By Craig Smith

VENUES in Fife have said they are confident over their ability to deal with an emergency in the wake of Prime Minister Gordon Brown announcing a wide-ranging package of measures designed to bolster security.

Under the plans set out by the Prime Minister, barriers will be built outside airports, railway stations and ports to protect them from car bomb attacks, while new security advice will be sent out to thousands of cinemas, theatres, restaurants and sports stadiums.

The protection of Fife’s citizens has again come into sharp focus, particularly due to Mr Brown’s links with Fife and his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency.

“The objective of al Qaida and related groups is to manipulate political and humanitarian issues in order to gain support for their agenda of murder and violence—and to deliberately maim and kill fellow human beings, including innocent women and children,” Mr Brown told MPs in the Commons.

“We must not allow anyone to use terrorist activities as a means to divide us or to isolate those belonging to a particular faith or community.”

With that in mind, most public venues in Fife have already been well-briefed under Project Argus, which was developed by the National Counter Terrorist Security Office to ensure the UK would continue to function in the event of a terrorist atrocity.

One of the venues which has had to adapt more than most to enhanced security is Stark’s Park in Kirkcaldy, home to Raith Rovers.

With the Prime Minister one of the club’s most famous fans, Raith chairman David Somerville said security was obviously of key importance.

“Looking at the media coverage, there is no detail in the measures as such and it’s still quite vague,” he noted. “But what I would stress is that the announcement that’s been made doesn’t specifically relate to the Prime Minister—it’s about the protection of people in public places, such as football grounds, and we will obviously take on board whatever is said.

“In terms of security here, it could be argued that we are best placed to discuss certain issues, given the steps that are carried out on a regular basis.

“On the other hand, the security that is in place here is because of the PM, not because of the day-to-day football activities, so in that respect we are waiting to find out what the advice will be like everyone else.

“We take guidance from Fife Constabulary. Our relationship with them has been very good, and every second division club coming here has co-operated fully with any restrictions that may have been in place.”

Kirkcaldy town centre manager Sunil Varu added that he was also confident any incident would be handled appropriately.

“There are measures in place—certainly Fife Constabulary have a project called Project Argus looking at the potential threat and how to cope with it and information has been farmed out to retailers across Fife,” he said.

“Obviously, never say never and we hope that nothing will happen, but Fife Constabulary are well aware of the risks involved and town centre businesses have been given enough notice with regard to the kind of potential problems that could come up.”

Following the threat to Glasgow Airport earlier this year, management at the Kingdom Shopping Centre in Glenrothes invited Fife Police’s architectural liaison officer to visit the centre to assess any improvements that could made.

Taking their advice, metal bollards have already been put in place at mall entrances and exits to help prevent potential car bomb attacks.

A spokesperson for the Kingdom Centre said, “We aim to consistently maintain a high standard and level of security at all times to ensure that we offer a safe and welcoming shopping environment.

“A full practice evacuation of the centre has also been carried out and a comprehensive emergency plan is in place.”

A spokesperson for Fife police said that as a matter of policy, they do not discuss security issues surrounding the Prime Minister. However, it was stressed that the safety of the public is always considered in providing protection to VIPs who visit Fife.