Written by:
Dr Clare Mills
Article read time:
1 minutes
Co-CEO, Charity Finance Group
Clare is Co-CEO of CFG and has spent her career in a range of policy, political and communications roles. Before moving into public affairs and comms as a freelancer in 2015, Clare worked for an MP for more than a decade. Previous to joining CFG, Clare was Head of Communications and External Relations for charity infrastructure body NAVCA.
Clare has a degree in Politics from Stirling University and a PhD from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She is a Chartered PR Practitioner and Member of the CIPR and has a long track record of volunteering.
How does the Government's new Protect Duty affect charities and other non-profit organisations? Dr Clare Mills explains what it is and why it's time to develop a security mindset.
Last year you may have seen the Government’s consultation on the development of the Protect Duty. This is a plan to strengthen public safety in places and spaces that we all use in normal life.
Agreeing the locations that will come under the Protect Duty will certainly be a part of this developing piece of work. It is likely to centre around places, which could include public venues for sport and entertainment, museums, galleries, places of worship, community centres and so on, and spaces, which could include parks, beaches, town and city squares – where there are no clearly defined entry/exit points or boundaries.
Charities which own, manage, operate or use these types of places and spaces may want to find out more about the Protect Duty and contribute to its development.
The development is in response to a number of terror attacks in public spaces and places, often using unsophisticated methods but still causing significant disruption, fear, injuries and deaths.
Motivation for terror attacks comes from a range of sources and is not limited to one particular sector of our society. While such attacks are, thankfully, extremely rare, the Government is seeking to build a culture of security and encouraging everyone to be more aware of the threat of terrorism and what to do if you are suspicious.
As part of that development, last year the Government asked about appropriate considerations of security, what a proportionate system of protection would look like and how this could be put in place.
The consultation ended in July 2021 and the Government has published its response. Work is now underway on the development of more detailed proposals.
You can find out more about the development of the Protect Duty, join discussion forums, provide your feedback and access e-learning at ProtectUK, the information sharing platform.