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Working to keep London safe

The 2017 Westminster terror attacks struck a city already accustomed to living with threats to safety and security. King’s School of Security Studies works in partnership with London’s security and government services, providing expert advice and delivering practical insights to help prevent future attacks and influence the capital’s emergency responses.

Psychologists Professor Brooke Rogers, Professor of Behavioural Science and Security, and Dr Julia Pearce, Lecturer in Social Psychology and Security Studies, investigate public perceptions of and responses to extreme events such as terrorism.

This work challenges the popular belief that people will always panic when emergencies occur. Their research into people’s responses to terror attacks, combined with evidence from around the world, demonstrates that efficient and clear communication from local and national authorities before, during and after a terrorist attack promotes greater understanding of security risks.

‘If people are better informed they are less likely to engage in behaviours that can put themselves and their loved ones at risk,’ says Professor Rogers.

‘Ultimately our work is about keeping people, communities and nations safe.’ King’s security experts in the capital must also look beyond physical dangers to virtual and digital threats. Londoners typically carry an average of three devices with them, including mobile phones, tablets or wearable technology, making the capital extremely vulnerable to cyber terror threats.

Dr Tim Stevens, Lecturer in Global Security at King’s, is an expert in cyber security. He says, ‘The cyber threat to London’s businesses and residents is especially great. This is due to the high concentration of consumer devices, technology companies and information infrastructure at risk of attack or subversion by cyber criminals and others.’

King’s works side-by-side with public and private organisations responsible for protecting London from cyber-attack and sabotage. In influencing government and private sector cyber-security approaches, the university is helping to keep London and its diverse communities safe and secure online.

We work closely with Whitehall and Westminster across defence, security and foreign affairs, from informing UK security debates through our original research to offering expert security advice to government and parliament.– Professor Wyn Bowen, Head of the School of Security Studies

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