Political Violence & Deadly Weapons Protection

One of the most difficult risks to defend against is the incursion of armed assailants intent on inflicting harm. Although shootings are all too often in the headlines, recent experience reminds us that devastation can also be wrought using seemingly everyday items. Our Deadly Weapons Protection product includes three core pillars: 

Prevention services​ 

• Post underwriting review: This is a remote post underwriting review in order to analyse and evaluate the security protocols of the client as well as to highlight any current exposures, threats and dangers. A risk analysis report of findings and general recommendations are provided to the client. 
• Action plan webinar: This covers issues such as incident awareness, typical profiles of an assailant, how to respond to an incident, creating an emergency action plan, and raising awareness of key behaviours. 
• Deadly Weapon Protection portal: Clients are given access to a portal containing useful information including case studies, thought leadership articles, assistance with creating security and active shooter plans, test exercises, copies of all previous webinars and an ask the expert feature.

Crisis management services​ 

The support falls into four categories, but not limited to: 

• Investigation on behalf of the client to determine the facts of the event to help inform the client’s response. 
• Advice and support with the management of the situation. For example, counselling and communication strategies. 
• When required post an event, the provision of temporary security enhancement such as armed or unarmed agents. 
• Advice for clients who may be aware of a circumstance that could potentially result in a deadly weapon attack occurring at their location. 
• Crisis services are provided by CrisisRisk, one of the leading crisis and risk management providers in the US, with a vast experience of effectively managing a broad range of high-profile incidents. 

Insurance cover to indemnify losses​ 

• Primary liability cover for lawsuits arising from harm caused by attacks using deadly weapons. 
• Flexibility to set excesses and policy limits to suit the insureds’ needs (access to policy limits up to $30,000,000 through the Lloyd’s Deadly Weapons Consortium). 
• Physical damage up to the full policy as standard. 
• Business interruption policy extension up to full policy limit available if purchased 
• Accidental death and dismemberment sublimit per person of $50,000 and medical expenses sublimit per person of $25,000. 
• Access to CrisisRisk upon the awareness of a Circumstance before an actual event takes place. 
• Coverage against the threat of a deadly weapon attack.
• Crisis management fees are unlimited and in addition to the policy limit (I.e. do not erode the policy limit). 
• Additional crisis management expenses are now included. 

Crisis management services are activated if a weapon is just brandished as well as if actually used. 

Cover for a wide variety of weapons. Including:​ 

• Any portable firearm (whether loaded or unloaded)​ 
• Explosive device​ 
• Knife​ 
• Syringe​ 
• Medical instrument​ 
• Corrosive substance​ 
• Any other handheld device or instrument which is used to deliberately cause death or bodily injury​ 
• Any road vehicle that is occupied and used by an assailant to deliberately cause death or bodily injury.​ 

In the modern world, threats come from many sources. One of the most difficult to defend against is the incursion of armed assailants intent on inflicting harm. 

Although shootings are all too often in the headlines, recent experience reminds us that devastation can also be wrought using seemingly everyday items such as knives and road vehicles. 

If an institution gets things wrong the liability on the owners and management for a non-staff member harmed in an attack can be significant. Beazley is an expert in liability insurance and has created a Deadly Weapons Protection package specifically designed to assist institutions that are at risk. Key is a range of carefully designed services that help reduce the risk of an event happening while helping institutions respond as effectively as possible should one take place. 

Organizations should carefully check their general liability policy as it is likely that deadly weapon attacks are not covered. The value of Beazley Deadly Weapon Protection is that it has been specifically designed for such attacks and provides clear affirmative liability cover. 

Eliminating the risk of a malicious attack is impossible but preparing for one is essential. That is why risk prevention and crisis management services are so central to our product and help customers demonstrate their commitment to the highest standards of safety. 

Customers have access to our Deadly Weapons Portal containing information and tools to help them reduce and manage the risk associated with a malicious attack. They also have access to regular crisis action-plan webinars and a security vulnerability assessment as part of our protection pillar.