recommended to maintain situational awareness of local protest events and to minimise movement until the situation normalises.

International personnel should register and maintain links with their diplomatic missions for further guidance.

STAY INFORMED

Spearfish have launched a new subscription service Spearfish Digital, which includes country specific daily alerts sent to your phone to news as it happens and twice weekly in depth briefing and alerts.

SOCIAL MEDIA FUELED PROTEST AND CIVIL UNREST IN NIGERIA

The hashtags of campaigns against Nigerian police impunity, specifically against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), have in recent days gone viral across social media platforms. This resulted during 8-10 October in wide ranging and enduring protest in a number of large cities, state capitals, Lagos and Abuja.

SITUATION

The hashtags of campaigns against Nigerian police impunity, specifically against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), have in recent days gone viral across social media platforms. This resulted during 8-10 October in wide ranging and enduring protest in a number of large cities, state capitals, Lagos and Abuja.

Although the ‘#EndSARS’ campaign has been active since 2017, recent incidents of casual SARS brutality circulating on social media have galvanised the protest. Further marches called under the hastags ‘#EndSARS’ and ‘#EndSARSNow’ are now being used by other, sometimes criminal elements, as a vehicle to profile their own agendas.

The scale, speed of escalation and enduring nature of the protests during the past week has caught the government and security forces by surprise. Last week the Inspector General of Police (IGP) announced that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operations were to be suspended (for the 4th time in as many years). However, the continuing volume and tenor of the protests over the weekend appears to have forced further concessions, with the IGP’s announcement that SARS will be disbanded.

Activist supporters of the ‘#EndSARS’ movement have continued to protest, demanding wider police accountability, major restructuring of the organisation and proper training and pay levels. Although protests have been largely peaceful, groups are now targeting the transport infrastructure, blocking major roads and international airport access points. In the last few days there have been incidents in which security forces have used excessive force whilst trying to disperse crowds. Consequently, there have been some deaths, as well as a number of injuries and arrests.

There is now alarm within State and Federal Government that protest could escalate out of control. Rivers State has banned further protest whilst the Federal Government has indicated that it will unleash a robust response to further disruption.

BACKGROUND

SARS is a branch of the Nigeria Police Force’s Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID). The Squad came into being in 1992. The squad deals with crimes associated with armed robbery, car snatching, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and crimes associated with firearms.

For years SARS has been lambasted for acting beyond the law. Amnesty International's 2016 report stated that ‘SARS is indicted and responsible for human abuse, cruelty, degrading treatment of Nigerians in their custody, and other widespread torture. Some of the human rights abuse by SARS include the shooting of their detainees in the leg, mock or threats of execution, hanging and severe beating.’

 ASSESSMENT

Targeting of key transport infrastructure hubs will impact on aspects of national security. Given the latest warnings to the protestors by the Federal Government, continued protest could elicit a swift and heavy-handed response from the security services. Because of the severity of recent clashes, it is quite possible that tear gas and small arms could be used to disperse protestors, which could result in both injury and deaths.

International and national staff of client organisations are recommended to maintain situational awareness of local protest events and to minimise movement until the situation normalises.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Jacob Akniola; jacobakinola@spear-fish.com or Neal Peckham; nealpeckham@spear-fish.com

Spearfish West Africa Team Provide Support to Sustainable Energy Company

EM-ONE is an engineering, technology, and consulting firm with over ten years of experience delivering sustainable energy solutions and smart electricity infrastructure to Nigeria. They design and build solar microgrids for small and rural communities as well as for more extensive commercial & industrial off-takers. As such, their work takes them into some of the most unstable and dangerous parts of the country, in pursuit of donor-funded projects to bring rural electrification to the most needed parts of the country.

Spearfish was engaged in March, just as the country was locking down in response to CV19.  At very short notice, we were able to deploy two of our senior consultants, one based in Abuja and one based in Gombe before the federal travel restrictions kicked in.  Due to the critical nature of EM-ONE’s projects, and some very tight donor deadlines, the client’s teams remained active during the lockdown. They required a high-tempo of security support to remain operational. It included road moves, liaison with military and civil authorities, and access to various Local Government Areas. It also required a high level of incident reporting, and journey management, to allow the teams to remain aware of what was happening around them and how best to avoid the hotspots.  

Our consultants advised and supported the teams in the field, and assisted the operations team in their planning cycle.  We kept the project on track, despite the significant spanner that the Coronavirus threw into the works.  As we write, the contract has just come to an end for now, but we remain poised to support further activities in the North East of the country. 

