Introduction — Democracy Under Pressure

Domestically and globally, democracy is coming under increasing physical and online digital threat. From violent protests and political extremism, to targeted attacks on key political figures, elections, and public spaces, these well-publicised threats not only undermine governance, they disrupt political agenda/objectives, unsettle communities and put lives at risk.

For organisations operating in democratic states, understanding and mitigating these risks has become increasingly important, if not essential, for resilience.

1. Understanding the Physical Threats

Violent Extremism and Political Violence — Threats, intimidation and physical attacks against politicians and campaigners are increasing in the UK. Research highlights the growth of stalking, harassment and political intimidation (Henry Jackson Society, 2024: From the Ballot to the Bullet).

Civil Unrest — More than one in four UK businesses were directly impacted by civil unrest in 2024 due to closures, damage or stock losses (Gallagher, 2025: UK businesses impacted by civil unrest).

Election Interference (Physical)  — During the 2024 UK General Election, 70% of candidates reported abuse or harassment; over half avoided certain campaign activities due to safety fears (Electoral Commission, 2024: Candidate safety report).

Critical Infrastructure Attacks — The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre recorded 430 serious incidents between Sept 2023 and Aug 2024, many targeting critical services (Guardian/NCSC, 2024: Cyber threat warning).

Social Cohesion Threats — The Khan Review found increasing distrust in UK institutions and rising harassment, exploited by extremists and hostile actors (House of Commons Library, 2024: Khan Review briefing).

Online Information Operations  — Coordinated manipulation of online sentiment and OSINT (open-source intelligence) sources by hostile actors is fuelling distrust and intensifying physical and societal tensions (NCSC, 2024: The cyber and information threat to UK democracy).

2. Why This Matters to Organisations

Organisational Resilience & Business Continuity - Civil unrest, infrastructure disruption or intimidation can close facilities, break supply chains, and immobilise staff. With UK businesses already reporting significant impact, preparation is critical, such as horizon scanning - to pre-empt threats - and situational awareness, for quick/effective response and impact reduction.

Duty of Care - Leaders have a legal and ethical responsibility to protect employees from foreseeable threats. In the UK, where political violence and intimidation against public figures are rising, organisations must factor this into their planning in order to become proactive rather than reactive.

Reputation Risk and Stakeholder Trust - Being unprepared for democratic threats can harm brand trust, particularly when public expectations of corporate responsibility are on the rise.

Global Connectivity -  Threats to democracy in one country can have a domino effect through global markets. For UK organisations with international reach, instability abroad has reputational and operational knock-on effects at home.

3. The Role of Risk Management in Safeguarding Democracy

Proactive security risk management helps organisations anticipate, prepare for, and mitigate physical threats, including:

Threat Assessments and Vulnerability — Intelligence-led monitoring of unrest, extremism, and local tensions.

Scenario Planning and Exercises — Simulated drills for election disruptions, protests or infrastructure breaches.

Protective Security — Reviews of facilities, travel risk planning, and crisis response systems put in place to safeguard people, assets, and facilities from physical threats; threats such as unauthorised access, theft, vandalism, terrorism, and natural disasters. This is a key component of overall security strategy.

Contingency Planning —  Immediate actions, incident/emergency planning, incident response, cascade and trigger identification, crisis management, and communication.

Security Training - situational awareness, personal security and security team up-skilling, to deal with modern day threats and challenges

Cross-Sector Collaboration — Intelligence-sharing between corporates, private and public sector, and authorities to enhance resilience.

4. Peregrine’s Perspective

At Peregrine Risk Management, we believe the protection of democracy, people, organisations, and communities is paramount. Our UK and international experience enables us to support clients navigating real-world risks that undermine democratic stability.

By combining leading-edge intelligence, security risk management and training, an organisation’s protective and reactive security controls can help prepare for risks that may threaten both security and democratic values.

Contact us to learn how we can support your security risk management and resilience strategy.