Lebanon - A Short Case Study in Resilience, Preparation and Support

Despite the national trait of resilience, Lebanon is a fragile and complex state sitting on the edge of another civil war and with no end in sight.

Overview

The ruling elites remain focused on their own divergent agendas resulting in political gridlock. In the meantime, the people suffer with high unemployment, power outages, rising inflation and lack of access to basic necessities. The government is built on sectarian lines with roles permanently assigned to specific sects. The army is the only major, non-sectarian institution in Lebanon.  

If two years ago I had been designing a crisis management exercise for Lebanon and it involved a myriad of political actors, a breakdown of law and order and limited evacuation options, you might have been inclined to give this a “thumbs up” for possible scenarios. If, as a final plot twist, I had added a devastating blast that destroyed hospitals, left over 200 dead and 300,000 homeless, and then I threw in a pandemic for good measure, I suspect there would have been much eye-rolling at the over-zealous and wholly “unrealistic” safety training.

Lebanon Today

Five months into 2021, Lebanon remains firmly in the grip of political impotency, rebuilding a city, fighting a pandemic and with continued anti-government protests that often turn violent.  

We have helped our clients prepare for and navigate each twist of the Lebanon story. From planning and executing evacuations of international staff, to relocating national staff during periods of increased instability. We didn’t plan for a blast registering a magnitude of 3.3, but we did have contingency plans in place that allowed us to quickly adapt to the evolving and complex situation.  

The real story of resilience and fortitude lies with the ordinary people of Lebanon who continue to suffer and protest with an unwavering optimism that things will improve. 

For advice on operating safely in Lebanon please get in touch and through our regional security advisor network in-country we will be happy to assist.  Alternatively you can join us for us for our upcoming webinar which will be focusing on Lebanon.

Journey Management WebinaR

Wednesday 16th June 2021, 1pm (BST)

Regional Security Advisor Fouad Debs and Senior Security Consultant Advisor will be holding a webinar to discussing the security situation in Lebanon and how this might affect your personal safety and journey management.

SPEARFISH HEAT COURSES IN UK AND ABUJA

As Covid -19 restrictions are slowly being lifted in the UK we are very pleased to be able to announce our open courses will be starting again in July. We have moved to an onsite location over an hour outside of London. Our Subject Matter Experts will continue to offer online training but are really looking forward to teaching again face to face.

On the other hand, bespoke closed HEAT courses in Abuja have never been more in demand. We have now two local subject expert training teams in Nigeria which have meant we have run concurrent courses in separate locations.

Coming Up

Abuja Open HEAT Course

The Abuja team recently piloted some hybrid courses, bringing in our experts from the UK via zoom for live sessions, which has proved very popular.

Our next open Abuja course will take place on the 8th -10th June 2021

Watch our HEAT Trainers

UK OPEN HEAT COURSE

We are delighted to be finally able to run our UK HEAT courses. These take place just over an hour outside London in an all-inclusive hotel estate in Hampshire. All our courses adhere to government covid-19 guidelines.

Our next open UK onsite course will take place on the 6th-8th July 2021

Spearfish Training

Insurgency continues to grow in Northern Mozambique

Overview

Now the country faces a new threat from the Islamic State-affiliated insurgency in its north state Cabo Delgado. Ansar Al-Sunna known locally as Al-Shabaab (but differing from the Somali Al-Shabaab), has made not insignificant gains in the north in its alleged bid to create an Islamic State. Mozambican Defence Armed Forces (FADM) are struggling to contain the insurgency and have turned to private military companies to support them. In August 2020 Mozambican military lost the port town of Mocímboa de Praia to the insurgents and it remains contested now. 

More recently in April 2021, a surprise raid by militants in Palma caught the Mozambican military unawares. The military’s unpreparedness and inability to provide adequate security have resulted in a poorly executed evacuation and the significant loss of life. Consequently, natural reserve giant Total declared force majeure and closure of its Afungi project in the region. The result? A loss of 3000 jobs and a significant impact on revenue for the government.  

Uncertain Future

In a county listed as the 36th largest in the world, the capital Maputo remains largely unaffected by this threat in its northern border region of Cabo Delgado. The north is plagued by high unemployment despite the presence of multinational companies such as Total and despite massive natural gas reserves. An unemployed, disenfranchised youth, disparities between the north and south, and the presence of western companies makes the perfect ground for IS recruitment.  

History has proven time and time again, that counterinsurgency cannot be won by armed conflict alone. Providing a safe space for the development and aid organizations will be critical to the overall success of any counter-insurgency plan. Subtle, but robust security measures will be required to strike a balance between allowing organizations to operate as freely as possible, whilst maintaining duty of care and a policy of “do no harm”. 

If you would like to know about what we do and how Spearfish Security could support you please contact us today

Spearfish Gender Safety Management Webinar

Overview

Our Senior Security Advisor Darren Kelly together with our Global Security Analyst Louise Vingert Silveria and special guest speaker Kathie Knell MBE held a Gender Safety Management Webinar this week where they discussed how security and personal safety can be perceived differently by men and women. During the webinar they considered and discussed the following areas from a gender perspective;

• Gendered protection approaches

• Gendered responses to mitigate

• The Impact of culture and leadership on gendered security

Review & Download

We understand that it is not always possible to attend these webinars, so for those who could not attend or would like to share our training with colleagues, please find links to our handout and video.

Finally, if you would like to speak to us about how we can support you, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Watch our Gender Safety Webinar here;

Download our Gender Safety Webinar Handout here;

How Spearfish can support you

We understand the importance more than ever that clients are looking for a cost-effective and scalable security management solution for multiple business units within your organisation and its programmes and projects in our operating areas.