Spearfish have security advisors working on a wide range of projects including renewable energy, anti-trafficking, governance, climate change and disaster relief. Our people are based in Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan, India and Lebanon, providing a range of similar services to this case study.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Dan Hooton; danhooton@spear-fish.com

Spearfish Situation Risk Report - Northwestern Nigeria

By Jacob Akinola & Mustapha Farouk

Rising Insecurity Across Local Government Areas in Sokoto State

Sokoto State is in the Northwestern part of Nigeria and is most recently, experiencing repeated cases of banditry associated with kidnap for ransom across some local government areas.

Overview

The resurgence of insecurity in the state can be traced to the first quarter of 2020 when villages were freely raided by bandits in over 20 attacks. More so, available records indicate that bandits regularly and persistently terrorize the eastern zone of the state which comprises of 8 Local Government Areas of Gada, Isa, Sabon Birni, Wurno, Rabah, Goronyo, Illela, and Gwadabawa respectively.

Sabon Birni is said to be the most terrorized Local Government Area (LGA) in the State. On Wednesday, May 27, 2020, bandits attacked Sabon Birni LGA, and over 70 people, including women and children, were reportedly killed.

Measures by State Government Against Banditry

In December 2018, several measures were offered by several state governors in the North West and security forces to armed groups in an effort to end the conflict which included;

• Granting of amnesty to the bandits which meant no prosecution of bandits that laid down their arms.

• Cash for arms was offered to repentant bandits.

• A monthly government allowance to repentant bandits

• Vocational training

In return for the government offer above, bandits were required to release kidnapped victims they were holding and completely end all forms of hostility against the state. The agreements were fashioned according to those offered to militants in the Niger Delta region, which ended most of the agitations there. Several bandit groups came forward and accepted the truce but within 6 months begun breaking terms of the agreement and by late 2019 banditry activities resumed fully.

New Peace Agreement

At the beginning of August 2020, there were rumors of North-Western state governors resuming negotiations with the same armed groups terrorizing the region. By September 2020, Kebbi state governments claimed to have once again reached an agreement that the bandits in this deal the bandit were immune to future prosecution once they surrendered to security forces.

Following the purported negotiations, the State Government was said to agree to construct a Dam at Kamarawa so that the Bandits can engage in all-season farming and warned the bandits against the usage of weapons or another incriminating item (s). The agreement was also signed by both Sokoto and Zamfara State Governments

Renewed Violence

According to media reports, the bandit groups now operate around the forested areas in  Tangaza, Gudu and Binji areas of Sokoto State. This is evidenced by the recent attacks in the aforementioned areas and the attack on Gidan Madi Divisional Police Headquarters by a group of about 100 armed men dressed in army uniforms on 17 September 2020. A Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and Deputy Chief Officer (DCO) were killed in the attack. In the early hours of 18 September, the Ruwa-Wuri community in the same LGA was attacked and civilians killed.

Between the 1 and 17 of September 2020, there are over 10 reported cases of banditry/kidnap incidents recorded around Gudu, Tangaza, Binji, and Silame LGAs

Finally, the state equally witnessed floods in Kebbe, Rabah, and Silame Local Government Areas which destroyed farmlands and washed away bridges, leaving many communities isolated and inaccessible by road. This will further isolate communities and expose them to attacks.

Map 1: Map Showing LGAs attacked by bandits in September 2020

Map 2: Sokoto Location

Assessment

The situation is concerning as these bandits have disregarded the peace agreement in the past and indications show they are doing the same now. Security in the West and North of Sokoto remains unstable at least into 2021.

The Government Security Forces inability to subdue the armed groups and the recent attack by these groups on the police shows a rising threat level similar to that in the North Eastern part of the country.

The flooding around these troubled areas will further hamper government response to the conflict thereby isolating distant communities.

Recommendations

• If the security situation in the region mentioned above continues to deteriorate into the coming months, there may be a need to reassess the security threat level from Medium to High in the affected LGAs.

• Where possible, Government and Security locations should be avoided over the next few weeks.

• Continue to maintain situational awareness.

• Avoid other hard to reach areas or locations with overgrown crops that provide cover for bandits.

• Always Maintain a low profile

A Day in Life of a Spearfish Regional Security Advisor - East Africa

Read about a day in life of our East African RSA, Ibrahim

Ibrahim Bulle has been working for Spearfish since 2018. Based in Nairobi, Kenya - Ibrahim works with our clients across the region including Ethiopia. He loves to read and an avid fan of Investigative documentaries.

It has been an especially busy few months as Spearfish’s East Africa Regional Security Advisor. I’m based in Nairobi, Kenya and my day-to-day work involves providing safety and security support to our clients. This work entails pre-travel assessments for clients coming into the region as well as on the ground support that allows them to carry out their tasks safely.  

