Security experts call for more training after Bondi Junction attack and Westfield Marion lockdown
When an armed brawl between teenagers sparked a lock down of a major shopping centre in Southern Adelaide, the state’s Police commissioner said he was satisfied with the response. The incident came just three months after the attack at Bondi Junction- and sparked questions over the best practice for private security firms when there is a threat of mass violence at a large, crowded venue.
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00:00The tragedy of the Westfield-Bondi attack in April that took six lives is still on the
00:06minds of many Australians.
00:08So when reports emerged of people allegedly brandishing weapons at another Westfield in
00:12Adelaide, there was a quick response.
00:14They're stressful for security and for security control rooms and everyone.
00:17There's an element of uncertainty.
00:20And it's always that, I suppose, the battle between responding, you know, under responding
00:27or over responding.
00:29I wouldn't condemn anybody for reacting.
00:33And if they were, in some people's minds, overreacting, well, good on them, I say.
00:38Questions of an overreaction were raised when it turned out to be an alleged brawl between
00:43youths who are now facing court.
00:45The court has heard they were armed with expandable batons and a machete.
00:49The incident sparked confusion and panic with two people injured trying to evacuate.
00:54All of a sudden someone just stood up in a theater and said, oh, Marion's being evacuated.
00:57We've got to go.
00:58Couldn't hear a thing.
00:59No.
01:00We thought it was someone's phone going off.
01:0111 minutes after the first call, police stormed Westfield.
01:04Police had coincidentally carried out an armed offender drill here at Marion 11 days before
01:09the alleged brawl.
01:11Westfield says its staff works closely with emergency services to carry out these exercises
01:15every couple of years.
01:17But the company wouldn't comment on whether it will refine its emergency messaging in
01:20the future.
01:21When your body is in stress, it will do what it remembers, what it has trained, what it
01:27is prepared to do.
01:29So again, you know, preparedness and prevention and response and recovery are kind of the
01:33four elements of how you approach something that's from a security perspective.
01:39Westfield says it's increased its security levels, which includes providing protective
01:43vests to security staff.
01:44But it declined to comment on how much the company budgets each year for security staffing.
01:50Whilst mass violence is still rare, experts warn businesses and organizations shouldn't
01:54become complacent.
01:56When we talk about risk management or doing security, it's an iterative process, we're
02:00never done.
02:01So we can accept we're doing a lot of good work now, and even if we're doing well, we
02:05need to keep iterating and working on it.
02:07No two events are the same.
02:09And so response and planning and all of those elements that go into being ready for something
02:17like this is a never ending job.
02:20Being prepared for the worst case scenario.