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Andy Blackwell

Andy Blackwell

Threat Assessment, Security Risk Management and Resilience SME. Former Head of Corporate Security with Virgin Atlantic. Currently Director of Blackwell Security Consulting, and 3DAssurance

Location United Kingdom

Achievements

Activity

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    What have you learned?

    Useful and informative. My knowledge of Safeguarding has been enhanced. Many of the best practices outlined in this course have relevance in other sectors. Thanks all.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Welcome to your final week

    The checklists developed for the aviation sector have helped the industry to stay safe and secure. The principles can be applied to all types of businesses and organisation. Their simplicity is key. Another best practice and well written document from the sector is the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Security Management Systems Framework CAP1223....

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Educator reflections

    I’ve encountered similar challenges in the policing and security . My view has always been it’s good to share provided it’s done for the common good and within the legal rules governing the subject. Unnecessary secrecy result in harm to others.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Scene 2: The healthcare professionals meet each other

    The Chair should encourage open communication, emphasise the importance of members being non-judgemental and create a non-blame environment. Members should be in possession of the full facts when they attend the meeting and be prepared to share information for the ‘common good’.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Introduce yourself

    I’m a former British Transport Police officer who now runs a security and resilience consultancy. I am also a UK Royal Voluntary Service Volunteer. In my former role I gained experience of safeguarding vulnerable people and on occasions had to use statutory provisions of the Mental Health Act to take people to places of safety. To support my current...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    What does content mean to you?

    I picked 4-8 hours but having read the supporting notes now appreciate why the figure is higher.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Introduce yourself

    Hi all, I’m a UK-based independent security and resilience consultant keen to broaden my skills in this area. Looking forward to working with you all.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Course reflections

    Good to see such a collaborative approach being taken to protect communities from Bushfires. I particularly like the risk ‘capture’ aspects as members of the community are likely to be aware of risks not know to local and central government stakeholders. This level of collaboration will build trust, respect and ensure the most effective use of resources to...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Let's Discuss

    Web based access would help increase reach but the face to face collaborative discussions are vital so that all stakeholders can gain an understanding of what is required. The diversity of these groups will enhance their value. An understanding of all aspects of the plan is important.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Welcome to Week 3

    Resilience to me is the ability to not only to survive an adverse event, but to learn from it, bounce back and thrive going forward.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Week 2 reflection

    The number of people who came forward as volunteers to support those in most need during the COVID-19 pandemic restored my faith in human nature, greatly exceeding, by tens of thousands, the numbers the government were seeking.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Support for Communities

    I am currently a volunteer with the Royal Voluntary Society and help out with ‘Check in and chat’ during the COVID-19 pandemic. This ensures that isolating and vulnerable people don’t lose contact with the community. We check they are ok and make arrangements if they need food/medications collected etc.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Support for Individuals

    In its simplest form safety and security for me is all about having ‘peace of mind’. More broadly for me it’s the ability to live ‘normally’ without undue hindrance and with minimum risk.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Seeking support

    I think people are more likely to to ask for financial support than psychological help as their is still a stigma attached to the latter (unfortunately).

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Accessing support

    Employment support.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Disaster Relief vs Disaster Recovery

    May be difficulties accessing the disaster area due to contamination, such as the case with Chernobyl. Other factors such as poverty and instability within the country will also hamper relief efforts.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Welcome to Week 2

    In the past I’ve been involved in fundraising linked to disaster support. The broader community can assist with fundraising, providing food and other essential items, helping out with transportation, repairs etc.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Week 1 reflection

    Much learning for me this week, thanks all. One key aspect for me was understanding the magnitude of the economic and social impacts of bushfires. These events are clearly a community challenge, and working collaboratively will help minimise loss and damage. Looking forward to week 2!

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Let's Discuss

    Potential impacts on tourism due to perceived environmental hazards.