Our Regional Security Advisor Network provides simultaneous support to multiple client locations and their programme teams.

This scalable support will be timetabled or as required in response to specific requests for assistance which includes;

FULL-TIME EMBEDDED

• Medium to High-risk country,  significant travel outside the capital city

• Recruit a project-specific Security Advisor. 

PART-TIME IN-COUNTRY

• Medium to High-risk country, limited travel outside of the capital city

• If we have an RSA with spare capacity located in the country of interest, no recruitment is required. Alternatively, the requirement to recruit, hire, train (av. 4-week turnaround).

REGIONAL SUPPORT

• Medium to High-risk. Fly-in fly-out type project

• Supported by an RSA not necessarily located in the project country

Our Countries of Operation

Spearfish have an established and experienced network of Regional Security Advisors who are embedded in the following locations; Nigeria, Kenya, DRC/ Rwanda, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Pakistan and India.

Spearfish Gender Safety Management Webinar

Book your free place today

Security and personal safety can be perceived differently by men and women, and they may assess the threat in a dissimilar fashion and have varied coping strategies. We will consider and discuss the following areas from a gender perspective;

• Gendered protection approaches

• Gendered responses to mitigate

• The Impact of culture and leadership on gendered security

We have invited subject matter expert Kathie Knell MBE, a NATO and Gender in Conflict Senior Advisor and UK Expert, to be our Guest Speaker. The FCDO selected Kathie to be part of a ‘Team of Experts’ in preventing sexual violence in conflict. Kathie was also the UK representative for the NATO Committee for Gender Perspectives (NCGP).

Spearfish wish our Muslim friends Happy Ramadan 2021!

Dear friends and colleagues, This time last year as Muslims around the world prepared for Ramadan, we began to experience the first waves of lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic. For the Muslim community preparing for this special time it had a deep impact; reductions in family gatherings for the breaking of fast and attendance at Mosques for prayer time. 

Whilst, the world remains gripped by COVID-19 restrictions we hope that these will not diminish this special time for the Muslim community and wish you a safe and prosperous Ramadan.

 Kareem Ramadan!

 The Spearfish Team

DEEPENING SECURITY CRISIS IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

Overview 

In the South East, where post-Biafran war nationalism continues to simmer, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the 'Independent Peoples of Biafra' movement (IPOB), announced the formation of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) on 12 Dec 2020. The stated aim was to act as a regional security force to protect people against Fulani raiders. However, as IPOB is proscribed as a terrorist organisation, the Nigerian government saw the ESN as a direct threat to its authority. It deployed the army to locate and destroy ESN bases. 

Escalating Conflict 

On 22 Jan 21, the conflict escalated when the Nigerian Army moved to crush the ESN in a military operation in Orlu town, Imo State. The ESN repulsed the Nigerian Army's initial push into Orlu but at the cost of considerable loss of civilian life and the burning of many properties. The military confrontation lasted for seven days until ESN declared a unilateral ceasefire, and both sides withdrew from the city. 

IPOB accused the Nigerian Army of working in collaboration with the governor of Imo state to continue the harassment and intimidation of civilians in Orlu and environs. On 15 Feb 21, the military recommenced operations and, on 18 Feb 21, they launched an airstrike in Orlu, prompting IPOB to issue a declaration of war. Since then, the ESN has conducted many attacks on both police and military outposts, killing and injuring many security personnel. However, to further complicate matters, ESN has also attacked Fulani settlements (their original raison d'etre) and reportedly killed Hausa traders in Orlu. This ethnic targeting has prompted a northern outcry, with the Arewa youth movement now beginning a '# IgboMustGo' campaign that potentially threatens a reprise of the bloodletting in northern cities that prompted the '67 Biafran war. 

On 23 Mar 21, The military mounted a major operation against the ESN, raiding an ESN camp in Aba, Abia State. The Nigerian force, numbering hundreds, captured the camp and claimed to have killed 16 ESN fighters. On 26 Mar 21, in the face of mounting criticism over the burgeoning security challenges, the President summarily 'retired' all four service chiefs and promoted replacements. 

In what is seen as a demonstration of their growing capability, the ESN has been blamed for a complex attack in Owerri city in the early hours of 5 Apr 21. During which, gunmen assaulted the divisional police HQ whilst using explosives to breach the nearby prison and facilitate the escape of 1,844 prisoners. An attempt to breach the police armoury failed. 

This increasingly bloody military intervention does not appear to be deterring ESN operations. Indeed, their attacks on military and police checkpoints continue unabated. Against a background of national discontent and open discussion about the country's resilience in maintaining unity, ESN militancy's apparent strengthening is another challenge to the Nigerian government. There must be questions about how the ESN has secretly been trained and resourced with weapons and ammunition. 

Spearfish Incident Management Training Webinar

Overview

Senior Security Advisor Darren Kelly together with our Regional Security Advisors held an Incident Management Training Webinar this week where they discussed the 4 key stages of an incident; Prevention & Threat, Preparation, Response & Recovery.

Our team focused on assessing the risk and explaining the importance of preparation and the development of plans. They also introduced the key aspects in response to an incident.

Incident Management Cycle

Key Takeaways

Prevention

• Identify the Threats

• Assess the Risk

• Implement Mitigation Measures

RESPONSE

• Follow the Plans but Remain Flexible

PREPARATION

• Development Incident Response Plans

• Train and Rehearse your Incident Response Plans

RECOVERY

• Return to Business as Usual

Review & Download

We understand that it is not always possible to attend these webinars, so for those who could not attend or would like to share our training with colleagues, please find links to our handout and video.

