Security for Saudi 2m. square mile site planned by WSI

Tuesday 03 July 2018

Plans for a flagship security project that includes 38 hotels on one site, together with Saudi Arabia’s largest shopping mall, are "progressing well" thanks to input from Guernsey-based West Sealand International.

The project is being hailed by the planners as ‘a blueprint for effective urban security’, and WSI are putting together that security plan.

The scale of the Saudi project is vast, with 40 high-rise towers, 800 commercial outlets and more than 13,000 hotel beds,  involving international brands including Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott Groups.

West Sealand International, which has offices around the globe as well as in Guernsey, has been appointed to design this cohesive security plan for the 2m square-metre site. The company was selected because of its high-level global expertise in consultancy, operations and digital technology and is partnered for the Saudi project with Amnco (Arabian Security and Safety Services).

WSI partner Mike Allen said the initiative is expected to prove particularly beneficial for the two million pilgrims who visit the area each year.

"We were invited to put forward a proposal because WSI has high level expertise in this specialised area and is able to create and implement entire urban solutions, whatever the scale," he said.

"That approach, from point of development, is the most effective in terms of cost and level of security. We are a focussed management team which draws on a very wide network of high level professionals as and when needed and that agility will always be at the heart of our organisation."

The consultancy is continuing to expand, having acquired Shield Consulting and cyber security experts Ascot Barclay Group. "Much of our new business is now coming from personal recommendation and we are delighted with that basis because our boutique approach will always ensure that in-house skills are at the heart of what we do," WSI’s co-partner Nicholas Corden-Lloyd added.