Peaceful protests have long been a cornerstone of global democracy, increasing across the globe due to political instability, income inequality, COVID, nationalism, climate change, and more. However, when these protests escalate beyond control, they become civil unrest political violence events that can be highly damaging to both people and property.
In this tumultuous climate, businesses need to know how to prepare for civil unrest political violence and ensure they have the proper protections in place in case the worst happens.
What causes civil unrest political violence?
Public protests escalate into disturbances that disrupt the peace and cause damage when communities accumulate political, economic, and social stresses. When they reach a boiling point, large groups can release these feelings of dissatisfaction all at once. In these cases, civil unrest political violence can result in:
- Bodily injury: Large groups moving through cities can cause accidents and bodily harm.
- Violence: Either from altercations between dissatisfied parties or law enforcement intervention.
- Property damage: When civil unrest political violence spill out of control, typically peaceful protests can evolve into people damaging everyday homes and buildings.
Read more: Property Damage Liability: The Cost of Civil Unrest Political Violence
Why is it important to create a civil unrest political violence response plan?
During a civil unrest political violence event, the first few minutes are critical to saving lives and preventing damage. Businesses worried about how to prepare for civil unrest political violence should ensure they have a civil unrest political violence response plan in place. This plan ensures employees receive a prompt warning to evacuate, shelter, or lockdown, potentially saving many lives or avoiding injury.
Some examples of the efficacy of a civil unrest political violence response plan include:
- Contacting public emergency services: A response plan prepares your team for contacting emergency services with the correct information to ensure dispatchers send the best responders and equipment for your situation.
- Lifesaving first aid: Preparing your team to administer first aid or perform CPR can make a difference for the injured.
- Minimizing damage: Employees trained on your organization’s building and process systems could control leaks or otherwise reduce the damage that could occur.
Ultimately, you can give your team the confidence to act decisively and reassure them that they are safe if an incident occurs by implementing a plan that guides them in how to prepare for civil unrest political violence. The result is reduced panic and a better chance to minimize damage while saving lives.
Also read: Active Shooter and Terrorism Insurance Coverage
How to prepare for civil unrest political violence: Performing a risk assessment
Organizations will first have to conduct a risk assessment to develop an emergency response plan. This will help identify scenarios at risk of turning into emergencies. The evaluation looks at natural hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis, human-caused hazards such as demonstrations and accidents, and technological hazards like fires or water damage.
Businesses can confidently allocate resources and develop procedures that will prepare employees for civil unrest political violence by understanding what can happen. At a minimum, facilities should have an emergency plan in place that ensures the protection of:
- Employees
- Visitors
- Contractors
- Any remaining people in the building
Also read: Combat Violence with Threat Assessments in Schools
Response and recovery
Safety is always the priority during any event and is guided by the civil unrest political violence response plan. From there, organizations can begin to look at stabilizing the incident.
Stabilization relies heavily on the training and expertise of your staff, meaning response plans should be accompanied by appropriate training for personnel. Businesses should also ensure resources are on hand to prepare a facility, with processes in place for:
- Damage assessment
- Protection of undamaged property
- Cleanup following an incident
- Salvaging of valuable tools and resources
Part of your risk assessment should also involve the responsiveness of emergency services, which may be delayed by civil unrest political violence or distance. In the case of lengthy response times, businesses may choose to do more to prepare for incidents and put processes in place for employees to follow before emergency services arrive.
Following the civil unrest political violence, businesses should contact contractors to aid in cleanup and property conservation efforts. However, competition may be high depending on the extent of the civil unrest political violence, and organizations should plan ahead to ensure they have access to labor, materials, and supplies in advance.
These preparations can minimize injury and help prevent property damage while helping the business get back on its feet afterward.
The importance of insurance
With civil unrest political violence, terrorism, and political violence increasing in frequency across the globe, organizations should invest in specialized standalone solutions. Once businesses are confident in how to prepare for civil unrest political violence, they should also consider insurance to fully address the potential impact on a company’s assets or those of its customers and suppliers. Insurance ensures that companies are not permanently affected by civil unrest political violence and can maintain operations afterward.
At McGowan Program Administrators, we provide comprehensive, global insurance for assets exposed to acts of civil unrest political violence through our Terrorism and Political Violence Insurance policy. Our expert team helps guide companies through dynamic, complex, and ever-changing threats while addressing the implications of complex legislation.
Learn more and find the right insurance for your organization here
