A POOLE-based company that helps to support third-world companies with travel risks has spoken out after the incident where three of its men were killed in Gaza.

Solace Global is a Poole-based company that dedicates its services to travel risk management.

The specialist company helps to mitigate risk from land, maritime and cyber security threats.

The company gained worldwide attention after three of its aid workers were killed during a drone strike in war-stricken Gaza.

John Chapman, 57, from Poole, and his two colleagues died whilst carrying out relief work in Gaza on April 1 earlier this year.

Bournemouth Echo: Matthew Harding

Speaking on the incident, Matthew Harding, non-executive director of Solace Global, said: “It was tragic, I still really can't believe it.

“It was so awful.

“We were escorting the aid convoys from the port of entry to the point of delivery.

“It was a highly planned operation working in close cooperation with the Israeli Defence Force and the Israeli government.

“But after the incident, we're not doing anything there right now.

“That was the only operation we were conducting there, and World Central Kitchen has paused their operations and therefore we have paused our operations too.

“The Gaza incident was a very small aspect of what we do as a company.”

Explaining the resources Solace Global offers to clients, Matthew added: “We work with individuals and companies to fully understand the risk before they undertake any kind of overseas activity and help them put in risk control measures to really reduce that risk down.

“These measures may include anything from training and security to guards and drivers to help clients reach their destination.

“Whilst they're traveling, they have an app on their phone which enables them to constantly update us at their location and enables us to send them alerts, things which may be going on around them.

“We constantly scour all sorts of open and closed sources of information and intelligence to come up with rapidly delivered travel alerts.

“So, if there's an extreme weather event coming or a terrorist shooting then we will alert them to that and then provide them with advice as to what to do.

“We'll identify where they are, decide whether they with them, whether they need physical help or not, provide them with advice, and then sort of get them out of the area.”