Training workshops

(updated  24th August 2006)

Keywords: simulating people, simulating crowds, simulating crowd dynamics

We provide specialist training courses. These have been held at the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College and consist of three day Crowd Dynamics workshops. Specialist in-house courses customised to a client’s specific needs can also be arranged.

Specialist Crowd Dynamics Workshops

  • Risk Assessment

  • Site analysis and advice

  • Application of Guidelines

  • Evacuation Analysis

  • Modelling Crowd Dynamics

  • Queueing Analysis and Design

  • Training (Awareness, Education and Case Study Analysis)

Crowd Dynamics Limited have assisted in a number of planning exercise around the world. We have assisted in the planning and crowd dynamics analysis for the Lancaster Constabulary (2002) Operation Palisade and with Operation Pegasus for the Bournemouth Labour Party Conference (Dorset Police - 2003).

 “Operation Palisade” Labour Party Conference Blackpool 2002

Following the full debrief process for Operation Palisade, it became quite apparent that the support you gave to planning the Public Order element of the operation opened new dimensions for the planning team.

Clearly the science developed by you and your colleagues has great potential in any number of scenarios and by including your findings and recommendations in the final plan, there was a great feeling of confidence that the provision of staffing levels and selection of the March Route were the safest and most economical possible.

I appreciate the priority you gave the project in your schedule and the presentation you gave to the Constabulary’s needs. I would like to offer my sincere thanks for your assistance and assure you of Support in the future. We have already passes on your details to our colleagues in Dorset, who will be planning the Labour Conference next year.  Superintendent Mark Bartlett, Operations Planning, Lancashire Constabulary Headquarters. (Nov 2002)


"Operation Pegasus" Dorset Police, Labour Party Conference 2003

"Thank you very much for your assistance with all the route and safety issues. As an experienced team I believe that we can only benefit from your product." PS 1851 Des Connor, Public Order Planner, 13 October 2003

For these exercise we used computer simulation coupled with a site survey. The modelling took a few days to complete and the presentation materials were all in power point - allowing the police to integrate our material with their safety and evacuation planning. We refer to this process as "crowd simulation".

"There are many examples of poor, and even hazardous, human environments resulting from lack of understanding of the traffic-flow relationships and space requirements of Pedestrians." Dr. John J. Fruin (Specialist in pedestrian traffic analysis USA)

Crowd Dynamics - Co-ordinates the multi-site evacuation strategy.

"Canary Wharf is one of Europe's most vibrant, dynamic business districts and prides itself on the quality of environment and service available to its tenants. CWG contacted Crowd Dynamics to assist us in evaluating our public areas for crowd control in a wide range of situations. Crowd Dynamics has an international reputation for developing mathematical models and solutions for various public events. In this case, we wanted a tool to provide a common basis for occupants of the Canary Wharf estate to develop compatible responses to various security and safety related incidents. While the Canary Wharf estate currently has 60,000 staff employed in the development, a robust tool capable of dealing with crowds over 100,000 has been developed in conjunction with our major business tenants. We believe this innovative approach is another first for Canary Wharf and Crowd Dynamics." Anthony Partington (Canary Wharf Managing Director)

The interpretation of the various guides (Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds Green Guide, the Guide to Fire Precautions in Existing Places of Entertainment and Like Premises, Primrose Guide and the Event Safety Guide Purple Guide) contain a wealth of information based on past experience. At Crowd Dynamics Limited we address a broader issue of systems failure by adopting risk analysis methodologies from a wide range of industrial applications.