Australia Plans More Barriers in Public Spaces After Attacks in Spain

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/world/australia/australia-car-attacks-terrorism.html

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SYDNEY, Australia — A few days after the vehicle attacks in Spain that killed 14 people, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia has unveiled a counterterrorism strategy to protect crowded public spaces.

The plan calls for more barriers in busy pedestrian areas to prevent vehicles from entering. The barriers could include posts, steps and even works of art, Mr. Turnbull said on Sunday. Businesses will also be asked to address security risks by working with the police.

“We will never be cowed, nor will we bow to terrorism,” he added. “But what we must do, of course, is take every step we can to protect Australians from the threat of terrorism and terrorist attacks.”

His announcement came just days after two deadly vehicle attacks in Spain. In the first, a van mowed down pedestrians on Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s main promenade, on Thursday. Among those killed was a 7-year-old Australian boy. Hours later there was car attack in the seaside town of Cambrils.

Mr. Turnbull said officials began work on the plan last year after a terrorist in Nice, France, drove through crowds on the city’s seaside promenade, killing 86 people. The plan is being rolled out now.

The news media also reported on Monday on a proposal that would allow security personnel at Australia’s airports to ask people in terminals for identification documents. The proposal came after the authorities said they foiled a plot to detonate a device on a plane leaving Sydney Airport.

We spoke to Isaac Kfir, director of the national security program and head of counterterrorism policy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, about the plan to protect public areas.

The strategy identifies how to “make crowded places as resilient as possible to terrorist attacks while preserving our use and enjoyment of these places,” according to the text of the plan, which means it is essentially a guide for business owners on how to help prevent attacks or mitigate harm should one happen.

The plan includes “information to help owners and operators better understand terrorist weapons and tactics,” which can include explosive devices, chemical weapons and vehicles, Mr. Turnbull said in a statement.

You can read the plan here.

The release is most likely tied to the attack in Barcelona, Dr. Kfir said.

“There is a tendency for policy makers to be reactive,” he said. “They have to show after a horrific attack, look, this is what we are doing to keep these communities and our society safe.”

The government said the threat level for a terrorist attack in Australia was “probable.”

It is difficult to say because the threat is evolving, Dr. Kfir said. Extra security barriers might deter attacks, but the main benefit is to reassure the public, he said.

“You want people to feel comfortable and confident when they go about their daily business,” he said, adding that this is particularly important in Australia, where people spend a lot of time outdoors.

It could get pricey. Businesses will be responsible for conducting security reviews, and the government will pay for barriers in public areas.

“Some of the mechanisms are incredibly expensive, and cities have to introduce budgets for them. This was a huge challenge for the city of Nice,” Dr. Kfir said.

Installing barriers could also hinder emergency response vehicles from gaining access to certain areas. In such cases, Mr. Kfir said, a cost-benefit analysis should be done to weigh whether extra security was worthwhile.

The introduction of more security will inevitably require more patience from the public, too.

“We always need a debate about how much security we want because with more security there’s going to be more intrusion in our lives,” he said.

London, for example, has the most closed-circuit surveillance cameras in the world, and those cameras helped trace the attackers behind bomb explosions on subway trains and a red double-decker bus in 2005. In New York, the introduction of similar technology, including facial recognition software, has drawn pushback from privacy advocacy groups.

Britain is discussing the possibility of additional checks for people who rent vans. France’s interior minister, Gérard Collomb, has proposed cordoning off public areas to combat terrorism. Britain and France have also called for the removal of extremist propaganda on social media in a joint campaign.

Germany has announced plans to centralize its counterterrorism systems and deport rejected asylum seekers.