Weapon attacks
The use of weapons and tactics that are low-cost and low-capability will continue to be the most common form of terrorist attack in Australia. This is because these are widely accessible.
Owners and operators of crowded and public places must know how to protect their sites. This includes understanding the characteristics of terrorist attacks.
Characteristics of terrorist attacks
The intention of a terrorist attack is to kill or injure as many people as possible within the shortest period.
It is common for weapon attacks to:
- happen in crowded places
- start and end suddenly
- attempt to harm people until law enforcements step in
- not resolve through negotiation or peaceful means.
Protecting your crowded place
Your security plans should aim to minimise the attackers' access to people and your site.
Exercise your security plans, including business continuity plans, response and recovery arrangements regularly.
Staff must understand their priority actions. They need to be able to perform their actions in a high-stress environment.
To prevent an attack, we recommend these security measures:
- physical and electronic security
- alert and visual detection systems
- installing barriers and gates.
During an attack
If an attack occurs, owners and operators of crowded and public places should prioritise these activities.