January 2020, The RSA Team Conference in Nairobi, Kenya

Over the last few years, I’ve responded to some dramatic incidents in East Africa, such as the Dusit D2 attack in January 2019, Ethiopia’s attempted coup in June 2019, and many other critical events that required me to support clients. My job during these incidents is to provide real-time security information to help the clients understand what is going on and how the events are unfolding, and to facilitate their relocation or evacuation if needed. I also act as the link between international staff/field staff and their colleagues and project managers back home - this is especially important where the government shuts down the internet and other means of communication. 

The pandemic has created a very different environment for us, and we’ve found ourselves supporting clients in assessing their COVID-19 return to work procedures. With our “back to work” support, we’ve been helping clients prepare office spaces, accommodation and their own personal procedures to minimize exposure to the disease. This doesn’t mean the other threats our clients face have gone away, far from it. The reality is that in many cases, these threats have increased. This is largely due to the economic pressure placed on communities due to lockdowns and travel restrictions, as well as rising political tensions and conflicting views over governments’ response to the pandemic.  

The region is facing some unprecedented difficulties, but I know we’ll get through it and I’m extremely proud to be working with the Spearfish team providing that much needed support to our clients across East Africa. 

A Day in the life of a Regional Security Advisor - West Africa

Austen Pabor is our Regional Security Advisor for West Africa. Based in Abuja, Nigeria. Austen has worked for Spearfish for 4 years and his role has grown with the company. When he is not working you might find him on the football pitch or watching Judge Judy.

COVID - 19 has affected every aspect of our lives and left our development sector and NGO clients facing unprecedented levels of uncertainty, especially in West Africa, where I support their projects. Throughout this period, I have been providing safety and security services to help them in carving out policies and guidelines to assist them in their day-to-day activities. 

In the initial stages of the pandemic, I provided information to our clients to assist them in their contingency planning and decision-making processes. As the world began to lockdown and movement became increasingly restricted, I helped evacuate internationals out of Nigeria and relocate people to safer places internally. Where clients chose to remain, I was able to share essential information to keep them safe and reassured. One of my key tasks was cutting away all the disinformation that was floating around. I took it as a point of absolute importance for our clients to see the true picture of the situation in their operational areas.  

Over the past months, I have been pushing out daily Covid-19 updates - stats and data with infographics and accompanying analysis - specifically for the areas where we have clients or where clients are looking to return. There have been regular check-ins with clients to keep them abreast of the evolving situation and answer any of their questions and security-related concerns.  I’ve also spent a lot of time monitoring the state of West African economies and supply chains, particularly focusing on food, fuel, and medical supplies

This is so that clients can start to assess the longer-term implications on their operations.  

Throughout this challenging time, I have also reminded our clients that all the other threats facing West Africa haven’t just gone away. In fact, in many cases, we have seen an increase in risk levels. In many parts of West Africa, we’ve seen a rise in crime as a result of the economic impact of COVID; increased civil unrest in response to governments’ handling of the pandemic; and escalating terrorism and militant activity, perhaps due to the security vacuum that has arisen as a result of overwhelmed public resources.  

It has never been a busier and more challenging period for me as a Security Advisor. All these tasks had to be carried out remotely, with little or no power supply at home in Abuja, and unreliable internet access. However, it has been incredibly rewarding to support our clients in their decision-making processes and providing Duty of Care to their staff and consultants. 

Today the restrictions are being gradually lifted, social and economic activities are beginning to return but with restrictions. I have been busy supporting our clients with guidelines and procedures on how they can manage the ‘new normal’ while keeping safe. The focus of this has revolved heavily around ‘Do No Harm’ policy, meaning it might be possible to return to work, but we must consider the impact this may have on the safety of others. Together, we have developed Return to Work policies and guidelines and carried out training on how we can continue to keep offices and workstations virus-free. We’ve also been contingency planning for future lockdowns that might be imposed, and how best to prepare for every eventuality. 

I feel proud to have had this unique opportunity to support our valued clients across West Africa in these unprecedented events. Equally, I am extremely appreciative of the Spearfish team in the UK and in Nigeria for their support and cooperation through this challenging period. 

Spearfish's online learning platform has been on its own journey over lockdown

So, how do you take your hugely successful bite-size 1-hour travel safety webinars and turn them into something that resembles a “travel safety course”? By making it bigger.

Following on from our bite-size 1-hour travel safety webinars, we pulled our team of instructors together to build an online Travel Safety course capable of sufficiently preparing attendees to “travel safely”.

By taking the key modules from our Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) courses, re-imagining them for online delivery, we created a 1-day Travel Safety course consisting of 2 x 4-hour sessions split over 2 afternoons.

