British firm calls for the use of mobile, rapidly deployable crowd control, incident management and public safety barriers

The owner of a Wolverhampton-based specialist defence and security sector engineering firm is calling on the Home Secretary to consider the use of special mobile barriers to provide better protection for police officers, innocent bystanders and property during violent protests such as occurred in London yesterday.

Richard Skan, whose family owns Oldbury UK, says his firm designed and introduced a fully mobile riot control and scene management barrier system over a year ago. The firm already supplies the system to overseas markets including America - but not the UK. Developed originally for defence threats and civil emergencies such as chemical attacks or terrorist incidents, the barrier is also made in an up-armoured version to protect troops from small arms fire.

Skan says, "Any normal, law abiding citizen watching the television pictures last night - or reading the press this morning - will be incensed by the scale of violence and criminal damage that occurred in London yesterday. It is unreasonable to expect police officers to sustain serious injury whilst trying to control protesters, when there is equipment available to the Home Office from British companies that can significantly improve operational tactics and reduce risk. Remarkably, no one was killed during the disturbances in London - but if this is a foretaste of events to come, then British industry has a role to play by providing our police forces on the ground with equipment that gives them and surrounding property an appropriate level of protection".

Oldbury's barrier is fabricated as a solid steel (or other sheet material) panel structure and designed to provide a stable, fold out and fully adjustable screen or temporary cordon. Importantly, it can be easily manoeuvred into position by no more than two operatives and fully deployed in around three minutes. Units can be connected together in series, to enclose or isolate a wider area and features include an access door, viewing windows and flap-over anti-scaling overhangs - which also act as protection against street missiles which cause head, neck and other injuries. The design also includes drop-down steel legs, front and rear, to provide additional stability. The base unit fully deployed has a maximum width of 13.5 metres and an overall height, with the anti-scaling overhangs deployed, of 2.5 metres. The unit closes down into a compact transport mode with an overall length of 5.7 metres, including the towing hitch and a width of just 2.3 metres.

The entry level variant is based on a braked, lightweight single-axle, rubber suspended trailer for ease of handling and manoeuvrability - and for towing behind a normal light commercial vehicle or 4x4. The running gear specification includes special run-flat tyres as a standard fitment. Oldbury also offers a range of ancillary equipment which can be used alongside the barrier. This includes generator sets - and enables the barrier to be deployed with temporary lighting rigs, public information and communications - and other powered requirements.

For more information please contact:

Richard Skan
Oldbury UK Limited
Balliol Business Park
Wobaston Road
Wolverhampton
WV9 5EU

Telephone: +44 (0) 1902 397216

E-mail: r.skan@oldburyuk.co.uk

Website: www.oldburyuk.co.uk