Prominent experts in national security prepare to gather at Counter Terror Expo 2015

The topics raised in the CTX conference will be reflected within zones on the exhibition floor

With just under a week to go until Counter Terror Expo (CTX), the world's most prominent experts in national security are preparing to gather at the leading international exhibition and conference which will be staged at Olympia, London on April 21 and 22.

CTX is a global platform which attracts thousands of buyers and specifiers from government, military, policing, emergency services and private security. The CTX conference programme promises to encourage debate and discussion and, in light of recent events, find solutions to highly prevalent terrorist risks. Split into four main programme streams: The World Terror Congress, Critical National Infrastructure, Cyber Threat Intelligence and Transport Security Live. The topics raised in the CTX conference will be reflected within zones on the exhibition floor: Policing & Special Operations; Advanced Technologies; Transport Security Live; and Cyber Threat Intelligence.

The first World Counter Terror Congress

Proceedings will begin on Tuesday 21 April at 09:50 with the inaugural World Counter Terror Congress. This historic session will address to picks such as mitigating the threat of 'lone wolf' attacks, home grown radicalisation, the practicalities of policing terror on the ground, countering digital terror as well as providing an update on all major terrorist groups' activity. Confirmed speakers include Mark Rowley, Head of Specialist Operations and Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police; Dr. Jamie Shea, Deputy ASG, Emerging Security Challenges Division, NATO, Raffaello Pantuci, Director of International Security Studies, RUSI, Jonathan Powell, CEO, Inter-Mediate and former Chief of Staff to Tony Blair and British Governments chief negotiator on Northern Ireland peace agreement and Dr. Brooke Rogers, Reader in Risk & Terror, King's College London.

Andrew Majoran, General Manager, The Mackenzie Institute, a terrorism think tank in Toronto, Canada, will use the Counter Terror Congress to examine the complex issue of radicalisation. "Cooperation at all levels is paramount to the success of countering all forms of violent extremism" he explains, "Both civil society and government must cooperate to ensure violent extremism and radicalisation are being combated from all directions, be it at the law enforcement and intelligence level, or the grassroots and educational level. When it comes to security, civil society and government operating on different levels would be counter-intuitive, and would likely have disastrous results. Cooperation is integral."

Evidence of this cooperation will be apparent on the show floor. The Policing & Special Operations Zone will showcase counter terror solutions from the private sector that are currently deployed by law enforcement to protect civilian citizens. Visitors to this area will have an opportunity to see counter terror training company, Caliber-3, an example of private/civil sector and government cooperation. Among its list of clients are SWAT teams from all over the world, law enforcement agencies, global security agencies and large private and public companies. Based in Jerusalem, Israel, the company is fully certified by the Israeli Defence Forces, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Defence, Police Forces, Ministry of Homeland Security, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.                                                                             

Critical national infrastructure

The Critical National Infrastructure conference will illustrate how best to mitigate the risk to and guarantee the safety and resilience of public buildings, major events spaces, crowded places, and energy, transport, communications and banking infrastructure. Participants will include Francis Morgan, Security Director, Heathrow Airport; Graham Wright, CISO & Head of Digital, National Grid; and Thomas Wuchte, Head of Anti-Terrorism Issues, Action Against Terrorism Unit, Organisation for Security Co-operation in Europe.

On the show floor, security specialist, Townscape Products Limited, will launch a new prestige collection for its PAS 68 hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) CT Blocks. These blocks of Granite, Quartz or Dekton are designed to stop vehicles having a free run up to infrastructure or buildings and enable facilities managers to protect their people and property discreetly and sympathetically to the local environment.

Countering the cyber threat

The Cyber Threat Intelligence conference stream will draw on the expertise of those responsible for preventing or preparing for cyber-attack: UK and international governments, policing and security organisations; academic experts; businesses and professional associations. The conference will also unveil new developments in cyber security. Confirmed speakers include Dr. Allison Wylde, International Commission on Standards, ASIS International; Steve Durbin, Managing Director, Information Security Forum; John Lyons, CEO, International Cyber Security Protection Alliance (ICSPA); and Laurent Olmedo, Programme Director, Global Security, CEA.

Cyber terror solutions will be evident in the exhibition. In the Cyber Threat Intelligence Zone, iStorage, a leading specialist in portable data storage and digital encryption, will officially launch a super speed, high-performance USB 3.0 drive with hardware encryption to the UK market. The new datAshur SolidStateDrive encrypts information at rapid speed and encompasses a robust, shock-proof design. It was developed in response to a growing demand for vast capacity and high-performance USB drives that allowed the secure and easy portability of confidential data.

Transport security

Finally, Transport Security Live will bring together the key stakeholders from UK and international governments and security organisations, aviation, rail, secure transport, supply chain and major events sectors to provide a guide to best practice in transport security. It also offers an opportunity to unveil new developments in transport security. Key addresses will be given from the UK's Civil Aviation Authority, and industry players such as Boeing. The Transport Security Live Zone will showcase relevant transport security solutions.

The Advanced Technology Zone will display solutions across the spectrum of threats discussed in the conference streams. Among exhibiting companies, Morse Watchmans will be showing its portfolio of key control and asset management systems, offering organisations of all sizes a full range of choices to access the benefits of managed key control. Among its products on display will be the KeyWatcher Touch enterprise key control and management system.