Posts By: Jacob Charles

Sub-Saharan Risk Hotspot Outlook 2016

2016 Threat Watch Natznet Tesfay evaluates future threats that lie ahead for Africa Nigeria Highly destructive and disruptive pipeline attacks have resumed in the Niger Delta even as the decline in oil price continues to reduce falling Government revenue. The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation was forced to shut refineries at Port Harcourt and Kaduna on… Read more »

Terrorist Groups in Africa

2016 Threat Watch Matthew Henman considers some of the biggest threats to African stability Boko Haram Jamaat Ahl al-Sunna li Dawa wal-Jihad, better known as Boko Haram, is a militant Islamist group fighting for the implementation of sharia (Islamic law) in Nigeria, and is primarily active in the Northern states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Kano,… Read more »

The drugs don’t work

Ed Byrne explores the history of illegal drug Captagon, which is described as fuelling Syria’s war, and discovers if it really has the power to transform fighters into super soldiers   Captagon was formulated in 1961 by German company Degussa AG – the same organisation that manufactured the Zyklon B gas that was used in… Read more »

Defying the FBI

Anthony Tucker-Jones reports on how Apple Inc. is refusing to cooperate with the FBI’s struggle against domestic terrorism Apple, one of the most powerful tech giants in the world, finds itself at loggerheads with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In the latest round of the struggle over privacy versus national security it seems as if… Read more »

Growth of the manned security market for 2016

Ambreen Ahmad reports on how cost cutting and the recession has affected the value of this important sector The market for manned security is growing, despite the fact that low-cost delivery demands continue to push down prices, making competitive contract bids even more difficult for smaller firms in the manned security industry. Indeed, according to… Read more »

Extracting evidence from the cloud

Shahaf Rozanski examines the legal aspects of obtaining and analysing forensic evidence from the private cloud   Cloud data offers a digital footprint that can prove vital in forensic investigations. Sources can generate critical leads, which can help investigators piece together criminal cases and provide important evidence. This evidence can then be put forward by… Read more »

Who’s listening in and what can you do to stop them

Tony Kingham on the growing importance of counter surveillance equipment and how you can ensure that your business’ secrets stay safe It might be difficult to believe, but a new market for covert surveillance equipment has grown into a huge multi-million pound global business in a short few years without any governments or international authorities… Read more »

Looking beyond the perimeter

Greg Sim, examines why law firms must require a new approach to prevent data theft   The UK’s most valuable and sensitive commercial information lies in the hands of the nation’s law firms. This simple fact makes cyber security and data protection a top priority for these organisations. Despite this, many firms are relying on… Read more »

Preventing Communications breakdown

Timothy Compston flags up the importance of effective communications in emergency situations.   Over the years we have seen just how vital a tactical communications capability is when it comes to handling large-scale incidents, whether they are terrorist related or as a result of a natural disaster. Experience has shown that operational issues can and,… Read more »

Yemen: intractable conflict and the growth of extremism

Jake Longworth examines how the conflict in Yemen has escalated and the part that outside forces have played in making a complex situation worse   “I’ve worked in war zones for the past 11 or 12 years, in some of the worst conflicts like Syria” wrote Michael Seawright, a project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières… Read more »