Unit of competency

Modification History

Application

This unit specifies the skills and knowledge required to assess the nature and use of crowded places and existing security arrangements to identify report security vulnerabilities. Crowded places are sites and events open to use by large numbers of people on a predictable basis as defined in Australia’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism 2017 (Crowded Places Strategy). The unit includes conducting security audits following processes outlined in the Crowded Places Strategy.

This unit is suitable for those using specialised knowledge to complete routine and non-routine tasks and using their own judgement to deal with predictable and sometimes unpredictable problems.

Legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply in some states and territories to the provision of advice on security solutions, strategies, protocols and procedures. For further information, check with the relevant regulatory authority.

Pre-requisite Unit

None.

Unit Sector

Security/Risk management

Elements and Performance Criteria

Foundation Skills

As well as the foundation skills explicit in the performance criteria of this unit, candidates require:

• oral communication skills to relate to people demonstrating sensitivity to individual social and cultural differences
• writing skills to prepare succinct and logically structured crowded place assessment report.

Unit Mapping Information

No equivalent unit.

Links

Companion volumes to this training package are available at the VETNet website - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=6f3f9672-30e8-4835-b348-205dfcf13d9b

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Performance Evidence

To demonstrate competency, a candidate must meet the performance criteria of this unit by documenting and presenting security assessments for two different crowded places:

• one involving buildings with multiple access points such as a stadium or shopping centre
• one involving open spaces and large volumes of people such as a shopping mall or place of mass gathering.

Crowded Places Security Audit documentation outlined in Australia’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism (Crowded Places Strategy) must be completed for each security assessment.

Knowledge Evidence

To be competent in this unit, a candidate must demonstrate knowledge of:

• characteristics of crowded places that make them attractive to an attack:

• crowded place is symbolic
• crowded place attracts a large number of people at any one time
• people gather at the crowded place on a predictable basis
• density of people is high
• crowded place has significant social importance to nation, state or territory
• interruption to functioning of crowded place would have significant economic impact to nation, state or territory
• offenders could enter, attack and leave crowded place without detection
• offenders can easily access information about the crowded place when planning an attack

• crowd behaviour, dynamics and movement patterns that can threaten security in a crowded place
• difference between information and intelligence in the context of security assessments
• legislative and regulatory requirements for assessing security of crowded places in the jurisdiction of operation
• licensing requirements in the security industry
• purpose of Crowded Places Strategy and understanding of:

• concept of layered security and how it is applied to protect crowded places
• definition of crowded places
• definition of hostile vehicles and methods of attack
• general features of improvised explosive devices and recommended incident response
• key security issues for crowded places
• objectives, characteristics and identification of active armed offenders
• signs of chemical weapons attack and recommend response
• those with a role in protecting the security of crowded places including roles and responsibilities of owners and operators and private security providers

• security issues to be assessed when conducting security audits of crowded places:

• security plans, policies and procedures
• physical security including:

• access control
• perimeter security
• hostile vehicle mitigation
• closed circuit television or video surveillance systems
• improvised explosive devices blast mitigation
• hostile reconnaissance detection and detecting suspicious behaviour

• information security
• personnel security

• security vulnerabilities of crowded places and risk mitigation strategies for each
• ways that social and cultural differences may be expressed.

Assessment Conditions

Assessors must meet the requirements for assessors contained in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations.

All individuals engaged by a licensed RTO for security licensing purposes must hold both a security trainers licence (where such a licence exists within the relevant jurisdiction) and the licence for performing the security activities for which the individual is providing training or assessment. Regulators may impose other assessor conditions to meet jurisdictional assessment requirements.

Assessment must be conducted in the workplace or in a simulated workplace environment. Candidates must have access to:

• legislation and regulations that apply to assessing security of crowded places in the jurisdiction of operation
• plans, policies and procedures, information technologies and resources required to achieve the performance evidence
• Crowded Places Strategy documentation including Crowded Places Security Audit and Crowded Places Self-Assessment Tool.

Links

Companion volumes to this training package are available at the VETNet website - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=6f3f9672-30e8-4835-b348-205dfcf13d9b