Specialist hostile vehicle mitigation device manufacturers Securiscape is helping to keep thousands of sports fans safe after we supplied our IWA-14 SecuriPod temporary HVM barriers to Premiership Rugby union club Leicester Tigers.
We fitted five of our SecuriPod devices in order to close off Aylestone Walk, which runs along the back of the Breedon Stand at the club’s Welford Road Stadium, for the rest of the rugby union season.
The pods, which weigh 450kg and measure just 79cm high, can bring a 7.5 tonne truck travelling at 30mph to a halt, even though they are free-standing, meaning they would stop a runaway vehicle or prevent a vehicle driven with criminal intent from accessing pedestrians – without impeding the progress of pedestrians themselves.
We first installed the devices ahead of the Tigers’ Premiership Cup game against Exeter Chiefs earlier this season and the trial was such a success that they will be installed for each home game between now at the last game in June next year.
Mark Stone, managing director of Securiscape, said: “Organisers of any event which attracts a large number of people has a duty to ensure that everybody is kept safe and can go about their business enjoying peace of mind.
“At the same time, they don’t want to inconvenience people, which is why our SecuriPods have been designed to ensure that crowds can pass through the barriers safely and quickly.
“We’re delighted at how smoothly the installation operation went at Leicester Tigers and very pleased that the club will use them until the end of the rest of the season.”
This year, SecuriPods have also been installed at a number of other public events, including Chatsworth House’s Christmas event, Lancaster On Ice, the Nature Valley Open Tennis in Nottingham and Hackney Carnival.
Steve Haylett, safety officer at Leicester Tigers, said: “Aylestone Walk gets very full with supporters before and after matches and because people expect a higher standard of safety when they attend large public events, we feel it’s our duty to install devices such as Securiscape’s SecuriPods in order to protect them.
“They have worked very well so far and walking through the barriers has just become a part of the matchday experience for Tigers fans accessing the Breedon Stand.”
