Crowdguard - Proportionate HVM: Deploying Risk-Led Protection
A Grounded Approach
Proportionate Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) is about managing the risk vehicles pose to people and places, whether that comes from deliberate attack or otherwise.
At Crowdguard, we plan and deploy measured strategies that reflect the unique nature of each site we work on.
Focusing on credible risk, we provide proportionate HVM that is technically sound, operationally workable, and appropriate to the level of threat. It’s about getting the balance right.
Understanding the Threat Landscape
Vehicles are often involved in hostile incidents because they are mobile, heavy, capable of reaching speed quickly, and easy to obtain. From a counter-terrorism perspective, there are three recognised profiles:
– A vehicle carrying an improvised explosive device (IED), where distance is key.
– A vehicle deliberately used with the intention to injure, kill, or destroy property by ramming.
– A vehicle used as part of a wider attack, for example to transport weapons or attackers.
Proportionate HVM does not alter the intent behind these types of attack, but it does help mitigate the risk that comes with it.
As Russ Phillips, Counter Terrorism Risk Management Director at Crowdguard, clarifies: “Our objective is straightforward – to make it harder for a vehicle to cause harm and, in doing so, create critical time for an effective response if an incident should occur.”
How Proportionate HVM Is Delivered
Our process always begins with proper assessment. Where appropriate, performing the Threat Vulnerability Risk Assessment (TVRA) and Vehicle Dynamics Assessment (VDA) gives us the information needed to develop a strategy that makes sense for the site and its operations.
We select the right solutions from our portfolio of products, individually tested to recognised standards such as: ISO 22343, PAS 68, IWA 14-1 and VADS.
However, a well-designed HVM scheme that effectively mitigates risk doesn’t begin and end with vehicle security barriers. It might involve changes to queue placement or key management systems, use of soft road checks and more. Proportionality involves a level of creativity, it comes from knowing where hard measures are necessary and where softer approaches are sufficient to reduce the risk.
Our strategy is heavily influenced by factors such as authorised vehicle movement, emergency access requirement, public visibility, crowd size, and surrounding streets and areas.
Installations are supported with briefing, training, and on-going maintenance plans to ensure optimal performance over the expected life cycle.
Proportionate HVM Doesn’t Mean Minimal
Proportionate is not a scaled-back version of “real” protection. It is the real protection, tailored to the project requirements.
One well-specified barrier, correctly installed, can outperform an entire line of over-engineered defences applied without surrounding context. In fact, temporary barriers are often deployed in cases where permanent installations have failed or are currently out of service, and security is immediately necessary.
HVM can also act as a visible deterrent. While deterrence is never guaranteed, visibility can support public reassurance and may disrupt hostile planning.
A barrier alone is never a complete solution. It’s how that product fits into a wider system of awareness, planning and readiness that makes the difference.
“Proportionate doesn’t mean minimal,” Phillips, adds. “It is understanding that the right barrier in the right place is always more effective than a blanket approach, combined with other measures as part of your overarching HVM plan to reduce the risk.”
Working in Partnership
Our team never works in isolation. We engage directly with local authorities, venue operators, event managers and traffic management teams to shape a response every stakeholder understands and supports.
We effectively identify vulnerabilities and provide a full strategy breakdown, including detail on how deployments perform in real-world conditions, and what options are available if priorities shift. That clarity builds trust and confidence in the venue/events ability to operate safely.
If you would like to understand what proportionate HVM could look like for your space, we offer an initial consultation at no cost.
Get in touch today:
0161 507 3434
info@crowdguard.co.uk
Images: Crowdguard