  • Andy Blackwell replied to Gary Bentley
    Let's discuss

    Wise words Gary.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Let's discuss

    Communities have a key role in helping to manage bushfires and prevent accidental ignitions. Fire and Rescue Service focus in the UK for several years has quite rightly been on fire prevention, whilst also maintaining a robust emergency response capability. The more the community understands about how and why bushfires ignite and spread, the more that can be...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Mechanisms of Bushfire Impact & Attack

    Ember attacks appear to be the most damaging, particularly with 90 percent of ignitions leading to building loss in the urban environment being attributed to ignition from embers.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Contributing factors

    I was surprised to learn that the slope of the landscape affects the speed of burn.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Getting started

    My preconception about wildfires was that they were either accidentally or deliberately ignited. It was interesting to learn that they can also be naturally occurring as part of a healthy ecosystem. In my area I do not see natural fires.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Your experiences with bushfires

    I have experienced a wildfire which occurred recently at Chobham Common, Surrey, UK. The fire was declared a major incident by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, and spread to over 40 hectares. 100 homes were evacuated. National assets were used in the response. Further details via...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Congratulations

    Excellent course, many thanks to all the staff involved in this initiative. It has certainly helped keep me current. #lifelonglearning

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Do the ends justify the means? Or are means an end in themselves?

    I do think that counterterrorism is protecting society but there is so much more that could be done. We need greater diversity in our specialist team and diversity of thinking. Proportionality, transparency and oversight are key, focus areas or we risk becoming labelled as terrorists ourselves.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Case: Guantanamo Bay

    Proportionality is key or else we risk mirroring the behaviour of ‘terrorists’. Get this wrong and measures aimed at countering terrorism could have the reverse effect. To judge whether a state who endured the 9-11 attack is being proportionate in terms of Guantanamo Bay is a difficult one to answer. Again I would stress the need for international oversight...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Counterterrorism and civil liberties

    Yet again it is about getting the balance right. I’m an advocate of independent oversight in such matters. We should be bold enough to challenge policies that are unjust, admit when we’ve made errors, and encourage not only the ethnic diversity of our decision makers, but diverse thinking too. The protection of human rights must be sacrosanct.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Case: Drone strikes

    In my view drone strikes are a legitimate counterterrorism method, provided the targeting is justified, transparent and the process has independent oversight.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Counterterrorism strategy in armed conflict

    What are the implications of using military force in foreign states? - Exposure to allegations of breaches of that state’s sovereignty, and possible backlash in our home territories.

    Does the increasing militarisation of domestic policing make us safer? My personal view is yes, and In the UK we still maintain the principle of policing by consent. The use of...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    The efficacy of counterterrorism

    Again a question of balance. Communities defeat terrorism, so alienating sections of the community who could have the greatest impact on countering terrorism and radicalisation is unwise.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Case: The UK's Prevent strategy

    This highlights the challenge of at what point does lawful protest about extreme topics become extremism. Getting the balance right is key.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Theories of radicalisation

    Empirical research is needed in order to rigorously test assertions about radicalisation and formulate evidence. I’m my view, radicalisation is a useful concept in understanding why terrorism happens.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    What do you already know about counterterrorism?

    Whilst states and governments carry out counterterrorism, security is the responsibility of all, therefore citizens and the community at large have a key role to play.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Is counterterrorism redefining the global norms of sovereignty and warfare?

    State institutions have a duty to protect their citizens, and according to the 2001 International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty’s (ICISS) report The Responsibility to Protect, when a state fails in doing so, is time for the international community to step in. Humanitarian issues are perhaps the best example of where a state’s sovereignty may...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Policy implications of terrorism as a form of political violence

    My view is that terrorism should be perceived as an extraordinarily crime, with states having their own specific legislation to facilitate CVE and police and key stakeholder intervention.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    When is an attack terrorism?

