Raising skills

“Safer communities are essential. THEY are the basis for economic prosperity. As an organisation, Skills for Security is in an ideal position to play a major role in their development by providing the right training and education for all practitioners.” The words of Linda Sharpe, whose Opening Address at the Skills for Security 2006 National Conference in Birmingham set the scene perfectly for the day’s theme... ‘Raising Skills for Safer Communities’.

Skills for Security’s chief executive firmly believes that three factors have thus far contributed towards the rapid success of the security sector’s new skills body. The first is employer engagement. “We want employers to have a say in what we do,” explained Sharpe to the 200-plus delegates at the International Convention Centre.

The second is effective partnerships with Awarding Bodies, including the National Open College Network and City & Guilds. “All are working closely with us on new qualifications. We have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Security Industry Authority (SIA),” said Sharpe.

Praise was then rightfully given to the team at Skills for Security, whose constituents have worked extremely hard from Day One when SITO ceased to exist and formal ties with the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) were no more. “We want to increase the supply of training and upskill the entire workforce,” opined Sharpe in serious tones. “Operatives must be fit for purpose, while career progression has to be encouraged. Work in this area is going to prove hugely important for us in the lead-up to the 2012 Olympics. We will also be looking to accredit more training programmes in 2007.”

Developing the theme, Skills for Security’s director of strategic development – Stefan Hay – commented that 2006 had proven to be “an exciting and challenging year” for the organisation “in which we have truly begun to lay the foundations for the future of skills development in our sector.”

Much time at Security House has necessarily focused on strategic planning and the mapping of a five-year business model. “In today’s world,” said Hay, “we need a high degree of strategic functionality, improved skills transferability and the genuine integration of qualification routes. The only way we are going to achieve this is by being a totally employer-driven operation.”

Hay enthused about the eight Sector Consultation Groups that Skills has established this year. Members of each recognise the huge economic and social case for improving the security sector’s skills base, “and that improved skills are a route to stable employment, higher wages, long-term prosperity and better employee confidence.”

Course Accreditation Scheme

Hay wants to put in place systems “almost in the form of a skills jigsaw” that will help individuals map the training and qualifications they are undertaking against the employment opportunities of tomorrow.

“We started this jigsaw with our Course Accreditation Scheme,” he continued. “This has been developed for those training courses that do not result in a qualification that’s part of the National Qualifications Framework, but which have been mapped against relevant National Occupational Standards. In other words, the accreditation has been conducted on a reliable and credible basis.”

More than 20 organisations have already signed-up to the scheme, including ARC Training, FEDS Training, Informa, Training for Success and PS5. “The scheme may not seem like a big deal,” said Hay, “but this first step was of vital importance to our organisation and the security sector. The training people engage in throughout their career can only be of value if there’s a direct link to standard competency requirements, it truly does upskill them and then adds value to their employment.”

The National Occupational Standards come to the forefront here. In partnership with the industry, Skills for Security has already developed the standards for security guarding, door supervision, investigations, close protection, security systems installation, community wardens and parking control. “In 2006, we have also developed – or are waiting approval on – many new suites of standards for security dog handling, security consultants, risk advisors, Cash-and-Valuables-in-Transit, CCTV operation and port security,” stated Hay with not a little pride.

Continuing Professional Development

In the past 12 months, a key area of development at Skills for Security has focused on Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The Security Professional Development Passport Scheme has been launched in conjunction with numerous guarding contractors, serving as a record of individual achievement and qualifications gained. “There has been tremendous feedback on this.”

The drive towards structured CPD for the entire security sector doesn’t end with the Passport, either. The Professional Register of Trainers has been developed and, according to Hay, “is designed to provide a credible means by which individuals can demonstrate their commitment to the provision of consistently high quality training within the sector and to their own CPD, both as security professionals and educators.”

Importantly, that Register is helping Skills for Security to represent the professional training aspect of the security business sector to the wider Skills for Business Network, the SIA and those Government departments responsible for setting the educational standards and legislation. How, exactly? “By demonstrating the professionalism of its members, and ensuring that they have appropriate skills and levels of knowledge for the roles they are undertaking,” claimed Hay.

Of late, Skills for Security has also been working closely with The Security Institute (TSI) on The Register of Security Professionals. Skills has been supported in its work by a CPD Sub-Committee comprising representatives from TSI in addition to ASIS International, the International Institute of Security, ARC Training, Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International, The Police National Search Centre, the Port of Dover Police and Security Management Today (SMT).