Finally, if you would like to speak to us about how we can support you, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

• Watch our Training Incident Management Webinar

• Download our Training Incident Management Handout

How Spearfish Can Support You

We understand the importance more than ever that clients are looking for a cost-effective and scalable security management solution for multiple business units within your organisation and its programmes and projects in our operating areas.

Our Regional Security Advisor Network provides simultaneous support to multiple client locations and their programme teams.

This scalable support will be timetabled or as required in response to specific requests for assistance which includes;

FULL-TIME EMBEDDED

• Medium to High-risk country,  significant travel outside the capital city

• Recruit a project-specific Security Advisor. 

PART-TIME IN-COUNTRY

• Medium to High-risk country, limited travel outside of the capital city

• If we have an RSA with spare capacity located in the country of interest, no recruitment is required. Alternatively, the requirement to recruit, hire, train (av. 4-week turnaround).

REGIONAL SUPPORT

• Medium to High-risk. Fly-in fly-out type project

• Supported by an RSA not necessarily located in the project country

Our Countries of Operation

Spearfish have an established and experienced network of Regional Security Advisors who are embedded in the following locations; Nigeria, Kenya, DRC/ Rwanda, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Pakistan and India.

Spearfish South Asia Concentrate on Security Design Engineering Across the Region

Spearfish has been working as Security Design Engineering (SDE) consultants for the hospitality industry in South AsiA for over 5 years

Overview

Security and Safety are fundamental foundations that underpin ‘True Hospitality, a guest that feels threatened or unsafe in a hotel will not ‘Love the Hotel’ and will unlikely feel any loyalty to the brand.

Increasingly Heads of Security for medium and large corporations have the final say in corporate lodging decisions and are increasingly relying on third-party security consultants to conduct hotel security assessments, a large part of which often focus on hotel security design. Therefore, a hotel operating in a high-risk area that has poor security design will consequently fail to attract business and will likely hinder its commercial viability.

Moreover, where hotels have poor security design, it is highly likely that the subsequent required operational mitigation will be a burden on the hotel undermining Profit & Loss.

 Security design engineering is important to be considered at the earliest possible moment when the build of a new hotel in a high-risk location is contemplated. Studies show that the earlier security design is considered, the more effective it is and the less it costs to implement.

Conversely, when security design is implemented later in the design phase or retrospectively, it costs more and is less effective.

Spearfish Security’s consultancy has the following characteristics, which help upcoming hotels to get the full package with an efficient cost-saving mechanism:

• Have a history of providing services to Internationally Branded hotel chains.

• Have an understanding of hotel operations as the consultants themselves have worked for Branded hotels.

• Have the capacity to generate detailed threat assessments.

• Have an in-depth and up to date understanding of security technology.

• Have the capacity to provide updated hotel plans and schematics.

• Have no affiliation to technical equipment providers thus removing any conflict of interest.

The Benefits of Early Security Design Input

At Spearfish, we understand that a good Security Design Guidance should aim at maximising the effect of expenditure by ensuring the approach is implemented at the earliest stage in the project design.

The diagram below illustrates that the benefits of security design are maximised at a minimal cost the earlier they are considered, (point A). Whereas the later they are considered, the more expensive they are whilst the ability to maximise benefits decreases (point B).

The Spearfish Security Design Engineering Approach

Security Design Engineering should be seen as a process of support and not simply the delivery of a plan or a report.

Step One: The Security Threat and Risk Assessment

This part of the process is included in the consultancy. This phase identifies all the security risks relating directly to the hotel build and informs the security design plan's operational requirement.

A detailed Security Threat & Risk Assessment is required to identify known and potential threats. This is the first stage of any security design plan. If the possible security threats are not fully understood, then it is unlikely that the security design will be appropriate, i.e. it will either be over-specified or not detailed enough.

Before the commencement of a hotel Security Design Plan, Spearfish Security Ltd carries out a  Security Risk & Threat Assessment for each hotel.

 Common Failings by Security Consultancies during the Risk Assessment Phase

Consultancies that do not fully understand what is required from the Security Threats and Risk Assessment process will often include a brief summarised assessment as part of an opening statement in their report. Quite often, risks will be summarised in a single sentence such as “Terrorism risk: High” they will provide no evidence of how they made their assessment and fail to take into account the impact that the hotel will have on that assessment.

 By not separating the risk assessment from the rest of the report and failing to get sign off before proceeding with the security plan, consultancies may not adequately manage owners’ perceptions of the security design plan. This causes delays as, quite often, each specification is then open to argument and deliberation.  Hence we at Spearfish Security ensure that we have a detailed team discussion with the project team to explain the crucial elements included in the STRA report before moving towards Step Two.

Step Two: The Operational Requirement

This phase identifies the basic operational requirements that the hotel needs to reach to mitigate the threats identified in the Security Threats and Risk Assessment. This phase identifies what needs to be achieved but not necessarily how to do it.

 A good Operational Requirement study can provide how the hotel project team can go away and manage their own tender processes and project management, implementing the plan themselves.

This approach provides flexibility to the hotel project. It does not, at this stage, tie the hotel into specific solutions allowing for a level of adjustment in the design, provided the operational requirement is met.

This approach immediately ties in a single solution project, allowing little room for creative thinking and alternative approaches.

Step Three – Technical Specification

Spearfish has a team with the required technical expertise to provide the correct technical solutions/advice to its clients.