With a mixture of realistic scenarios, video demonstrations, discussion, and a little bit of instructor magic we delivered as close as you can get to face-to-face training. It will never be HEAT and that’s not what we’re trying to achieve, but it has turned out to be a scalable and cost-effective alternative for organisations. So, if you don’t have the training budget, or aren’t undertaking travel to countries where you deem HEAT necessary, then this might be an alternative for you that will still meet duty of care requirements.

As restrictions are lifted, we’re going to see an increase in movement, but in a very different environment. The key thing is making sure that we don’t lose sight of all the other threats that we face when we travel. The risk levels for many of these threats have actually increased as a result of COVID-19. Road traffic accidents and medical emergencies may now be more complicated as medical infrastructures work to cope with the added burden of COVID-19. There may also be increased crime as people struggle with unemployment, or increased risk of civil unrest towards governments either as a result lock-downs or perceived inaction. We will work through all of the major threats as we go through the course, and we've factored in plenty of time to discuss other concerns you may have.

Our HEAT courses will be up and running again in September with a new venue that makes for an excellent training environment, but also compliments our own “Training under COVID-19” policies.

So, if we don’t see you on one of our Travel Safety webinars, then we look forward to seeing you soon on one of HEAT courses.

Safe Travels everyone

Spearfish Announce September UK HEAT Course will go ahead!

UK HEAT COURSE

8th -10th September 2020

£1150 *per person ( includes all accommodation and meals)

book now

The Spearfish Training team are excited to be getting back in to the classroom in September. The team have adapted their modules to include security best practises when travelling in the midst of a global pandemic.

In the light of new social distancing guidelines Spearfish are moving their training to a new neighbouring 54-acre site on the outskirts of Winchester. This will enable us to deliver a wider, integrated range of services on site, including accommodation.

Spearfish Training Venue with onsite accommodation-and fantastic facilities

This fantastic site provides everything to replicate a highly immersive course to simulate real field conditions during the course.

Hi-quality accommodation: 4-star accommodation for up to 165 rooms and conference facilities of up to 340 guests. Competitively priced but of a very high standard of accommodation for attendees to recharge and relax in the evenings of the course.

Multiple Classroom facilities: Modern conference facilities for seating up 30 people per room with wireless connection fully fitted with up-to-date media equipment and storage.

We have redeveloped our course to not only make sure that the Government’s social distancing guidelines are adhered to but that our attendees feel their welfare and health is being looked after.

We have learnt the best way to teach our course is through facilitated discussion. Above all we want our students to have fun and enjoy their time with us so that they come away feeling more confident about travelling to complex environments.

Read more about our HEAT Courses and our Covid -19 Guidelines.

You can book through our website spear-fish.com or contact rosieturner@spear-fish.com.

*discounts available, please contact us.

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Spearfish West Africa Host Roundtable Event

Nigerian Business Delivery Within the Covid-19 Envelope

Earlier this week the Spearfish West Africa team led by Managing Director Dan Hooton invited some of their clients to a virtual roundtable. The event was split up into 3 discussions topics each led by a different member of the SWA Team.

Here is a summary of those discussion points:

What are the necessary conditions for a return to work in What are the necessary conditions for a return to work in offices?

What Duty of Care provisions will be necessary in order for staff to come to the office?

What are the challenges?

Jacob Akinola – Senior Security Advisor:

The coronavirus outbreak which started in late 2019, has caused massive disruption to the international system with its impact felt in every facet of human life. In a matter of months, the virus swept across the globe, infecting millions of people in almost every country and dominated news cycles around the world.

Here in Nigeria, the Federal Government began an immediate lockdown in March 2020 by imposing travel restrictions at every level; closed down schools markets, government offices, recreational centres and financial institutions. Essentially, the whole country was closed for business except for essential services like utilities, security, and health services. International oil price crashed, leading to hyperinflation in Nigeria and according to the Minister of Finance, the Nigerian economy could very soon experience the worst recession since the 1980s.

The development sector was grounded to a complete halt during the lockdown. Although organisations continue to operate from home through new ways of working like online meetings and other virtual channels. The outbreak initially seamed temporary, like how the Ebola outbreak a few years ago came and went within 2 months; but 4 months into this outbreak and there appears no end in sight as we begin to experience a record number of cases around the country.

This section of the Round Table Discussion looks at the impact of this pandemic to the Development Sector and analyses response by your organisations towards the new COVID-19 work environment and what immediate plans you have in dealing with this ‘New Normal’ as organisations prepare to return to work.

How should we manage burgeoning security challenges associated with the lockdown and the post-COVID Horizon?

