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Robert McAlister

Robert McAlisterRobert McAlister - Director Glenbarr Consultancy

After leaving the British Army, where he experienced operational service in various roles, Robert moved into the private sector, working in senior security and risk management posts,
Robert joined Westminster Local Authorities Community Protection Department in its infancy to work on crime and disorder projects across the city, including the implementation of its command, control and surveillance systems as Head of City Co-ordination.

In 2003, this work was recognised, and led to a Police Commissioners Commendation for ‘Making Westminster a Safer City’.

His post expanded in 2009 to include Head of Civil Contingencies, managing and directing the Emergency Planning, Business Continuity and Special Events functions across Westminster on a corporate basis.

As part of preparations for the UK 2012 Olympics Games, he was the lead officer for developing and managing the local authority’s C3 Plan (Control, Co-ordination and Communication); this included preparation, resilience and operational delivery. He developed and implemented the 2012 testing and exercising programme.

In 2014, against an increased UK security threat, Robert took on an additional role as the Acting Head of Community Safety with responsibilities as diverse as Counter Terrorism (Prevent and Prepare), introducing new UK Anti-Social Behavior Legislation and a joint agency Integrated Gangs Unit.

He has been a lecturer on CAST (Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology), CPNI (Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure) Protective Security and Surveillance courses since 2004.

Robert represented Westminster on the international stage in several advisory visits to United States and Brazil and South Africa as part of a joint Counter Terrorism Command Metropolitan Police Team delegation. During his time with Westminster, he hosted and presented to over 30 different countries to promote the work of City Co-ordination and Civil Contingencies at strategic, tactical and operational levels.

In parallel, as part of the UK Civil Protection Mechanism for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat Training Programme, he deployed to the L’Aquila Earthquake in Italy in 2006 and the Evros Flooding on the Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey borders in 2008, giving him a unique insight and experience of natural and humanitarian disaster management.
Robert now runs his own consultancy – Glenbarr – which provides specialist advisory and training across varied portfolios that include the following:
– He is a BUDMC core team lecturer for Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre and International MSc CPD Courses,
– He provides Crisis Management instruction on UK and International HMG Rapid Deployment Team and International NGO Hostile Environment Awareness Courses. These teams have since successfully deployed to the worlds crisis zones such as Ukraine, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

His experience and knowledge has recently been rewarded by being invited to be a member of a strategic Advisory Panel looking at good practice Risk and Security training with an internationally-recognised UK training provider, which will help shape and enhance this type of training well into the future.

In 2015 he worked in Sierra Leone under Operation Gritrock to deliver strategic crisis and disaster management training to the Office of National Security to develop capacity building and transition planning during the Ebola and Flooding crises.

Pursuing a talent for developing centres of training excellence both in the UK and Internationally, and recognising a crucial gap in global Crisis Leadership training, Robert created the concept, models and materials for the new RVTS East Crisis Leadership Academy in Norway. Designed to develop Crisis Leaders of The Future, this programme was successfully launched in December 2017.

He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Panel for Crisis Response Journal, specialising in international crisis and disaster topics. He has had several articles and blogs published including Austerity Measures and Crisis Response, Sierra Leone Flood and Ebola Response, Working in Hostile Environments and Crisis Leadership.

Robert is CIPD Qualified Trainer and CIPD Associate Member.

 
Click to view blogs by this author:
Not just for special forces training - centre has great civilian services potential 
Editorial Advisory Panel Member Rob McAlister takes an inside look at Jordan's special forces training centre.
Revisiting Utoya 
CRJ Editorial Panel Member Robert McAlister is in Oslo for the sixth Anniversary of the July 22, 2011 attack by far right extremist Anders Breivik. In this second blog Robert retraces the steps of Breivik, his victims, survivors and the response actions o
Sixth anniversary of Norway attacks 
Robert McAlister, CRJ Editorial Panel Member, is in Oslo to attend the Sixth Anniversary of the July 22, 2011 Norway attack by Anders Behring Breivik.
Recent events affect tourism in France 
Tourist visitor numbers are down in Paris, following terrorist incidents, flooding (CRJ 12:4) and public strikes, report Rob McAlister and Emily Hough.
Changing times for executive security 
The threat of harm to executives travelling and businesses operating globally has never been higher or less predictable (see CRJ 12:1 for Rob McAlister’s article on Fragile Environments).
Predictive mindsets
Assessing and managing uncertainty while predicting future risks is something Rob McAlister, Director of Glenbarr consultancy, is very familiar with and he writes that all organisations and sectors can benefit from introducing a type of predictive mindset
Maintaining strategic co-ordination and response 
Editorial Advisory Panel Member Robert McAlister is back in Sierra Leone to complete the Disaster Management Training Programme for The Office of National Security with Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre colleagues in the form of a national
Sierra Leone: Planning for a post-Ebola environment 
Advisory Panel Member Robert McAlister has been in Sierra Leone as part of a team effort from Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre to provide senior officer training for the Sierra Leone Office of National Security as it prepares to take up d
Improving infrastructure in Sierra Leone 
Editorial Advisory Panel Member Robert McAlister, is back in Sierra Leone and presents his fourth blog, which examines training in the critical infrastructure sector.
On the road in Sierra Leone 
In this last blog of this series from Sierra Leone Editorial Advisory Panel Member Robert McAlister and the Director of the BUDMC are out of the Freetown area and heading north through Wellington towards Port Loko.
Sierra Leone - moving on to recovery 
Editorial Advisory Panel Member Robert McAlister, who is in Sierra Leone with the Director of Bournemouth University’s Disaster Management Centre, presents his fourth blog, which looks at recovery efforts.
Sheltering women and children in Sierra Leone 
Editorial Advisory Panel Member Robert McAlister is in Sierra Leone with the Director of Bournemouth University’s Disaster Management Centre, delivering a series of Disaster Management training sessions to The Office of National Security. This is his thir
Aftermath of Sierra Leone flooding 
Editorial Advisory Panel Member Robert McAlister visits the National Stadium in Freetown, which is currently housing thousands of people who have been displaced by flooding, in this second blog from Sierra Leone.
Disaster management training in Sierra Leone 
Editorial Advisory Panel Member Robert McAlister starts a short series of blogs from Sierra Leone, where he is delivering training to the country’s Office of National Security.
Click to view magazine articles by this author:
Rob McAlister,Robert McAlister
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