Our technical experts ensure that their advice helps the projects undertake this part of the process themselves, provided they use the operational requirement as the basis for their tendering process, i.e. all providers of equipment must meet the operational requirement's needs completely.

Spearfish operational requirement states what needs to be done; hence this stage identifies how it is to be done.

 Common Failings by Security Consultancies during the Technical Specification Phase

This is usually a quick win for a consultancy. They will tend to provide a blanket description of exact technical features a technical solution needs to have, and they are unlikely to be specific to the hotel project.

This approach ties the tender process down to specifics. It leaves little room for tenderers to offer imaginative solutions or emerging technologies that may better suit the hotel project's needs.

Step Four – Security Design Project Management

Spearfish Security looks at this stage as an optional stage that is usually invoked only if hotel project teams feel insufficient expertise to manage the technical specification, tender process, and integration themselves.

 Step Five – Security Design Sign Off

At this stage, Spearfish comes in to conduct a review of the security design integration to ensure it meets the agreed operational requirement. A short report is generated to provide an assessment of the final implementation and highlight any shortfalls and remedies.

If you would like to know more about Security Design Engineering and how Spearfish could help, please contact us.  

Spearfish invites you to our free webinar - Incident Management Training

Incident management Training webinar Wednesday 24th march 2021, 2 pm (gmt)

Overview

We are already starting to notice our clients planning future trips as the world slowly opens its borders to international travellers. Spearfish would like to invite you to our 1-hour free Training Webinar with our Senior Security Advisor Darren Kelly and his team of Regional Security Advisors.

Our expert team will take you through what type of incidents may arise whilst travelling and working in high-risk locations and how best to prepare respond to them.

View fullsize

How Spearfish Can Support You

We understand the importance more than ever that clients are looking for a cost-effective and scalable security management solution for multiple business units within your organisation and its programmes and projects in our operating areas.

Our Regional Security Advisor Network provides simultaneous support to multiple client locations and their programme teams.

This scalable support will be timetabled or as required in response to specific requests for assistance which includes;

Full-Time Embedded

• Medium to High-risk country,  significant travel outside the capital city​

• Recruit a project-specific Security Advisor. ​

Part-Time In-Country

• Medium to High-risk country, limited travel outside of the capital city​

• If we have an RSA with spare capacity, located in the country of interest no recruitment is required. Alternatively, the requirement to recruit, hire, train (av. 4-week turnaround).​

Regional Support

• Medium to High-risk. Fly-in fly-out type project​

• Supported by an RSA not necessarily located in the project country

Our Countries of Operation

Spearfish have an established and experienced network of Regional Security Advisors who are embedded in the following locations; Nigeria, Kenya, DRC/ Rwanda, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Pakistan and India.

Spearfish Hosts Online Seminar: “Duty of Care & Remote Security”

Spearfish Security recently held a Duty of Care (DoC) Seminar, chaired by our Managing Director Dan Hooton and Guest Speaker, Adrian Powell from Proelium Law, UK's foremost legal authority on high-risk jurisdictions and specialist risk services.

Overview

Our purpose was to highlight the particular importance of DoC, i.e. the requirement to look after staff or those engaged on your behalf when deployed in the field.

Despite the significant changes towards remote working and adjustments it has brought to business operations in the last months, it is essential to assure your DoC platform aligns with these changes and your business model. You must also ensure liabilities and legal requirements are met to avoid any additional risk exposure to you and your business.

Guest Speaker - Adrian Powell

Adrian Powell qualified as a solicitor in 2004 following 11 years in the British Army. After several years in general legal practice, from 2005 to 2013 he spent most of his time in Iraq and Afghanistan as a legal advisor with various entities including the US DoD, a major private security company and the UK FCDO. From 2013 to 2015, he managed a significant legal project focusing on the war crimes in Syria.

The Legal Case for Duty of Care

First of all, Adrian spoke about the critical premise that the laws on negligence apply globally. A company has DoC towards an employee as part of their contract, regardless of whether a security company is engaged in providing protection.

The main section dealt with the legal foundations of DoC. There are two approaches to DoC from the English law perspective: Statutory (e.g. Health and Safety regulations) and Common law, where the term DoC comes from and fall as part of the tort of negligence. A business is legally required to provide this and ensure the best for the employee.

The term DoC can be often misused, making it difficult to understand it clearly. Adrian clarified that a claimant must, by law, prove all following points to prove a case of breach of DoC:

• That the DoC was owed from an employer to the employee. In some circumstances, it is automatically owed (e.g. employment contract, teachers to students, lawyer to clients), but in others, it may not be apparent, specifically in consultants' case. The more dangerous the environment you are deploying your consultant to, the more likely you owe them a DoC.

• That there was a breach. Proving a breach can be subjective, but the general criteria for assessment are, was it reasonably foreseeable, and if so, was there a failure to exercise care?

• That that breach of DoC caused the loss/injury. Having established a breach, did the loss/injury result directly from it?

It is also important to consider 'contributory negligence', where the actions of the employees may have contributed to their situation/loss/injury.

Adrian then provided relevant case studies for application to demonstrate how liability can vary. The point being it is decided and interpreted depending on the facts of individual cases.

The case studies showed that DoC applies as soon as employees are deployed, and a company must be aware of its risks. Each case is unique, and organisations should note that no precedent has been set for the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Points

• Employers must assess risks and then put in place measures considering identified risks.

• If you are deploying and moving staff including consultants, you owe them DoC.

• Ensure you are prepared and have insurance in place to deal with any issues in the future.

• Note that there has been an increase in cases brought to UK courts from other countries.

