Why You May Need Extra Security for the Holiday Season
By Delta Scientific | November 11, 2022
The holiday season is a time for gatherings of family, friends, and communities. Many cities, towns, and suburbs have winter festivals, carnivals, or outdoor markets at this time of year. While this can be a good opportunity for members of the community to reconnect with one another, it can also present a soft target for a vehicle ramming attack.
If you are organizing an outdoor community event for this holiday season, Delta Scientific has security products that can help keep attendees safe and possibly avert a tragedy.
What Are Holiday Vehicle Ramming Attacks?
A vehicle ramming attack occurs when the driver of a car or truck deliberately drives into a crowd of people in a pedestrian area, trying to injure or kill as many people as possible. A holiday vehicle attack occurs during a time of celebration at an event related to a holiday in some way. Holiday vehicle attacks have occurred throughout the year, but because there are so many holidays, both religious and secular, celebrated by so many different groups in winter, many such attacks happen during this season.
One of the most famous holiday vehicle attacks occurred in 2016 at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. That attack appears to have been motivated by religious extremism; 12 people were killed. One of the most recent holiday vehicle attacks occurred at a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in 2021. Forty-eight people were wounded in that attack, and five were killed. The motive behind that incident remains unclear. Authorities did not find evidence that it was a terrorist attack or that the driver knew anyone in the parade; it appears that he acted alone.
Why Are Holiday Celebrations Targeted?
When the motive behind the attack is terrorism, the goal is typically to attract as much attention as possible to a particular group’s cause or rhetoric. People who engage in such attacks are not necessarily trying to kill as many people as possible but to have as many people witness it as possible so it can get lots of media coverage.
Nevertheless, there is another reason why the attackers may target holiday celebrations specifically: They may want to cause as much pain and grief as possible for people whom they regard as their enemies during an event that is supposed to be joyous for them.
What Security Products Are Available To Prevent Vehicle Attacks During Holiday Celebrations?
If your community has holiday celebrations in an area that is always devoted to pedestrian traffic, you and the event attendees could benefit from the installation of permanent security bollards. These short, sturdy shafts are installed in the ground and effectively stop speeding vehicles from entering pedestrian areas while not impeding foot traffic.
However, you may be holding your celebration in an area that is usually open to vehicles but closed temporarily for the celebration. In that case, you may be more interested in portable barriers that you can put up quickly before the celebration starts and then take back down again when you are ready for traffic flow to resume after the party is over.
Another possibility is that you are interested in a permanent security product but the venue is in an area where you can’t excavate deeply for installation. A surface-mounted barricade may provide the protection you need without having to dig deep.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/29/tunisian-man-released-after-berlin-truck-attack-arrest
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/11/22/vehicle-ramming-attacks/
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!