Behaviour detection in crowds: advice for security professionals
26 February 2021
Behaviour detection in crowds as a security professional means strategically monitoring and planning for potential eventualities. At organised events, specialist security personal attend to ensure the safety of the attendees.
All large events were abruptly cancelled during the pandemic due to social distancing laws and travel restrictions. As the effort to combat the virus continues, it’s recently been reported that 20 million people in the UK have received the first dose of the vaccine and England has a proposed roadmap out of the lockdown.
By 21st June 2021, restrictions are due to be lifted in England and events will return. Fans of music, sport, travel and the arts will be eager to hit the ground running and event organisers are already planning for this. As encouraging as it may be to think positively about the future, we must remember that pre-pandemic events were often targeted by criminals and terrorists.
Security professionals play an important role at large events, they’re there to look for people who are breaking the rules, causing risk to others, or generally behaving in a way that makes them stand out.
This article is going to aim to help share some advice to security professionals on how we may be able to detect unwanted or criminal behaviour in large crowds of people at significant events, such as sporting events, festivals, tourist attractions and public transport hubs.
What you need to know about Behaviour Detection in Crowds
Crowds are complex places. Wandering through a crowd is often a stressful experience, something which many people aim to avoid entirely. Having a fear of crowds (Enochlophobia) is a legitimate fear that many people share and it’s easy to see why.
Here are just some of the risks you face when attending a crowded area:
- Pickpockets or theft of personal items
- Becoming separated from your friends or family
- Getting lost, confused or disorientated
- Physical assault from others in the crowd
- Crushing or pushing from others
- Difficulty evacuating in the event of an emergency
- Serious violence or terrorist attacks
Putting it like that almost makes social distancing sound appealing! As an eventgoer, then you’ll need to trust that your crowd-gazing security personnel are highly alert and ready to spring into action.
Sadly, there are people who attend events with criminal intentions, using crowds as an opportunity to commit crimes – taking full advantage of the congested environment in the hope that they will blend in with others, meaning it’s harder for them to be caught out. However, these people are in the minority and event organisers hire security specialists who know exactly what signs to look out for.
If you’re security professional working in a crowded area, you may be required to conduct static or mobile posts of duty at events covering crowd control, surveillance and public safety.
Early Detection is Key
Early detection is about noticing something that happens before others do. It’s the ability to see a threat before it becomes an incident. Your goal as a security professional is to prevent incidents rather than respond to them, so early detection is an important skill to have. In a crowd, the atmosphere can change or become hostile very quickly and seemingly small things can trigger a dramatic change in the mood.
Baselining is the ability to understand the environment and the people in that environment, then to set a baseline of behaviour and identify people acting outside that common baseline (either below or above the baseline).
Strategic planning, effective communication and teamwork are elements of early detection.
Behaviour and Crowd Profiling
Profiling is extremely useful in preventing incidents at crowded events. This doesn’t necessarily mean using stereotypes or offensive means to single-out certain individuals. Instead, this means having a strong understanding of the potential behaviour of the crowd.
For example, an outdoor music concert – even understanding the type of music and the culture around the genre can help security professionals determine what to expect at the event itself.
On a basic level, at a rock concert you can expect alcohol consumption and potentially violent ‘mosh-pits’ whereas at a dance music event, mosh-pits are less likely but drug dealing could pose a threat to others. It’s important for security guards to know the history and culture of the event to know what risks to expect.
At sporting events, authorities and security personnel know from existing data whether a match is expected to have riled-up or aggressive fans attending. Event organisers work with security services to mitigate risk by separating fans of opposite teams or banning previous violent offenders from attending all together.
This all falls under crowd profiling and it always done at the planning stage before the event has started.
Heightened Awareness and Observation, Observation, Observation
Jeff Cooper, a US Marine devised a 4-level alertness scale from white to red that determines your preparedness during a high-risk situation.
White (oblivious) is where most people are on a day-to-day basis. Most individuals go about their days thinking about their own daily tasks, challenges and motivations, without thinking too much about the risk of external factors.
Yellow (aware) is when you’re not facing a specific threat, but you’re constantly aware of the potential risks around you. A good example of this alertness state is when you’re driving – you’re probably relaxed enough to have a conversation with a passenger or listen to the radio, but you’re watching the road and concentrating on safely controlling your vehicle. Most security professionals adopt this state while at work, constantly aware of any potential threats that you may face.
Orange (alert) is when you’re now reacting to a specific threat, gathering whatever sensory information you have and making a decision on what action to take.
Red (engaged) is when a threat has escalated, you’re now engaged in fighting that threat. Humans have a ‘fight or flight’ response when faced with danger, so this level is only reached if someone has the instinct to fight the threat rather than run to safety.
Remember that as a security professional who is on duty, your base-level is yellow, but most attendees will be at the white/oblivious-level. Observe the crowd and use your knowledge gathered from profiling. Be on the lookout for suspicious activity given the nature and atmosphere of the crowd in attendance.
Technology for Behaviour Detection
Technology has been proven to have the capabilities to be a valuable tool in detecting criminal activity. There is technology that can assist in public safety and crowd control, such as intelligent cameras that will count the number of people in attendance by calculating the density of people in an area.
Intelligent cameras can also detect behaviour patterns that should not be occurring in specific areas. For example, an camera might detect the presence of a drone flying above a crowd or loitering in an area where access is restricted.
Authorities use facial recognition technology in city centres and at sporting events to detect individuals already known to them. The Metropolitan Police have deployed this technology in busy areas of London, despite it not being popular with members of the public and privacy campaigners who fear this technology is harmful to the public.
Want to know more about analysis of behavioural detection?
This qualification (delivered online) will develop your knowledge and understanding of Behavioural Detection Analysis further, and provide you with the necessary skills to work in large, crowded and high-profile events.
The QNUK (Qualifications Network UK) Level 2 Award in Behavioural Detection Analysis is an entry-level course within the subject of behavioural screening and detection, with an emphasis on providing knowledge and skills to assist in keeping crowded spaces safe from threats including terrorism.
The course is ideal for those individuals who want to learn more about behavioural detection, and for organisations that wish to better prepare their staff in identifying anomalous behaviour.