Kabir Adamu– Spearfish Senior Security Advisor:

We’ve seen an increase in media reporting of terrorist activity, crime, and kidnapping, particularly in the northern states. When we resume operations, how will these changes in the security environment affect us? How does this impact your approach to Duty of Care? What is your organisation doing to reassure staff and to address the psychological impact of the situation?

There has also been a clear rise in gender-based violence under lock-down, both domestic and non-domestic. Does your organisation have anything in place to support staff affected by gender-based violence? Does your team know what to look out for in spotting signs of gender-based violence? Do you have protocols in place for workplace violence?

With the economic impact of COVID, we’re likely to face new operational challenges too. There will likely be a significant increase in basic operating costs, e.g. rising fuel prices; limited car capacity means more vehicles required, etc. We can also expect the financial toll on government services to affect us indirectly. For example, we may see new logistical challenges arise as a result of a crackdown on permits and fines (e.g. AMAC/DOAS). There may also be an increased corruption and extortion, some through official government bodies, some through illegitimate groups.

What are the implications of these changes on how we look after staff over the longer term?

What does the effective duty of care look like within the Covid envelope?

How can we structure projects to take advantage of these conditions?

Neal Peckham – Spearfish Country Manager, SWA:

Staff travelling around the country will have the additional stress of whether appropriate COVID protocols are in place whilst they travel and at their destinations. We know already that air travel is to carry additional delays, for example, airport check-in times of up to 3 hours before domestic flights and 5 hours before international flights.

What protocols are being applied by hire car companies? For hotels, security managers will need to pool resources to build a database of hotel COVID compliance, starting very much from scratch, and organisations will need a common view of what constitutes the MOSS (Minimum Operational Safety Standards) benchmarks for COVID mitigation.

Certainly, hotels will want to build back their custom base as quickly as possible. So initially, there could be well presented and completely appropriate protocols visible for inspection. However, these mitigations might be very superficial – yes, there are social distancing marks and clearly signed routes; but what training have the staff been given in relation to cleaning protocols, and will hotels be able to maintain acceptable standards over time? There is clear risk that hotel COVID protocols could be both superficial and transitory.

What does the effective duty of care look like within the COVID envelope?

So, if we can’t be sure that we are sending staff to hotels with sufficiently robust anti- COVID mitigations, what DoC provision should be provided by the employer?

My view is that, ultimately, personal safety is the responsibility of the individual. But DoC requires that staff being asked to travel for work are given proper training and knowledge of both the risk and means of mitigation. For COVID, apart from personal awareness training, perhaps the employer should be responsible for provision of face masks, gloves and sanitizer in all circumstances (not just in the office). And appropriate driver training on vehicle disinfection and seating plans for company drivers and for the coordination on MOSS with hire car companies.

Organisations will also have to deal with additional pressure of emotional stress imposed by COVID. Your organisation’s Duty of Care obligations extend to the psychological wellbeing of your staff. Ultimately, every member of staff has the right to refuse to work on the basis of health and safety concerns. What are organisations doing to address that?

How can we structure a business to take advantage of these conditions?  

We’re not expecting COVID to go away any time soon. So, we should view this as an opportunity to adapt for the long run.

Travel will, for the foreseeable future, place considerable extra stress and risk for staff, so is there another way of delivery? Perhaps a redesign of recruiting from central to regionally employed staff delivering in their own local area, with operational management remotely via Teams/Zoom.

The obvious risks of loss of recruitment quality control might be more than adequately compensated by the local knowledge and contacts delivered by staff from within their own comfort zone.

The calibre of discussion was high and thought-provoking. Even in these challenging times, when face to face contact is limited, balanced debate and open conversation still dominate.

Spearfish Overwatch - Returning to Work

As the initial global chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic begins to wane, international organisations are turning their attention to how and when they may return to normal operations, and assessing what exactly that ‘normal’ will look like.

In our May 2020 Round Table, Spearfish invited a small group of valued clients in the International Development and INGO sectors to discuss their thoughts and concerns about the challenges ahead.

One of the key themes that we discussed was a likely shift towards increased reliance upon local national staff. It’s inevitable that our travel habits will change in the wake of the pandemic, and as such, the way international organisations operate will adapt too. The logistical challenges posed by international travel restrictions and enforced quarantine periods, as well as the impact of increased travel costs, raises the question of how necessary it is to deploy international consultants. Employing teams of local nationals based in-country saves on travel costs and has a considerably lower environmental impact. Organisations should also consider the social and cultural value of employing staff local to the communities in which they operate. But in the wake of Covid-19, we also need to consider the challenges of managing teams remotely, while keeping them safe and delivering on our Duty of Care obligations.

