How Crowd Control Barriers Work
A barrier is a steel obstacle that rises to waist or chest height. It is similar to a fence except the construction material is a stainless steel pipe. These obstacles are heavy enough that an average person would have trouble moving one. Many barriers are chained together in order to form walls and lines that channel large crowds. When barriers are chained together, they become a single very heavy object that is difficult to move or tip over.
Police Use Them When No One Else Will
Law enforcement officers are allowed to install crowd control devices to contain any large crowd at any event where the people are gathered in the streets. While this practice at worst helps to prevent riots, it also keeps minors from playing in surrounding areas. It prevents people from being obstacles and also prevents accidents. Not all cities have laws that give a detailed list of when to set up blocks, except police are often allowed to use them at their discretion. Stadiums and other private services are entitled to use safety barriers on their property, and they make use of both soft strap directional and heavy steel barriers.
Reducing Costs By Reducing Walls
Barriers as simple as fabric tapes will provide a psychological barrier to movement. People are conditioned to moving within them and staying inside the line. Steel barricades are cheaper than building a permanent wall and they can be easily moved. This reduces costs for many institutions, because it eliminates the need to build permanent walls. There is less need to have security guards at every corner, because the mental impression of a block is typically sufficient.
Barriers for Festivals and Conferences
Festivals held in a public park can set up barricades with the park’s permission. Often organizing an event requires collaboration with the city and the police. Application forms are filled out and require information about how many people are expected to show up. Park managers may decide to put up barricades on their own or else the police will do it as a matter of policy. Different areas will have different rules, but major urban areas have policies that require some form of crowd control. They help police and organizers deal with a large crowd in the event of panic.
They are Useful and Often Necessary
Human beings are normally civilized and operate in a peaceful manner. They are not perfect, and unexpected events can cause a stampede in anger or panic. Festivals that could be considered family events will normally include children, and these smaller people are the ones most likely to wander off into dangerous areas. Barriers help large crowds direct their flow, and they also block off areas from being entrances and exits. In the event of a disturbance, police can use these barriers as management tools. The presence of barriers might cause an event to seem less family friendly, but the average person has typically seen them enough to regard them with neutrality.