The future of security: Mike Bluestone, MA CSyP FSyI, Executive Director, Corps Consult

Future threats and advances

The use of proxies

A particular concern is the use of proxies, including criminal groups, by hostile state actors seeking to undermine critical UK infrastructure and economic stability. For instance, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the possibility of its expansion into neighbouring NATO countries continue to stretch the UK’s defence posture.

This could have far-reaching consequences, including increased threats to undersea cables and energy supplies, ultimately affecting our nation’s ability to maintain effective lines of communication, especially during major national crises. The failure of basic communications infrastructure places every business, regardless of size, at risk, and consequently traditional sabotage remains a threat.

Single-issue activist and protest groups

In addition, both private and government organisations are facing a growing number of incidents involving single-issue activist and protest groups. Increasingly, environmental protest groups are joining forces with political extremists to form alliances, creating teams of activists who aim to inflict substantial physical damage on targeted sites.

Their objective is often to force organisations to cease operations or relocate abroad, placing further pressure on businesses to devote more resources towards intelligence-led security strategies and policies. Simply investing in ‘target hardening’ is insufficient. It is equally important to understand the nature and sources of threats, as well as the motivations behind them.

Certain organisations, due to the nature of their activities or sectors, face elevated levels of risk, and consequently a defence contractor, for example, is not a prerequisite for becoming a target, and in fact any organisation can be at risk, irrespective of the nature of its day-to-day business activities.

For example, the ownership of the business and/or its location and trading partners also inform the risks and threats that need to be considered when developing security strategies and programmes.

Preparing for Martyn’s Law

There is one new piece of legislation which will, in my view, become a turning point as to how ‘we do security’: the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, otherwise known as Martyn’s Law. In approximately 18 months from now, the Statutory Regulations of the law will be published, and they will provide guidance on implementing the requirements contained in the Act.

I believe that adherence to Martyn’s Law will not only help in preventing and mitigating the impact of terror attacks, but will also deliver collateral benefits in that the measures employed to deal with terror attacks can also help deter and prevent other sources and categories of threats such as organised and opportunist crime, hostile and violent protest activity and anti-social behaviour. It is for these reasons that Martyn’s Law may well become a catalyst and springboard for the security sector’s equivalent to the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, a piece of legislation that has defined the appropriate practice of health and safety since 1974.

The double-edged sword of Artificial Intelligence

Finally, there is no doubt that the rapid advancement in Artificial Intelligence can itself be a ‘double-edged sword’ that will play an increasingly significant role in shaping security strategies and solutions throughout 2026, by influencing how organisations anticipate, detect, and respond to threats. AI brings with it enormous opportunities, but an equal number of potential threats, and it is too early to fully understand the full implications of its impact on society. For instance, losing the capacity to differentiate between reality and fabrication presents significant challenges, not only in matters of security but across multiple facets of daily life.