• Each case is decided on individual facts, and you will have to make a case for your actions taken.

Duty of Care Seminar Video

We have posted an edited version of the Duty of Care Seminar and can be accessed through the link below.

Spearfish Security Report: Myanmar

Overview of the situation:

Although more likely a strategic move, the pretext to these events was the November elections last year; won by the former ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD). The result was deeply contested by armed forces who deemed the election fraudulent.

The days following the takeover have seen political opposition and ethnic leaders arrested as well as civil society activists, heavy-handed measures against protesters, communication disruptions including internet and social media shutdown. Meanwhile, a yearlong state of emergency was announced, with 'free and fair' elections to be held after. Several ministers and lawmakers were released, but former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other key political figures remain detained. Thus, tensions continue to rise, with the prospect for further civil unrest and protests.

Amid rising public disapproval and international condemnation, the military is likely to continue taking measures to signal normalisation. The country has already suffered years of military rule (1962 to 2011) and faces significant internal issues such as poverty and violence and significant divides along ethnic and religious lines.

Impact on international development organisations operating in Myanmar

Although historically the military wields much power in the country even amidst ostensibly democratic reforms, the takeover represents a turnaround in the country's path to democracy. It is hard to evaluate for now as there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the situation.

Nonetheless, it will disrupt foreign investment and create an even greater uncertain environment for not only businesses but NGOs and international development organisations due to the highly likely future international sanctions imposed upon Myanmar. International development organisations are likely to be obstructed by delays or have visa applications refused and permissions or hindered by travel restrictions in and out of the country. In the immediate term, in-country operations can also expect to face logistical challenges around protests, communication shutdowns, and the increased military presence.

The difficulty of action for international organisations will further be hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The pandemic has represented an opportunity that favoured the military coup and will continue to assist further bans on foreign visas, restrictions of movement, communication, and meetings. This, as we have already seen, is already the reality in other authoritarian leadership regimes..

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Spearfish Events Coming Up

Duty of Care Seminar - Wednesday 10th February 2pm (GMT)

Following our successful crisis management seminar in December, this session will dwell on the challenges of maintaining Duty of Care to your staff. We are focused particularly on those deployed remotely, or those operating as project partners under your Duty Of Care platform.

We are pleased to present Adrian Powell of Proelium Law, the UK’s foremost legal authority on high-risk jurisdictions and specialist risk services. Adrian will present a short session to engage the audience, and we will then engage in a question and answer session.

For more information about the how Spearfish can help please contact us.

Spearfish West Africa Announce Free Travel Safe Webinar

ONLINE TRAVEL SAFE COURSE

27th Janaury 2pm (GMT)

ONLINE TRAVEL SAFE COURSE

Our Training team worked fast to redevelop our Hostile Environment Training and Safety Awareness content to produce our 4-hour live Travel Safe Webinars. We had considered online learning in the past, but CV19 precipitated the leap into the virtual world. On the 27th of January at 2 pm, we are holding a free one-hour 'taster' session for Travel Safe. Reserve your place today!

SPEARFISH DIGITAL SERVICES

We have also built a new platform that offers country-specific news alerts, a bi-weekly newsletter, and access to our Security Risk Assessment Library. We are excited about this product, our alerts are sent directly from our in-country RSA's and can be a stand-alone service or as part of a broader offering.  

For further information on either service, please do enquire below.

SPEARFISH WEST AFRICA SET TO RUN FIRST ABUJA HEAT COURSE OF 2021

SWA are Rolling out HEAT And ONLINE TRAINING for 2021

Overview

As we all look to 2021 with a revived sense of hope that life will soon begin to return to normal, there is no doubt that for now, we are still very much in the clutches of this pandemic. Spearfish West Africa has continued to operate safely and successfully. We are acutely aware that CV19 numbers appear to be rising in parts of West Africa, specifically Nigeria. Our advisors on the ground continue to stay connected with those still in-country, providing them with our expert and personal level of security risk management as well as regular Covid-19 updates.

Training

Spearfish West Africa successfully delivered five Hostile Environment Awareness Training courses in Abuja and Lagos before Christmas. The courses were for national staff of the British High Commission to Nigeria. Our HEAT instructors are Nigerian security professionals who intimately understand the challenges of daily life. This was reflected in the various scenarios they used to deliver critical training points throughout the course

Our next Abuja Course is on the 19th -21st January, and we still have a few spaces available. We can offer a discount for bookings of five places or more places, so please do get in touch.

ONLINE TRAVEL SAFE COURSE

Our Training team worked fast to redevelop our Hostile Environment Training and Safety Awareness content to produce our 4-hour live Travel Safe Webinars. We had considered online learning in the past, but CV19 precipitated the leap into the virtual world. On the 27th of January at 2 pm, we are holding a free one-hour 'taster' session for Travel Safe. Please do sign up here: insert the link

Spearfish Digital Subscription Services

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We have also built a new platform that offers country-specific news alerts, a bi-weekly newsletter, and access to our Security Risk Assessment Library. We are excited about this product, our alerts are sent directly from our in-country RSA's and can be a stand-alone service or as part of a broader offering.  

For further information on either service, please do enquire below.

Spearfish Deliver HEAT Training In Nigeria for Diplomatic Staff

SPEARFISH WEST AFRICA TRAINING TEAM

Spearfish West Africa recently completed the successful delivery of 5 x Hostile Environment Awareness Training courses to Abuja and Lagos based national staff of the British High Commission to Nigeria.

The courses were requested by the British High Commission under their duty of care provision in order to provide staff with the necessary skills to gain confidence in the face of Nigeria’s febrile and rapidly changing security envelope.