Another recurring theme of our discussion centred around the ‘Do No Harm’ approach to aid and international development. International organisations have an obligation to mitigate the potential damage they may impose upon the communities in which they operate. Amid a global pandemic, the DNH approach is a vital consideration when returning to fieldwork. Organisations must ensure every measure possible is taken to mitigate the risk of viral exposure within the very communities they’re working to protect. Local and national government guidelines must be adhered to, particularly with regard to PPE and social distancing requirements. A comprehensive DNH policy, with regard to Covid-19 specifically, should be incorporated in your ‘Return to Work’ strategy.

An organisation has a Duty of Care to its employees and consultants, both local and international. This is a legal and moral obligation to keep them safe in the workplace, to mitigate their exposure to risk as much as possible, and to ensure they are fully aware of the risks involved in order for them to provide informed consent when returning to work. It’s important that organisations understand the risks involved in allowing their staff to return to work, and do all they can to mitigate those risks. Building a robust ‘Return to Work’ strategy can help.

How Spearfish Can Help

With travel restrictions gradually easing, now is the time for international organisations to consider shaping their strategies, policies, and procedures for returning to work. There are a multitude of factors to consider when making the decision to allow staff to return to the workplace or to resume fieldwork. Have you checked the local authorities’ current regulations and travel restrictions? Are there curfews or mandatory PPE requirements in place? How will you ensure social distancing measures are adhered to? Do your local teams rely on public transport, increasing their risk of exposure to Covid-19? Will there be catering options available for remote teams, and are shops open for basic amenities?

Some of these questions may seem obvious, but organisations must ensure that every employee is aware of the risks involved and what they can do to keep themselves and their team safe. A formal policy document outlining the organisation’s ‘Return to Work’ strategy will help each individual recognise their own role and responsibilities in tackling Covid-19 in the workplace, as well as understanding their rights and what your organisation is doing to protect them.

Spearfish will work with you to understand the unique needs and circumstances of your organisation as you prepare to return to normal operations. We will guide you as you build your strategy for a smooth transition, ensuring you’ve considered every possible risk facing your staff, and advise on how best to mitigate those risks.

If you would like to know about our Return To Work service contact lucyparnell@spear-fish.com.

Spearfish Launch Online Travel Safety Course - 7th & 8th July, 2020

Following the success of our free online webinars over the last few months, we are pleased to announce our online Travel Safety Course which will take place on the 7th and 8th July.

We believe the key to successful training is through facilitated learning and discussion. Our travel safety course utilises our proven expertise.

We are keeping our classes to a max of 15 and your screens and microphones will stay on throughout to ensure interaction.

The course will run over 2 days in 4-hour sessions. Attendance for the full 8 hours will be required in order to maintain the integrity of the scenario and to complete the course. LEARN MORE

Travelling Safety Webinar-Tuesday 2nd June at 1pm (BST)

Following the success of our first webinar in April, the team are back with another FREE 1-hour online session covering 3 different scenarios which will include First Aid, Journey Management and Personal Security.

Our next HEAT course will take place online on the 7th of July. We will send more information about this course and others shortly but in the meantime please sign up for our next free Webinar on the 2nd June to get an introduction of what we have to offer.

Everyone is welcome so register today to secure a place!

Register for your Free Place!

Register Here

“‘I enjoyed the three days and really did learn a huge deal which I hope will stay with me during my travels (and life!). Thanks again to everyone for a great training experience.’”

— Analyst, Project Management, Development Sector

BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE NOW! Female Safety in the Indian Workplace Webinar, 27th May 2pm (New Delhi)

Our Training team have joined forces with Spearfish South Asia team for our next webinar which will focus on female safety in India.

During the webinar, we will take you through three realistic scenarios in which a woman might find herself whilst in the Indian workplace.

This course is free to register and join and would be ideal for those working in the hospitality and travel industry.

Female Safety & Security Course

27th May 2020 2 pm (New Delhi)

Register Here

Spearfish Host online Roundtable Event 'Risk & Duty of Care under Covid -19'

‘In-country knowledge and security advice in the developing is more important than ever'.’

Lord Alan West, Chairman

Our Chairman Lord West opened our first online roundtable event, bringing together a small group of senior directors and well-respected experts from the International development sector to share their concerns, trends and hopes for the future. The event covered the following three discussion points;

DISCUSSION POINT 1

“To what extent has the shift away from deployment of international consultants increased reliance on national / in-country staff or partners? How is your existing duty of care model coping with this?”

Darren Kelly, Spearfish Senior Security Advisor comments: "Due to the logistical challenges to international travel posed by Covid-19, many organisations will likely see an increased reliance on local national consultants. For most international organisations, Duty of Care policy focuses primarily on the deployment of international staff, neglecting the risks to local nationals.  In most situations, we have no reason to assume local consultants are at a lower risk than internationals with regard to typical security threats. Organisations should be using the same model for any person under their Duty of Care."

