Withdrawal of CBRNE Detection Equipment from Mail Centres

Further to the announcement made at 2017 CWU Annual Conference, Dave Joyce, CWU's National Health, Safety and Environment Officer has confirmed via his letter (LTB325/17) to all Postal Branches, Regions, Health and Safety Reps and Engineering Reps that the CBRNE Detection Equipment in MCs is withdrawn with immediate effect and it's use is therefore ceased immediately.

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As explained at CWU Annual Conference during the debate on Motion 87, the future use of the equipment and the approach to dealing with suspect items in the Postal system has been under consideration by Royal Mail, over the last year, in consultation with all stakeholders, including the Unions, Police, Business Protection and Security,‎ prior to reaching this conclusion. The National Security Risk Assessment makes no reference to a CBRNE threat.

Background

Royal Mail installed CBRN equipment into Mail Centres in 2007. At that time the emergency services could not provide nationwide coverage of similar equipment, and their response varied greatly across the different Police Forces and Fire Services.  National coverage of new state of the art equipment (mobile Detection Identification and Monitoring – ‘DIM’ units) now exists and are being transferred from Police to the Fire Brigade Services.

The Police National CBRN Centre has also since been created to provide 24/7 coverage and consistent guidance to all Police Forces, Fire Brigades and Organisations. Royal Mail has continued to meet regularly and work closely with the Police National CBRN Centre who have validated the Royal Mail Group "Be Aware"/"Stay Calm" processes. They have conducted many joint exercises with Royal Mail and are consulted by CPC (Central Postal Control) over any reported suspect items in real time.
 
The exiting CBRNE equipment is nearing the end of its life and would require replacing in the near future. However, the equipment has effectively been replaced by a more robust internal Royal Mail Group "Be Aware"/”Stay Calm” process, and by the establishment of the full national coverage of the Police and Fire Services with the "DIM"(Detection Identification and Monitoring) Units.‎ 

Additional considerations for Royal Mail have been those of maintaining the equipment which has always been problematic as well as RM being dependent on Engineers, in all Mail Centres, on all shifts, to volunteer for the role of operating the Detection Equipment as well as Mail Centres performing consistent testing and CBRNE drills. 
All Operational Managers will have now completed an e-learning module on the "Be Aware"/"Stay Calm" process and as the response to suspect packages has improved, the required use of the Royal Mail CBRNE equipment has dropped significantly in recent times.

"DIM"(Detection Identification and Monitoring) Units (See Attachment)

The DIM capability Vehicles are equipped with the latest technological, state of the art detection, identification and monitoring equipment which provides the capability to deal with major incidents involving actual and potential Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear and Hazardous materials (HAZMAT).

The roll out of the Units has increased Fire Services capability and Emergency Services Safety as well as enhanced the service to the public. The vehicles are also equipped with Gas‎ Suits, Breathing Apparatus, Decontamination Equipment and the units can deal with Vapours, Solids, Liquids, Radiological materials and Biological Hazards.

Police National CBRN Centre

The Police National CBRN Centre has been consulted and supports Royal Mail Group's decision to withdraw their in-house CBRNE Detection Equipment as it helps them to standardise the response across the country. The new process using “Be Aware”/”Stay Calm” has also been validated by the Police National CBRN Centre.

Consultations

Withdrawal of the CBRNE Detection and Analysis Equipment is supported by internal stakeholders including the CWU and Unite/CMA, and endorsed by the Royal Mail Group Operations Leadership Forum.

RMG Business Protection Board

The threat to Royal Mail from Terrorism and all other sources of business continuity risks is monitored by the RMG Business Protection Board who will respond accordingly if there is a change to the threat profile‎.

Conclusion

In conclusion it was decided that in view of the foregoing considerations, removing the equipment was justified and on balance would actually improve the safety for our members, as following the "Be Aware" suspect package risk assessment process would result, where determined necessary, in highly trained, dedicated and well equipped expert professionals being called in to conduct any necessary detection, testing and analysis, rather than relying on in house personnel who were in effect volunteers who only infrequently used the equipment.

Decommissioning and Withdrawal Process

The process for decommissioning,containing contact numbers and intranet addresses, is detailed in the letter to branches (LTB325/17) which is available from the CWU HQ website in the case of it not being available within the branch.

Motion 87

Motion 87 was carried at the 2017 CWU Annual Conference.

The Motion read

“This Conference instructs the Postal Executive to urgently seek agreement for the removal of CBRN (Chemical Biological Radioactive Nuclear) test equipment Use and Maintenance from Postal Engineers workload and by doing so create a new agreed procedure in line with HSE advice that all Royal Mail Sites will only use the emergency services for dealing with CBRN related incidents. (South Yorkshire)

On the basis of the foregoing, the Motion is discharged.

Recent Terrorist Events:

As recent events have demonstrated, with the atrocities in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge, the terrorist threat to the UK is still very real, but the nature of that threat has changed, as has the resilience of the UK to respond.

In respect of these incidents, Business Advice following consultation with the Police and Government Authorities is that it remains business as usual for Royal Mail. The authorities have informed RMG that the threat level to the UK communications sector, including postal operations, is unchanged and remains low.

However, it is important for all of RMG staff to remain vigilant. Follow RMG security procedures at all times. They are designed to keep staff as safe as possible. 

They include measures such as: (a) Following access control processes (b) Managing site visitors correctly (c) Maintaining vehicle security (d) Always wearing photo ID and challenging anyone without visible ID (e) If any member sees anything untoward, they should contact the police immediately. (f) Please stay alert and stay safe.

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You can download the DIM (detection, Identification & Monitoring Vehicles) details when downloading the LTB from the Members Only section of the CWU HQ website here

Source: CWU