Spearfish highlight the well documented ongoing conflict in the NE and banditry in NW Nigeria, the ravages of Covid-19 have impacted significantly upon the economic and business environment. The lock downs and movement restrictions have forced business closures, swelling the already burgeoned ranks of the unemployed.

The economy has gone into recession, with high inflation and a growing cost of living. The #EndSARS movement provided a convenient vehicle for wider protest and other expressions of discontent, including riot, arson, killing and wide scale looting.

For the latest official UK government advice about travelling to Nigeria, including the latest information on coronavirus, safety and security and travel warnings please visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/nigeria

Our West Africa HEAT courses are delivered by our team of Nigerian security professionals who intimately understand the challenges of daily life in the country. They, therefore, have great credibility in the various scenarios they use to deliver key memorable training points.

Spearfish Security Ltd. Has a sound pedigree in the delivery of this type of security awareness training. In this instance, the course content was adjusted to accord with the High Commission’s security protocols. However, the core course content is standard for all Spearfish’s HEAT courses and had previously been endorsed in the UK via the Department for International Development (now merged into the FCDO).

To find out more about our training in contact us directly to discuss your needs whether here in the UK or abroad.

Our next Abuja open course is on the 19th January book here.

Crisis Management - Learn

Lessons from a Crisis

Earlier this month Spearfish Security, held an online Crisis Management (CM) . They each gave an in-depth insight into our views on challenges of running virtual CM teams, centred around the Activation, Response, and Lessons Learned from a Crisis. In our final article of this series Director Grant White explains the importance of learning from a crisis.

With a much greater array of tools and body of evidence at our fingertips, are we applying the right methods to our debriefs, and learning the right lessons?  Post crisis analysis is an important exercise and one that is all too often dismissed or pushed right in the haste to recover. Many of us are guilty of not reflecting on the lessons learnt from past crises. 

Crisis Leadership 

One common mistake I see in crisis management repeatedly, is slow response. This has been evident in the COVID response throughout the world. This can be explained by the natural human response to crises identified in the Kübler-Ross model (below), often associated with grief. These emotional effects inform decision making and can be applied to the individual, the team, organization, and even national level.  

Kübler-Ross Model 

This graph represents the emotional effect of a fast changing and significantly changing environment during a crisis on any scale. 

Everyone’s curve differs in terms of time and the peaks and troughs of morale. The aim of a crisis management team is to flatten the curve and compress the timeline

How this can be applied to Crisis Management:

Shock - In a crisis it’s important to reflect on our initial human emotional response to the incident. The aim is to shorten the period of delay from the initial feeling of shock. Shock is a natural response, but we must consciously work to overcome shock in order not to delay response. 

Denial - It inhibits our ability to process the reality of the crisis and its possible outcomes. We must seek to understand the situation and consider the ‘what if’ scenarios and potential solutions as early as possible. 

Frustration & Depression - These are dangerous emotions in the response cycle because they drag our attention away from the importance of the situation. Effective decision-making cannot be achieved when morale is low. Your organisation will not be able to adapt and respond if your team are held back by frustration and fatigue. 

Be Process Led - Maintain simple frameworks for crisis management. If your core crisis management plan doesn’t fit on one A4 page, it will be thrown out in the first instance.

Start Early - Don’t delay your crisis response. Work to overcome the shock/denial phase as quickly as possible. 

Remain Flexible - Understand that no two crises are the same, and as such, no two crises will require the same approach. Above all - Hope for the best, prepare for the worst! 

Crisis Recovery 

A common mistake made by organisations in a crisis is staying too long in the ‘response’ phase. Don’t wait until your ‘response’ is over before you begin ‘recovery’ phase.  Recovery is an equally important part of responding to a crisis. Leaders should emphasis the importance of this in the planning stage. Appoint a dedicated recovery team as part of your crisis management plan. 

That completes the final of our three session; If you would like to learn more about what type of Crisis Management training and support we can offer your team in person or online please contact us now.

 Plans are Worthless – Planning is Everything 

Spearfish Deliver HEAT Training In Nigeria for Diplomatic Staff

SPEARFISH WEST AFRICA TRAINING TEAM

Spearfish West Africa recently completed the successful delivery of 5 x Hostile Environment Awareness Training courses to Abuja and Lagos based national staff of the British High Commission to Nigeria.

The courses were requested by the British High Commission under their duty of care provision in order to provide staff with the necessary skills to gain confidence in the face of Nigeria’s febrile and rapidly changing security envelope.

Spearfish highlight the well documented ongoing conflict in the NE and banditry in NW Nigeria, the ravages of Covid-19 have impacted significantly upon the economic and business environment. The lock downs and movement restrictions have forced business closures, swelling the already burgeoned ranks of the unemployed.

The economy has gone into recession, with high inflation and a growing cost of living. The #EndSARS movement provided a convenient vehicle for wider protest and other expressions of discontent, including riot, arson, killing and wide scale looting.

For the latest official UK government advice about travelling to Nigeria, including the latest information on coronavirus, safety and security and travel warnings please visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/nigeria

Our West Africa HEAT courses are delivered by our team of Nigerian security professionals who intimately understand the challenges of daily life in the country. They, therefore, have great credibility in the various scenarios they use to deliver key memorable training points.

Spearfish Security Ltd. Has a sound pedigree in the delivery of this type of security awareness training. In this instance, the course content was adjusted to accord with the High Commission’s security protocols. However, the core course content is standard for all Spearfish’s HEAT courses and had previously been endorsed in the UK via the Department for International Development (now merged into the FCDO).