Areas of Discussion

Insurance:

• Do we need to readdress insurance policies & cost recovery regarding local nationals?

  • We often find there’s a gap in coverage for local national staff. Organisations must ensure locals are covered by insurance policies in the same way internationals are, including a comprehensive medical insurance policy and Kidnap & Ransom cover.

 Change Management:

• Our organisation has existing systems in place to both deploy and remotely manage team, but the balance between how much we rely on these will likely shift. We’re well-placed to manage a move towards increased reliance on local teams, but there are several factors we’ll need to consider, including:

  • Reviewing our ‘Do No Harm’ policies - assessing the risks posed by our deployed teams to the local communities, including potential transmission of the virus.

  • Change management – handling the shift towards a localised model and determining how our policies and ways of working will be reshaped to suit this.

Practical Challenges:

• We should consider the challenges posed by the practical implications of Covid-19  for local staff on the ground, for example, use of public transport.

  • Can we still expect local staff to rely on local public transport?

  • We must consider the increased risk of viral transmission, as well as widespread disruption to public transport due to lockdown measures.

  • How do we re-cost/budget for projects if we can no longer use public transport?

The Information Deficit:

• How can we make effective operational decisions without accurate and reliable informational about the live situation on the ground? For example, how safe/reliable/accessible is public transport?

  • With local knowledge becoming more valuable, more decisions will now need to be made at the local level. This may be very different from our existing delivery model, requiring a shift in policy and operational systems, as well as a change in resources.

  • In order to facilitate this change, our local teams need to be adequately equipped and financed. This may mean changing the way we distribute resources and reassessing the way our budgets are structured.

DISCUSSION POINT 2

“In the absence of an internationally-coordinated response, how will fragmented approaches to the lifting of movement restrictions change our travel security processes? How does it affect our ability to look after national and deployed staff?”

Areas of Discussion

Logistical Challenges:

• The immediate and long-term impact to local and international travel will create a multitude of logistical challenges for the foreseeable future.

  • This is particularly challenging when it comes to quick response teams travelling to remote operational areas. What was a 24-hour journey may now be several days of travelling.

  • This will cost us time and money.

  • This logistical barrier will force us to consider employing more local national staff and relying less on international deployments.

• We may also face increased bureaucratic and diplomatic challenges – a US Passport will no longer be a free pass into most countries.

• This means we’ll need to consider a significant change in business model, shifting towards complete remote management and increased reliance on local teams.

  • This may mean a decentralisation of funding, giving more financial power to local teams.

NGOs vs. International Development Sector:

• Many NGOs with humanitarian response experience have faced similar logistical challenges in the past, for example, when needing to reach remote communities in conflict zones.

• More risk-averse International Development Sector organisations will need to adapt to these new challenges and may be able to learn from the NGO model of delivery.

Duty of Care for Subcontractors:

• Can we forego Duty of Care obligations by employing subcontractors?

  • No - we have both legal and moral obligations to provide Duty of Care to all those working for us, whether they are employed staff or subcontracted consultants.

DISCUSSION POINT 3

“What are the implications of these changes on how we look after staff over the longer term; what does effective duty of care look like in this 'new normal’? How can we structure projects to take advantage of these conditions?”

Areas of Discussion

 Funding Challenges:

• We can expect the major economic impact of this pandemic to be seen globally. This will inevitably affect the economies of the countries where our organisations are based, where we operate in the field, as well as where we receive our funding.

• The way we distribute funds within our organisations will need to adapt to our new ways of working.

  • The shift towards reliance on national staff means we need to invest more in the capabilities of our local teams.

  • We must invest more in resources, training, and capacity building for our local teams.

Challenges of Increased Reliance on Local Nationals:

• The ability to adapt to this model will depend on the project type and the sector.

  • For example, some projects rely on access to local governance. Often the governments we work with want to work exclusively with internationals.

• HR Requirements

  • Organisations will need to ensure their HR departments and management staff have a sound understanding of the unique needs of their local teams.

  • They must be adept at managing teams remotely, and doing so with patience, empathy, and cultural sensitivity.

 Monitoring and Evaluation:

• If we shift towards greater reliance on local teams, tighter M&E will be required. This can be very difficult to conduct remotely.

  • Measuring the practical and technical outcomes of a project may be easy to do remotely, but monitoring the qualitative output of a project, such as its ethical/cultural/psychological impact on local communities, may not be possible remotely.

  • In most organisations, M&E will require more resources and more funding.

