Social Media as a Marketing Tool

If you're running a convention for a controversial industry or you're in the habit of renting out venues to politicians, angry crowds that could potentially turn into riots are certainly a going concern. In this situation, contracting out your security obligations to a company that provides specialized force protection will do a lot to assure both your clients and your insurance providers that you mean business. Think about these three force protection methods that can be used to monitor and contain crowds and see whether they'll be useful to you.

Preset Pedestrian Traffic Obstacles

It's hard for a crowd of angry protestors to amount to anything if its constituent parts can't coalesce into one big blob. Setting up traffic cones, concrete barriers, and other devices on sidewalks and on the curbs of streets will go a long way to ensure that the individuals wanting to protest cannot form up easily. You'll also be able to direct the crowds that do form into areas that are the easiest to monitor.

Your force protection contractor will be able to find out exactly where a gaggle of protestors is and is not allowed via a municipal permit to congregate. Make sure to contact them as far in advance of the event as you can to ensure that no potential barrier will be left out of planning due to time constraints.

Undercover Protestors

Undercover protestors are one of the most effective tools a force protection company has to monitor and even direct a potentially dangerous crowd. An undercover protestor will also be able to discourage people exhibiting violent tendencies from taking out their anger on your property or your clients.

You can even schedule a meeting with the undercover protestors in question before the event. This way, when they show up in the crowd, you'll have an easy assurance that the situation is still under control.

Vehicular Walls

A line of vehicles stacked close together in a line and reinforced through concrete barriers can be just as effective as a wall of riot cops at containing a large and dense crowd. As long as the concrete barriers between the vehicles aren't too large or heavy, a vehicle wall can also be moved from place to place as the situation on the ground demands.

This is an especially effective tactic if you're renting out a relatively open piece of private property like a fairground or a football field for an event and you want no one to trespass who isn't invited.