    Should political attacks that are carried out to cause fear within society be labelled as acts of terrorism, irrespective of their ideological inclinations? Or are some ideologies more terrifying than others? My view is that it’s important to consider the ideological implications of the perpetrator(s). From a public security perspective and regardless of how...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Rising far-right extremism

    Unfortunately yes. We tend to get clouded by so called ‘Islamist terrorism’ - which clearly is a cause for concern, but we should me mindful of the growing threat from Right Wing Extremists.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Why some acts are described as terrorism, while others are not

    In my opinion, yes, provided the true motivations of the perpetrators can be identified, and fall within the legal definition prevailing at the time. Linked to our definitional challenge again!

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    What is terrorism? What do terrorists want?

    Palestinian airplane hijackings in 1970 - Attacks used to draw international attention to struggles that were otherwise unreported.

    Meat Grinder Bomb Plot targeting an Etihad aircraft - Khaled Khayat (convicted perpetrator) was motivated to support militant groups fighting the Syrian regime and to promote Islamic State.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Characteristics of terrorism

    It’s a definitional problem, and challenging, due to our own biases, to objectively identify acts of terrorism. The research here is interesting:
    Alex Schmid, Terrorism - The Definitional Problem, 36 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 375 (2004) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil/vol36/iss2/8

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Characteristics of political violence

    The doctrine of necessity applies here. I found this research useful:- https://www.stetson.edu/law/lawreview/media/necessity-political-violence-and-terrorism.pdf

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Case: Greed and Grievances in the Niger Delta

    My personal view is that States should always try to negotiate, but if the violence continues then the State has a responsibility to protect its people and maintain security. Whilst many found it distasteful for the British Government to be negotiating with the Provisional IRA, this controversial tactic brought about the Good Friday Agreement and restored...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    What makes violence political?

    Hong Kong protests against plans to allow extradition to mainland China. The State deployed riot police, and clashes between police and activists became increasingly violent, with police firing live bullets and protesters attacking officers and throwing petrol bombs. In my view States should use proportionate responses to quell the violence and maintain security.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    What do you already know about political violence?

    Meat Grinder Bomb Plot, Sydney, Australia. Political Violence category - terrorism. Summary: Khaled Khayat, 51, conspired to bring down the Etihad flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi in July 2017. He pleaded not guilty, but a jury found him guilty. The attack is said to have been directed by Islamic State, whose central aim is to create a global caliphate.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Examining terrorism and political violence

    Security-related killings in Northern Ireland since the Belfast Agreement - Paramilitary killings

    The Holocaust- Genocide

    Meat Grinder Bomb Plot, Sydney Australia - terrorism (Islamic State).

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    The War on Terror

    Success in my view is the level of positive collaboration between States working together to combat the threat of global terrorism. Going it alone is rarely going to be successful. One failure is the inability to build sufficient capability in security forces of countries where IS, AQ and other terrorist organisations have been driven out of, but who will...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    How conflict influences change in global politics

    Interpeace was established by the United Nations in 1994, and supports grassroots peacebuilding initiatives. Present in 21 countries on 4 continents their particular focus is on innovation for peacebuilding. One example of their work is rebuilding trust in Mali. In 2015, the Mali Government and armed groups concluded the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation...

  • Andy Blackwell replied to Kelly Maher
    Threats to state security

    Great overview Kelly, thanks for sharing. It will be great to see the finished article in due course. Pleasing to hear that the focus on security in Ireland is intensifying - for all the reasons you have stated.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    The changing nature of security and conflict

    Increased use of technology by terrorists has increased their ability to recruit, spread propaganda and evade detection. The sharing of techniques and methods of operation has increased the number of hostile actors with ‘attack capability’.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Case: Leaders as decision makers

    It wasn’t according to the UN Secretary General at the time.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Factors that have led states to war
  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Your perception of conflict

    In its simplest form conflict is a clash of interests. This covers a multitude of scenarios and actors: individuals, groups and states.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Readdressing your perception of security

    My understanding of the definition of security is broader now than in my original response.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Case: Civilian displacement

    It’s all a question of balance. No issues at all with genuine asylum seekers and stateless persons entering the UK, it’s those who falsely represent themselves as such that create issues.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Threats to human security