Mental Health Support:

• Organisations must invest in high quality aftercare following the deployment

  • This is particularly important for local teams working remotely, without the support of face-to-face management

  • It’s difficult to monitor the mental health and stress levels of our staff remotely. More time and resources will need to be dedicated to supporting remote teams to make up for this shortfall.

• This is an essential element of Duty of Care to our teams and should be built into out DoC policy.

We would like to thank everyone who took par and thought that the calibre of discussion was high and thought-provoking.

Even in this challenging times, when face to face contact is limited, balanced debate and open conversation still dominate.

Spearfish South Asia Presents: A Personal Security Webinar - Female Safety in the Indian Workplace, 27th May, 2 pm (New Delhi)

Our Training team have joined forces with Spearfish South Asia team for our next webinar which will focus on female safety in India.

During the webinar, we will take you through three realistic scenarios in which a woman might find herself whilst in the Indian workplace.

This course is free to register and join and would be ideal for those working in the hospitality and travel industry.

Female Safety & Security Course

27th May 2020 2 pm (New Delhi)

Register Here

Spearfish Training Webinars - A New Frontier

AIRPORT SECURITY AWARENESS

FIRST AID

CONFRONTATION

It goes without saying that recent times have been extremely testing, international lockdowns, social distancing and a host of other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. So, the question for our training team was, “how do we to continue to provide immersive and interactive training when we can’t do it face to face?”. The obvious answer is presentations on a webinar, but we’ve all sat through presentations in the death by PowerPoint format, and that’s just not how we do our training and so we weren’t going to take a backwards step now. Instead, we picked three key topics concerning travel safety and wove them into an overall scenario.

Each of our instructors then led on their key area of expertise and immersed the attendees in the type of situation that one might face when travelling.

The instructors were able to explore attendees’ answers, field questions and advise on best practice. We even managed to cover a lifesaving first aid lesson using the type of items that could easily be found at home!

 For us this was a first and whilst I was sceptical at first to the idea of any type of “practical” webinar training I’m pleased to say that I was proven wrong. Judging by the feedback the webinar was a huge success. I’d like to say a big thank you to all those that participated, but especially to our instructors. With their imagination and enthusiasm, we were able to develop and deliver the next best thing after Hostile Environment Awareness Training. The route is now proven so look forward to more innovative and fun travel safety training from us soon!

North East Nigeria Insurgency and Covid-19

During the first quarter of 2020, both Boko Haram and ISWAP maintained a tempo of operations which demonstrated continued resilience and capability in spite of the efforts of the armed forces of Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria.

On 24th March the northern affiliation to Boko Haram, led by Ibrahim Bakura, killed 92 Chadian troops in a seven-hour attack on a military base on the Bohoma peninsula on Lake Chad.  

On the same day, Nigerian forces suffered an equally damaging loss, with between 50 and 75 troops killed in an ISWAP ambush in western Borno near Gorigi in Kaga LGA.

In this same period, the rapid spread of Covid-19 had seen Chad and Cameroon close their airports on 19th March with Nigeria following suit on 23rd March.

During April, both Chad and Nigeria reacted to the military reverses. In Chad, President Idriss Déby personally led a counter-attack over the period 1-10 April during which they reportedly killed ‘dozens’ of insurgents. On 11 April the Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, General Buratai, announced that he had relocated to the North East to personally lead the final destruction of Boko Haram/ISWAP.

During April, the military pressures on Boko Haram and ISWAP appear to have forced a geographical switch of operations, with ISWAP attacks occurring more regularly along the Yobe/Borno border and less so around Lake Chad. Likewise, Boko Haram appears to have retrenched into the Gwoza-Mandera mountain range. At the same time there have been recurring rumours of peace talks, hinting that the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, is seeking a negotiated surrender.

Whilst accepting that the ‘fog of war’ could mean the above sitrep might be some way from the truth, there is clear evidence that the insurgents are under considerable pressure from kinetic operations. At the same time, the looming spectre of Covid-19 is suddenly bigger than the politics, business interests, corruption or conflicting ideologies presently fuelling this long conflict. The insurgents are not immune to the alarming and often false reporting of modern media. At present, there is both significant psychological and situational pressure on insurgents to consider opting for the Nigerian Government’s rehabilitation programme.

Travelling to Hostile Environments Webinar-Thursday 30th April at 1pm (BST)

Our team want you to know we are still here to help and advise. In what could be our trainer’s most complex environment to date they have put together a series of free and useful online webinars.

These courses will give you an introduction to our 3 Day HEAT courses we run across the globe.

Everyone is welcome so register today to secure a place!

Taking the Classroom Online

Register Here

“‘I enjoyed the three days and really did learn a huge deal which I hope will stay with me during my travels (and life!). Thanks again to everyone for a great training experience.’”

— Analyst, Project Management, Development Sector