Can anyone tell me what the H.O.T. procedure is. I think it stands for Hidden, Obvious & Typical in conjunction with finding a bag on a train (is it a bomb?). I suppose if it's hidden it's more suspicious but I don't get the 'Typical'.
...and I've not heard of any procedure. When I google it I just get stuff to do with hot work. Any help appreciated.
https://www.gov.uk/government/.../light-rail-security-best-practice.docx
Annex C talks about what you requesting, I don't have any knowledge that isn't public nor that I have not found by googling so I can't see any problems posting this information.
Suspicious items - using the HOT protocol
A suspicious item is one that exhibits unusual characteristics (appearance or placement) and for which a legitimate purpose cannot readily be established.
To avoid unnecessary disruption of the network and alarm to customers, staff should first try to identify the owner of any unattended item. If no owner can be identified, they should then apply 'HOT'. This helps staff to decide quickly whether an unattended item is typical of lost property or whether it is suspicious. It is designed with staff and customer safety in mind as well as minimising disruption to the network and wider society.
The HOT protocol has been used in the rail environment since the early 1990s and is reviewed regularly. It is based on research undertaken by BTP that indicates unattended suspicious items are typically:
Hidden - i.e. placed where they will not be readily seen or noticed as unusual
Obviously suspicious (e.g. by physical appearance, by placement, or because of the circumstances in which they have been discovered)
Not Typical of what you would normally expect to find in that environment
Lost property items are typically:
Not Hidden - often left where people congregate before moving to do something else
Not Obviously suspicious - they do not usually exhibit improvised wiring, timers, putty-like substances etc.
Typical of what you would normally expect to find in that environment - a judgement made best by staff with an intimate knowledge of the area in question
It is difficult to define comprehensively how items might appear "obviously suspicious" from their appearance. However, from experience, a suspicious item may display one or more of the following features:
m. external wiring;
n. visible batteries;
o. switches;
p. timers;
q. circuit boards;
r. wire passing from one package to another;
s. items secured by plastic adhesive tape;
t. annotations (e.g., ON, ARMED, DET, reference to the time delay);
u. specially modified wooden or plastic boxes;
v. unidentified powders or other putty-like substances; or
w. carefully wrapped in plastic bags.
While the HOT protocol provides a useful starting point, it is not prescriptive. It is ultimately up to staff to use their judgement to decide whether an unattended item is suspicious or not.
Staff should seek immediate advice from their supervisor if they are unsure about whether an item is suspicious or not. If your supervisor deems the item suspicious, they should contact the police. At this stage, people should be moved away from the immediate vicinity.
If the police officer cannot clear the item as safe, then the situation will be elevated, through the deployment of specialised resources who are trained to deal with suspect packages.
Note: If the item is believed from the outset to pose an immediate threat to life, police advice will be to move people at least 100m away and to stay behind hard cover (brick or concrete).A larger area may have to be evacuated if the item is particularly large or associated with a vehicle.
