‘How-to guide’ launched to protect Australians from vehicle attacks

Australia yesterday released a strategy to prevent vehicle terror attacks carried out in crowded public places after deadly assaults in Barcelona, Nice and London.

The report, commissioned after 86 people were killed in the Nice lorry attack last year, gives venue operators a toolkit to work from when addressing terrorism concerns.

“As we have seen from tragic events in Paris, London, Berlin and Barcelona, terrorists continue to target crowded places,” prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

“The strategy will assist owners and operators to increase the safety, protection and resilience of crowded places across Australia.”

The strategy offers businesses and local governments a guide to assessing how vulnerable their sites are to attacks, including from vehicles, and how to make them safer.

Suggested steps include options such as fencing and closed-circuit cameras, delaying techniques such as trees and statues to slow vehicles, and quick-response staff.

“You can obviously have bollards, you can have seating, you can have works of art, you can have steps, planter boxes,” Mr Turnbull said in Sydney. “At the design stage, it can be done very unobtrusively.”

The report acknowledged that even the best plans might not stop attacks. “It is a constant battle for us. It is a tragic reflection of our times that we need to be taking these sorts of measures,” transport minister Darren Chester said.