Sydney Airport Reinforces Perimeter Security With Gallagher Layered Solution.
Sydney Airport Reinforces Perimeter Security With Gallagher – As one of Australia’s most critical infrastructure sites, the operational security requirements of Sydney Airport are paramount.
According to Ivan Bojanovic, manager of security, infrastructure and policy at Sydney Airport, “We must succeed 100 per cent of the time – there’s no margin for error.”
Bojanovic’s role combines oversight of physical security asset installation and maintenance with strict regulatory compliance and after more than a decade at the airport and with 4 years in his current position, Bojanovic has seen the threat landscape evolve towards proactive, technology-driven protection.
“Whatever security solution we implement has to meet regulatory standards and specifications,” he explains.
Sydney Airport is enormous in operations and in scale. Transporting 44 million passengers a year, the airport’s 24km perimeter includes fencing, terminals, a sea wall and ocean frontage. Historically, protection relied on 2.44m chainwire fencing topped with razor wire – a solution that was once the national airport standard.
“In today’s environment, that approach is no longer fit for purpose,” says Bojanovic. “We know through experience this type of fencing simply doesn’t allow us to detect, deter, and respond appropriately. Such fences could be scaled by people relatively quickly and we’d have to intervene.”
Detection previously depended on manual patrols and CCTV monitoring, with guards deployed to high-risk areas at significant cost. Sydney Airport realised it needed a solution that could provide proactive detection and deterrence as part of the physical barrier itself and partnered with Gallagher Security and integrator HRC Security to implement a next-generation perimeter security system.
“We had some Gallagher products at Sydney Airport already, and once HRC Security recommended a Gallagher Security perimeter solution, it was an easy decision for us to make,” Bojanovic says.
The project delivered a 10km Gallagher perimeter system combining Monitored Pulse Fence technology, Z20 Disturbance Sensors, anti-climb panels and electric topping. The intent was to transform the perimeter into an active detection layer providing 24-hour situational awareness, with instantaneous alerts when the fence is touched or scaled.
The integrated system now provides immediate notification of attempted breaches, reducing reliance on manual CCTV monitoring and static guards, while enabling faster response.
Since installation began, sections protected by the full Gallagher suite have recorded zero successful breaches. Operational costs have reduced, situational awareness has improved and response times have tightened.
“The fence is one layer in a very layered ecosystem, but it’s critical,” Bojanovic says. “Gallagher’s solution gives us confidence that if someone tries to breach our perimeter, we know immediately, and our response is already on its way.”
“We take security very seriously. We’re one of the biggest critical infrastructure sites in Australia. To succeed, we need a layered ecosystem of trusted products, and Gallagher is a key part of that.”
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“Sydney Airport Reinforces Perimeter Security With Gallagher Layered Solution.”
