Ever had a security scare where you work ?

Soldato
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Got a message this morning to say that there was a medium risk security scare where I work. Where I work we produce lots of gases used for Medical Scientific and manufacturing purposes. It's one of the major distribution points in the North West for all of these gases and liquids. Lots and lots of Liquid Oxygen & Argon, as well as all other stuff like Hydrogen, Propane Helium & Dissolved Acetylene. Not to mention some really exotic mixes used in scientific research. If there was an incident onsite imagine the Bunsfield oil refinery explosion it would be along those lines. The site is split into two. One being the plant and the being the customer service centre. All told about 400 people on site.

Anyways we have this small shop on site and a car pulls up and these two Asian fellas get out. Supposedly acting very suspicious. Put a rucksack on the floor and walked away from the car. They then return to the rucksack pick it up and get back in the car and drive off. They then return and park on one of the staff carparks leave the car and walk off. The police are contacted and turn up pretty much immediately. They tell some staff to block the car in with some of our company cars so if they return they must contact someone at our site.

Around 45 mins later they do return. Police turn up again pretty quick and ask them why they parked on a private company car park and they went onto say they were in some training couse about half a mile away. How the police have investigated this I don't know. If their story checks out then I think its pretty irresponsible given the current climate. Why park where they did when there is lots of unrestricted parking on the roads all around.

Naturally the mood is somewhat nervous today.
 
SexyBetty said:
Yikes, we wont get anything like that where I work...

"Quick! We've run out of tea bags!!!!" is probably our lot :p

Don't worry some people at our place think the UN should be involved if you don't go for a brew every half hour ;)
 
what do you class as a security scare ??

Car bomb 300m away detonating and then a few minutes of gunfire over your head.

Or

Being woken up at 1am but the security alarms going off as the checkpoint down the street as opened fire at some one, so we are all on the roof dressed, body armour, helmets, and weapons, ready to repel anyone stupid enough to come near us.

Or running out of ice creams during a world cup match.

Option 1,2,3.

Or all of the above in the last week for us :)
 
We get the odd stealing due to the open nature of the department (mix of staff, students and visitors) but the largest security scare was when one of the academic staff had a breakdown as far as I can tell and threatned one of his colleagues with violence (rumours are punches were thrown). Ended up having loads of university security escorting the guy out of the department.

Don't know what happened to him in the end.
 
Not really a security scare but we've had a bloke wander round our building without permission then driving off with someones laptop :D He went where he pleased and no-one questioned him as he actually looked like he belonged there.
 
I used to work in an MOD building, and around 9/11 we were having full evacuation scares almost every time a plane flew overhead.

We were constantly in Bikini Black State Alert or higher.
 
kitten_caboodle said:
I used to work in an MOD building, and around 9/11 we were having full evacuation scares almost every time a plane flew overhead.

We were constantly in Bikini Black State Alert or higher.

You used to wear bikinis to work :eek:











What does that mean by the way ?
 
We're on an old air base here, there's been one or two occasions where areas have been evacuated after workmen on site have found unexploded bombs.
 
had a bomb scare in our office. I wasnt happy how quickly they managed to do a full search for this bomb before teling us all to go back in! only had about 15mins outside, which i dont think is a long enough search to help save my life.
 
Loki said:
Got a message this morning to say that there was a medium risk security scare where I work. Where I work we produce lots of gases used for Medical Scientific and manufacturing purposes. It's one of the major distribution points in the North West for all of these gases and liquids. Lots and lots of Liquid Oxygen & Argon, as well as all other stuff like Hydrogen, Propane Helium & Dissolved Acetylene. Not to mention some really exotic mixes used in scientific research. If there was an incident onsite imagine the Bunsfield oil refinery explosion it would be along those lines. The site is split into two. One being the plant and the being the customer service centre. All told about 400 people on site.

Anyways we have this small shop on site and a car pulls up and these two Asian fellas get out. Supposedly acting very suspicious. Put a rucksack on the floor and walked away from the car. They then return to the rucksack pick it up and get back in the car and drive off. They then return and park on one of the staff carparks leave the car and walk off. The police are contacted and turn up pretty much immediately. They tell some staff to block the car in with some of our company cars so if they return they must contact someone at our site.

Around 45 mins later they do return. Police turn up again pretty quick and ask them why they parked on a private company car park and they went onto say they were in some training couse about half a mile away. How the police have investigated this I don't know. If their story checks out then I think its pretty irresponsible given the current climate. Why park where they did when there is lots of unrestricted parking on the roads all around.

Naturally the mood is somewhat nervous today.

Other than the london bombings last year (2min down the road) , no alerts at a ISP :(

kitten_caboodle said:
I used to work in an MOD building, and around 9/11 we were having full evacuation scares almost every time a plane flew overhead.

We were constantly in Bikini Black State Alert or higher.

What happened on the 9th of November :confused:
 
Loki said:
What does that mean by the way?

I'm not actually sure, but it used to say it on a sign on the wall. Apparently it's MOD code for security status ?

/goes off to google

et voila! :D

Linky

apparently:
"The system we have in government buildings for colour-coding has very specific meanings which are understood by the security staff and by those who work in those buildings so that if that alert state changes, then everybody knows exactly what to do, and that is in the confines of a single building."

LOL!! We certainly didn't!
 
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I had the dubious pleasure of dealing with Animal Rights protestors on a number of occasions. One concession in the store I worked in had a jacket with a bit of fur on. (Not that I agree with the fur trade).

The first time they turned up, I spent 2 hours stood outside talking to one old dear with a placard (the main lot were down the road) and then spent 4 hours searching garments for fish hooks and incendiary devices. The next time, I was on the front line (that was fun....)

About 6 months prior to this someone called an a suspicious package. It was an empty Jelly Belly jelly beans packet. :rolleyes:
 
We had some Iraq anti-war protestors infiltrate our building a few months back which was funny.

The company used to be owned by Halliburton, but the week before they turned up there had been a management buyout. So neither was the company part of the "evil" Halliburton Corporation but we don't do work in Iraq as well.

Would have loved to have seen their faces when the boss told them.

Jokester

Edit: They weren't Iraqi anti-war, just anti-war in Iraq :o
 
Jokester said:
We had some Iraqi anti-war protestors infiltrate our building a few months back which was funny.

The company used to be owned by Halliburton, but the week before they turned up there had been a management buyout. So neither was the company part of the "evil" Halliburton Corporation but we don't do work in Iraq as well.

Would have loved to have seen their faces when the boss told them.

Jokester
I watched a programme on Animal rights protestors, their intelligence gathering is shockingly bad, i.e. they turned up at a building waving placards and shouting how all the employees were evil murderers.

The offices had nothing to do with animal testing. :rolleyes:
 
After the July bombings last year the state of alert at out place went up from Black Special to Orange. It wasn't that serious, just meant full car searches, lots and lots of armed MOD police and lots of screening on entering the building. We were afraid that the state of alert would go to Red that day. If it goes to red, no-one can enter or leave the building :eek:
 
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