Not quite standard

Sir – We note the release of the statement on the proposed implementation of European Standards said to have been issued by those claiming to be the main UK industry organisations – described as the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) and the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB).

We are well aware that this statement was issued outside of the British Standards Institution's (BSI) GW/1, the main BSI Committee for security systems and one on which the Association of Security Consultants (ASC) enjoys some representation. We also note that the statement doesn't include ACPO. While the organisations listed do represent significant sections of the security industry – and it is indeed the case that CENELEC's decision to put a DOW on EN 50131-1:1997 has had a negative effect on those parties listed as the authors of the statement – the ASC represents significant sectors of interest that are equally affected by CENELEC's recent bout of decisions.

While the traditional sectors of the security industry represented by the ABI, the BSIA, the NSI and the SSAIB continue to reflect a significant business strand, it nonetheless remains the case that many public and private sectors, multinational corporations and other self-insuring organisations rely on in-house security managers and independent security consultants for their advice.

There are several organisations that represent these latter factions and the ASC has reflected its critical views regarding the CENELEC decision – in particular that BS 4737 should not be withdrawn.

We're pleased to see that our views on this matter have been reflected in the latest statement. Even so, we regret that the parties named chose to issue their statement outside of the BSI and without the participation of all those represented at BSI GW/1.