For the first half of his working life Nigel Cook was a Chief Inspector in the Metropolitan Police Service. In his last seven years in service, he served as one of London’s dedicated Counter Terrorism Security Coordinators.
During his time as a coordinator, he was responsible for the security planning for many major events, providing security related advice and guidance on behalf of the police service. His highlights include planning for the Papal ‘State’ Visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in September 2010; London events marking HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee; the birth of Prince George of Cambridge and events held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.
In recognition of his expertise, he was asked to be the lead instructor and assessor on the UK National CT Security Coordinators’ Course held at the College of Policing and on behalf of the College delivered CT Security Coordinator training to Qatari security forces in Doha and had the opportunity to be the UK representative within two EU projects aimed at protecting major events from the threat of terrorism.
Following his retirement, from the police service, Nigel served for six years as the Security Adviser at Historic Royal Palaces. Nigel was responsible for advising on all security related matters, and for defining and designing the security requirements for major exhibitions and new build projects, including a multi-million-pound development at Hillsborough Castle.
Nigel is now an Independent Consultant and Security Adviser to bodies such as the Arts Council England, where he brings his wealth of experience conducting security reviews of museums and galleries around the UK. Projects range from holistic reviews of security risk assessment and management processes, security governance, policy and procedures, incident management and business continuity, to the completion of site vulnerability assessments as part of preparation for the forthcoming ‘Protect Duty’. Within these projects Nigel has designed and delivered bespoke security training, echoing his role as an associate trainer on the Level 6 Counter Terrorism Risk Management Course hosted by Cumbria University.
Nigel is a founder member of the UK Protect & Prepare Counter Terrorism Business Information Exchange (CTBIE), and the Chair of the Visitor Attractions Subgroup of that forum. In addition, Nigel is the ‘Protect Duty’ lead within the CTBIE, working closely with the Home Office, and others, to help define what impact the duty may have on affected business sectors.