Last November the Prime Minister laid out the Government’s plans to improve perimeter security in public areas.

These included places such as cinemas, theatres, restaurants, hotels, sporting venues and commercial centres, as well as hospitals, schools and places of worship.

New buildings to be designed with “built-in” safety features such as blast resistant doors, screening areas and state of the art access controls, along with high security perimeter systems. Companies responsible for crowded places will now be given up to date information on improving the physical protection of the building and surrounding area and training will also be given to staff to be able to identify potential suspicious behaviour.

Technology associated with access controls - e.g. biometric fingerprint readers, iris recognition and voice recognised entry systems are constantly being redeveloped in order to keep one step ahead of the threat of potential terror attacks but physical security, for example, gates, doors, fencing and barrier systems have also undergone rigorous research and redevelopment in recent years.

Heald Limited recognised the need for a perimeter security system capable of withstanding multiple attacks and through constant research, development and design has come up with a Roadblocker system that will literally take a beating and still operate even after repeated impact. Their unique design of Roadblocker, unlike any other currently available incorporates impact absorbers and a sacrificial front radius plate and has proven to withstand secondary attack situations.

The testing, undertaken at The Transport Research Laboratory in Berkshire was overseen by the Government and representatives from some of the world’s largest corporations. All testing was carried out to the criteria set out within BSI PAS 68: 2007 at the highest specification for larger vehicles (50 mph). The M800CR4 was tested against an 18 tonner and then repeated with a 7.5 tonne vehicle, both at a speed of 50 mph (80kph). In both instances the trucks were disabled upon impact, and the Roadblocker continued to operate following impact and removal of the radius plate. The Roadblocker still maintains site security whilst in the upright position, even during replacement of the front plate. This is due to the core fabrication, which in itself is a sealed unit and not just a metal shell as in many systems. The larger Roadblocker, the HCR4M1200RB was tested against an 18 tonner, again to PAS 68: 2007 and passed successfully, disabling the vehicle upon impact with nil penetration. Following the replacement of the front radius plate the Roadblocker was then retested against an American truck to the USA Department of State K12 rating ST-STD-02.01 Revision A March 2003 - 6.8 tonnes (15,000lbs) @ 50 mph/80 kph. Upon impact the truck was demolished and did not move past the front face of the Roadblocker, therefore passing the K12 specification. Due to its unique design, the Roadblocker does not require steel reinforcement and under normal circumstances fitting can be completed in one day. This ensures minimal disruption to the site and surrounding area and because of reduced time on site, installation costs are kept to a minimum.

Physical testing of products throughout the design process has been a fundamental part of Heald’s success, as only real time testing in real life situations can show the true stopping force of the Roadblockers and help with further research and development. The resounding success of the PAS 68/K12 Roadblockers is only the first part of ongoing work by Heald to expand their anti terrorist range to incorporate further systems including Automated bollards to compliment their current K8 crash tested automated bollards. All holding a Secured By Design licence from the Association of Chief Police Officers the PAS 68/K12 Roadblockers are the ultimate deterrent against unauthorised entry. Heald are ISO 9001:2000 certified and hold a gold award for customer satisfaction for the third year running.