Reducing harm from explosive attacks against railways

Abstract

Although the literature on protective security measures against terrorism suggests many measures for protecting targets, it provides less guidance on how to prioritize such measures. Combining insights from rational choice theory with lessons from situational crime prevention theory, crime scripts and crime prevention through environmental design, this article provides concrete advice on how to prioritize protective security measures against explosive attacks on railways. I show that the best protective security measures focus on limiting the damage caused by explosive attacks rather than on preventing such attacks.