In the last few years, the world has seen that terrorism can take many forms. Recently, there has been an increase in vehicle attacks that involve driving a truck at high speeds into a large crowd to inflict maximum casualties.
This idea was brilliant from the point of view of the terrorists. Its simplicity meant that law enforcement never imagined it. The widespread use of trucks and large vehicles in our society also makes it very difficult to defend against. You can’t ban these vehicles from the roads because they are vital to our economy.
The Growing Threat of Vehicle Attacks
The United States has experienced two such attacks in the last decade. The first came in 2006 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The second came ten years later at The Ohio State University in 2016. Fortunately, no lives were lost in either incident
Metro areas in Europe have not been as lucky, though. Five different attacks in the cities of London, Berlin and Nice have taken 108 lives in recent years. These events demonstrate just how vulnerable areas where people congregate, such as college campuses or downtown areas, can be.
A New Technology
This week, London took additional steps to reduce the possibility of a vehicle ramming into a crowd. Police unveiled a new tool they call the Talon. It is a net that two officers can easily spread across a roadway in under a minute. The net has tungsten steel spikes that puncture the tires of a vehicle that drives across it. The net then gets entangled in the front wheels of the vehicle, forcing it to stop.
The Talon was first employed last weekend. Hopefully its use will become widespread as other law enforcement agencies around the world adopt it.
Gun Stores Get More Secure
In California, a recent bill has been sent to the Governor that would require gun stores to install barriers in front of doors and windows. The intent is to keep vehicles from driving into the buildings to steal weapons.
Closing the Loop
There are ways to reduce and even prevent vehicle attacks. The Talon net in London is a simple yet ingenious device that will literally stop a truck in its tracks. Building steel and concrete barriers around locations where people gather is another solution, as well.
But to keep this particular form of terror attack from becoming effective will require every city in the U.S. to adopt some form of vehicle stopping technology in areas where people gather.
If you have questions about the security of your business, call us at 877-722-8585.