    IS and AQ (and their affiliates) unhealthy interest in civil aviation. Ongoing, with 2 people recently arrested in Kenya allegedly plotting to attack an airport in the Rift Valley.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Governing state security

    UK - MI5 the domestic Security Service, MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service (Protection of British interests overseas), GCHQ - a cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. In addition there is the National Cyber Security Centre - part of GCHQ. We also have Counter Terrorism Policing - regionalised CT policing, and Border Force (Customs...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Threats to state security

    IS, AQ and other so called Islamist groups pose a threat to the UK and UK assets overseas. Of recent concern is the rise of Far Right Extremist Groups. The aim of the UK’s Counter Terrorism Strategy is to reduce the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from terrorism. State Actors used to counter terrorism include the military, police, security and...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Who frames security and why?

    Security is framed by us all, States, Governments and the people. The term ‘One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’ sums it up nicely.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    The broad concept of security

    A challenging question and whilst I fully support freedom of thought, speech and expression, when a particular group has been deemed a
    ‘proscribed terrorist organisation‘ and is actively engaged in serious criminal activities then supporting them by participation in criminal acts, or fundraising, crosses the line (in my view) and amounts to criminal...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Your perception of security

    A just and safe environment free of violence and other serious criminal activities, where the community can go about their business without fear or hindrance, and where freedom of speech and diversity is encouraged. Simply put, security to me is ‘Peace of Mind’.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Building towards Week 3

    Positive, motivated, interested.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Reflect on your practice

    The concept of making best use of what you already have, rather than having to reinvent the wheel is a sound one. There’s a wealth of material available to learners on this course, together with the useful external references to other material.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Students as creators

    This will be really useful for the type of learning I will be delivering. (Suzanne Mordue, UK British Council: “You can give your learners group projects and get updates via email.”)

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Engagement through interaction

    The three P’s is helpful. Will use this at the start of each session.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    How are you feeling?

    Feeling positive despite the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation. Online teaching/learning is clearly going to be the way forward. Thanks again to everyone who has helped make this happen.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Building towards Week 2

    Positive, excited, motivated.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Your questions answered by the educators and course mentors

    I’m interested in the potential security implications of using platforms such as Zoom, bearing in mind recent concerns. In the UK I will be following the guidance of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Interested to see what measures others will be taking, particularly, those teaching children and young people online. Great material week 1. Thank you.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Meet the team

    I’m from the UK and work in the security, risk and crisis management sector. In view of the business impactS of COVID-19, I’m working with colleagues to expand our existing services so we can develop a robust online training capability. Thanks to the FutureLearn team for putting this course together so quickly. I’m looking forward to the learning...

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Introduce yourself

    Hi everyone, I’m taking this course as I’m keen to enhance my knowledge of the topic. As a ‘small business’ owner it’s important to be able to work remotely, and I’m always looking at new ways of achieving this.

  • Andy Blackwell replied to Josie Gallo
    Acknowledgements

    @JosieGallo What a useful course Josie, and one that has greatly improved my knowledge of the topic, particularly due to the amount of disinformation appearing on social media. Many thanks to you and all the contributors, professional throughout. keep up the great work.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Response in Singapore

    Good to hear that an inter-agency approach is being used to identify contacts. Making use of police skills makes great sense.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Response in China

    Interesting and informative. The school closure comments were particularly useful and relevant. Thank you.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Congratulations and next steps

    Thanks for the course, most useful

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Reflect and connect

    The advice regarding frequency of messaging on the various channels was particularly useful. As a result of the course learning I am likely to use one of the scheduling products mentioned.

  • Andy Blackwell replied to Emma D
    What will I learn?

    @EmmaD Biggest challenge is creating a presence in a crowded marketplace, and creating uniqueness.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    What will I learn?

    Most interested in how to select the most appropriate social media channels for your business. Frequency of posts etc.

  • Andy Blackwell made a comment
    Welcome to the course

    Keen to learn more about this important topic.