Events in Liverpool, as they unfolded last night, gave a stark reminder of the vulnerability of major events to horror like this.

27 people were hospitalised and another 20 received treatment at the scene after a car driven by a lone driver accelerated into a crowd of people.

How he gained access to the closed off street will be of concern to event organisers and local authorities on whom the responsibility for crowd safety rests.

The safety plans for major events including this weekend’s VHI Women’s Mini Marathon will this morning being pored over to see if any additional actions need to be taken.

Closing the roads is an obvious safety issue, and also a logistics challenge but will extra action now be recommended to remove all cars from the area prior to closure.

What impact would that have for private homes along the route, or public car parks where initial reports last night suggested the car had come from.

The Liverpool police last night spoke of their building a timeline of the events using video footage from cameras across the city, supplemented by a call for the public to send in their own video images from the scene.

Privacy concerns will come under renewed scrutiny depending on the threshold that is set for monitoring of large crowds and their subsequent use in criminal cases.

Ireland already hosts major events, generally around sporting occasions, that necessitate the movement and safety of tens or even hundreds of thousands of members of the public.

The Irish Life Dublin Marathon, the All Ireland Finals, the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor and the Euro 28 Finals in Dublin are just some of the events the plans for which will now be scrutinised.

Responsibility for safety is a heavy one and it is often the cause of headaches when it comes to the logistics of a major event.

Last night showed again why that is so, and why the restrictions on our free movement at such gatherings will likely grow tighter again.

 

 

Further Reading for Sport for Business members:

Check out Sport for Business coverage of Local Authorities and Sport

 

SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE

Thankfully nobody died but the trauma of a joyful event turned to terror will have repercussions for those involved and for those organising events that draw major crowds.

WHAT’S UP NEXT?

A lot of detailed analysis of event plans.  We will look to carry a feature about the potential changes as part of our daily coverage of all aspects of the commercial world of sport.

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