To find out more about our training in contact us directly to discuss your needs whether here in the UK or abroad.

Our next Abuja open course is on the 19th January book here.

Crisis Management - Response & Social Media

Response & Social Media

Earlier this month Spearfish Security, held an online Crisis Management (CM) . They each gave an in-depth insight into our views on challenges of running virtual CM teams, centred around the Activation, Response, and Lessons Learned from a Crisis. This Week John Smith write about the Response and the affects of social media.

The impact of instant social media commentary, rather than column inches is now a much harder force to manage, taking place alongside (or during) your response. An individual's criticism now doesn't have to be the truth; it just has to be 'liked'.

Case Study: Mumbai Attack 2008 

Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out a series of attacks across the city simultaneously. Our team had five people in the affected locations at the time. We had an experienced team of mixed nationalities, people well-versed in crisis response, and we all knew each other very well. Some of our group were local nationals in India, and we took the decision early on to remove them from the response team because of the sensitivity of the situation. Instead, we managed the incident remotely as a small team located in various locations outside of India. Our main concern was the extent of the attack and how quickly it was escalating. 

Social media management was one challenge that we didn't have to deal with in this crisis. It would undoubtedly be very different today.  

The Impact of Social Media During a Crisis 

The role of social media in the world has evolved significantly since the Mumbai attacks. The first time we began to see Social Media play a significant role in crises on a global scale was during the Arab Spring. Though we can't be sure if it was a causal factor, it certainly added fuel to the fire, particularly in Egypt in 2011.  

 Looking at later significant events, we can see how this has further evolved: 

• Houses of Parliament Attack March 2017 – The visibility of the attack was unprecedented. Clear photographic evidence was shown across the mainstream media. 

• London Bridge Attack 2019 – Photos circulated on social media showed the attacker being shot at close range, again directed across the mainstream media. 

• Vienna Attack 2020 – A video of the close-range shooting was live-streamed on social media at various points in the event.  

In summary, social media has created a need for 24/hour news feeds. Previously, (pre-2000) news was always carefully edited before broadcasting. Reputable news sources were focused on reporting accurate, unbiased information. The '3 Vs' were of equal importance. 

 Social media has since become the primary source of information alongside mainstream media. As a result, people now expect to be able to access information instantly. The emphasis on veracity has declined, superseded by the demand for velocity. 

Misinformation 

The spread of misinformation on social media, and the speed at which it spreads, is unprecedented in the age of COVID-19. This poses a whole new set of problems to your organisation and its crisis management plans. 

In a crisis, we must consider the speed at which information becomes available to the public at large. Because of this, your organisation must consider the reliability of the news received during a crisis, and how that affects your decision-making. We must also consider reputation and exposure.  

During a live crisis, understanding the reality of the situation on the ground becomes marred when rumours are circulating, making decision-making incredibly difficult. 

One of the most effective ways to mitigate this problem is to ensure your crisis management planning involves a robust communications strategy. During crisis response, you must prioritise managing your strategic communications, both internally and externally. This is crucial for reputational management.  

In your crisis management plan, responsibility for managing communications should be allocated to one reliable team member with a good understanding of your organisation's internal and external comms strategy. This strategy should consider how and when the information will be disseminated to members of the team affected. It must also include senior management, the broader organisation, the families of those involved, and the public. HR and PR departments should be engaged in this process. 

In summary, social media response is now an integral part of your crisis planning, and it must be adequately understood and managed to prevent misperceptions of your actions overtaking realities on the ground.  

That completes the second session; we will be publishing the third anf final session next week.  If you would like to learn more about what type of Crisis Management training and support we can offer your team in person or online please contact us now.

WARNING: Graphic Photos have been used in the presentation.

Crisis Management - Activation

ACTIVATION

Last week here at Spearfish Security, we held an online Crisis Management (CM) seminar with myself and members of the board John Smith and Grant White. We each gave an in-depth insight into our views on challenges of running virtual CM teams, centred around the Activation, Response, and Lessons Learned from a Crisis. For our blog, we will publish each presentation, starting with my Activation session below, with Response and Lessons Learned in the following weeks.

Partnerships and Local Collaboration

Partnerships and local collaboration trends make the likelihood of a virtual team much greater, comprising of different businesses who've never managed a crisis together. 

The international delivery models that we're used to are phasing out and possibly becoming obsolete. Over the last six months, clients have required a much greater emphasis on using their in-country assets or partners. 

The local delivery model is advantageous not only due to feasibility but also cost and in some cases, it may be the only option for delivery (quarantine requirements, travel restrictions etc.) This model may involve: 

• Long term embedded consultants working with a local team

• Partnerships with a local business

Division or agreement of Duty of Care needs to be discussed carefully as part of this model when putting your arrangements together. It has obvious implications for your crisis team, depending on who you are looking after.

In light of the recent budget aid cut announcement from the Chancellor, the days of flying international consultants in for short term visits ('FIFO') for quality assurance are most likely gone for now. It would be best if you used tried and tested local assets as never before. As such, there will be a shrinking of overhead costs for risk and crisis management, where businesses may reduce in-house resources either in headcount or operational budgets. However, if you can allocate assets and personnel as programme costs, it will allow the same resources to mobilise, but under a different budgeting mechanism. 

What these factors will result in, is a magnification of common problems of crisis management – what I mean by that is it is one thing to structure and train a team within your organisation, but quite another to start to join different members from different organisations who might not know each other, not understanding what is expected by them, or have the requisite skills or experience to be part of the CM team. 

VIRTUAL TEAM

The challenge organisations have with crisis management, is breaking out from your day-to-day decision-making structures and processes, and then implementing faster and leaner ways of working on getting something done quickly. That, to me, is crisis management. You may deploy a different set of responses to what you are used to, but it is a streamlined, dynamic way of getting things done. Doing it virtually is no different. 

Lots of business are structured very differently in how they communicate and make decisions, and it is essential that whatever you choose for your company is the right fit. 

CHALLENGES TO ACTIVATION

• When to activate? What is a crisis, and how do we know when to trigger? Quite often, the initial phases are buried deep down at the country level and can slow burn for a while before anyone has grasped what the implications might be. If a local partner doesn't understand the broader impact, they might not know to give you a call. They might not know such a thing exists as the CM team and just haven't been briefed on the right thing to do, not out of willfulness, just a lack of understanding. If you can clearly articulate your CM resources on offer, when to be used, and how they are activated, you have a fighting chance of getting ahead of this. 

• Who does what? Don't try to explain the structure in the middle of a situation. You can adjust, co-opt, change and adapt by all means, but you must have the basis of a chair, ops, HR, legal and comms as a minimum. You need a leadership structure, and very often, a more direct style of management in the early stages of a crisis. How often have you seen the managing director get heavily involved in the micro-management of an incident, when they should be sitting back, looking at the broader picture and letting their team get on with the day-to-day activities. I can tell you; they will only let go of the reins if they think you have it under control. 

Pitfalls in Delivery

• Structures and Rhythms - How you run your team depends entirely on you, your experience and what works for the group of people you are managing. What is important is that you set out how you want to run things, and sporadic or rushed timetables confuses people and put teams under extra pressure where there is already likely to be some. Leading on from that, the flow of information from the team into the broader set of stakeholders needs to be managed, sometimes restricted, sometimes not, but always planned. People can get very nervous when they think they ought to be being told something but aren't, so set the agenda and pace. 

• Platform Accessibility - This can be a simple as having the right phone numbers and emails for the different team members. It's incredible how many times I have been searching through old emails to work out who is who, and what numbers they are on, generally in the activation phase when you are putting yourself and the team under more pressure. Again, plan early and get it cracked at the start of the trip. Larger organisations always struggle with personal data, and complications such as data handling laws can make things complicated. Don't forget to anticipate a lack of comms infrastructure, e.g. inadequate internet/phone coverage in your operational areas. You all know what to do, but you can't talk to each other. 

• Role Assignment - Finding out who is good at doing what, and playing to the team's strengths is very difficult when you don't know each other or haven't practised working together. As I said previously, you are trying to create a plan which enables good decision-making and then carry out that decision. You aren't trying to write the world's most extended set of checklists for posterity. You can only create an effective plan by working and practising together. You can judge the strengths and weaknesses for yourself in this fashion and then adjust accordingly. 

• Testing, Testing, Testing - Similarly, regular testing and exercising is always a challenge, and in a multi-team environment, only by testing can you become match fit. Even if you don't know who you might have on your team next month, if you have a way to induct and link them into your crisis structure rapidly and effectively, you have a fighting chance in this virtual environment. 

That completes the first session; we will be publishing the second next week.  If you would like to learn more about what type of Crisis Management training and support we can offer your team in person or online please contact us now.

Changing Times for the UK Aid Budget?

Dan Hooton

Managing Director

The reporting of the potential reduction in spending in the media earlier this week of a decrease from 0.7% to 0.5% of an already shrinking Gross National Product will no doubt create concern in the development sector.  The timing could hardly be worse, when placed into the context of a deteriorating worldwide economic situation due to CV19, with a possible debt crisis looming. 

Overview

The recent contraction of economic activity has compounded the considerable need for international aid, particularly in the areas of public health and humanitarian response. We have seen funding pivoted to these sectors and other less relevant programmes reduced or cancelled altogether.  

 Security Risk Management Platforms

So, what then does this mean for funding of security risk management platforms for programmes as we advance into 2021?  Several points are apparent:  

• There remains a variety of risks to manage in many locations, but the CV19 pandemic will have influenced these.  Keeping track of these factors must be prioritised, particularly for operations that have stopped for the last six months, and organisations are looking to restart, sometimes from afar before arriving on the ground.  

• Local partnerships and consortia are now more critical than ever, and they must develop the right structures correctly to prevent overlap or incomplete systems. Choosing and capacity building your local teams in-country can be a challenge and must be approached correctly. 

• Duty of Care (DOC) applies to all staff and partners, both international and national.  Bid teams must clearly define from a contractual perspective, who is being looked after and how. These discussions need to take place at the bid phase and aren’t a problem to be pushed down the line and sorted out during implementation.  

 What is likely that the days of flying international consultants in for short term visits for quality assurance are most likely gone for now, and risk managers need to be able to rely on tried and tested local hires as never before. There is bound to be a shrinking of overhead costs for security, where businesses may reduce in-house resources either in headcount or operational budgets.  If you can allocate assets and personnel as programme costs, it will allow the same resources to mobilise, but under a different budgeting mechanism.  

Conclusion

A reduction in spending is coming regardless of the final decision taken on the actual percentage point of GNP. What is important to protect is the process of creating the correct security budget, as part of the overall construction of a bid and that it meets your expectation for DOC. There are ways of delivering lean risk management structures, utilising international expertise coupled with experienced, local security teams.   Only in this way, can you make maximum use of donor funds and demonstrate value for money for the UK taxpayer. Greater use will likely be made of outsourced advisor platforms such as ourselves.