The Register is designed to provide a credible means by which individuals (including security managers) can demonstrate their professionalism and personal commitment to the provision of quality services within the security business sector, and to their individual CPD as security professionals. Hay stated that this is scheduled for launch “in the second quarter of next year.”

In closing his delivery, Hay gave everyone vital food for thought. “The future will undoubtedly bring with it a need to find many new approaches. Collectively, certain behaviours we have relied upon for years may have to be revised in order to capitalise on those opportunities. To quote the great Winston Churchill: ‘Those who try to build the present in the image of the past will miss out entirely on the challenges of the future’.”

Policing and security: in harmony

Skills for Security’s chairman, Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, left no-one in any doubt as to the level of terrorist threat now facing us all. “It is hugely complex and without precedent,” stated the former commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.

“Look at the type of individual appearing at The Old Bailey today,” said Lord Stevens. “They are professional and well-educated. The ball game is totally changing. Today’s terrorist wants to cause maximum economic damage and they’re not afraid if there are mass casualties as a direct result of their actions.”

ACPO and the police service must grab this opportunity to work with the private security sector. If they do not then no operational gains will be made. Standards will remain at current levels. The police service will also lose a great deal of its political influence. That cannot be allowed to happen.

Lord Stevens

If crime is costing the nation something in the region of £50 billion every year, where does – or should – the private security industry fit into the defence mechanisms already established by the Home Office? “Security is a multi-billion pound operation. It enjoys double the level of personnel deployed by the police service. Perhaps the problem has been that the police have adopted a stand-off attitude to the private security sector. There has been a perception that security is a low cost, low status industry delineated by inappropriate behaviour. On top of that, maybe the police have seen security operatives as a threat, competing for resources, power and status.”

Those attitudes can no longer be allowed to manifest themselves. “It is obvious that police service resources are no longer adequate to meet the dual threats of organised crime and terrorism,” asserted Lord Stevens.

For Lord Stevens, the 2012 Olympic Games offer “a massive opportunity” for the police and the private sector to join forces. The Games in London also coincide with Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and The Notting Hill Carnival. “London is arguably now the world’s biggest trade centre, too. Its financial market cannot stop. What happens if we don’t succeeed in beating the terrorists? I don’t even want to go there. We simply must create a security model that’s a true exemplar. Let’s really show the world what we can do.”

An opportunity for joined-up strategy

With perfect timing, it was then the turn of Andrew Amery – head of security for The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) – to expand on Lord Stevens’ words. There was a chilling message at the beginning of Amery’s delivery. Having played a video ‘sting’ of 6 July 2005 – the day that London won the Olympic Bid – Amery’s pictures then morphed into tragic images from London’s streets on the following day. An horrific reminder of why we can never be complacent about security.

“This is no longer about venue security. In this day and age, we have to focus on security as a global issue,” began Amery. “Our planning must be completely flexible, intelligence-led and appropriate to the threat of the day. Early engagement at all levels between all parties involved is absolutely vital.” A similar message rant through every presentation at this year’s Consec Conference .

“Security must be 100% effective, professional and, dare I say it, iconic. National security depends on neighbourhood security.”

As SMT reported in last month’s Olympics 2012 Supplement, the scale of this event is huge. 26 sports. 10,500 athletes. 7,000 sponsor representatives. Consequently, the scale and complexity of the security programme must match demand. “The private security industry can play its part in venue security, asset protection, crowd management, CCTV operation and alarm response,” suggested Amery. “The intensive part of our planning begins in 2008.”

Amery has already engaged with the BSIA and Skills for Security. The former has instigated a Working Party on Crowd Management. “The SIA must also be heavily involved here. An important part of the Olympic ethic involves legacy planning. Delivering the Games is all about inspiring the Community and a lifetime of opportunities for east London and, by association, security companies in the private sector.”

CCTV: creating secure communities

Immediately prior to the Gala Luncheon, Pauline Norstrom (worldwide head of marketing at Dedicated Micros and chair of the BSIA’s CCTV Section) examined how CCTV can be instrumental in creating safer communities.

“There are now 4.2 million CCTV cameras covering the UK. There are systems on the ground,” continued Norstrom, “and in the air. What’s more, they are working. 7/7 and 21/7 showed the vast improvement in image quality and the speed of incident retrieval when compared with the Jamie Bulger case.”

Norstrom then posed a question that’s currently on everyone’s mind – and certainly occupying the time of Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner (‘Big Brother: here to stay’, p3). “Are we a surveillance society? Surveys certainly show that members of the public are generally supportive of CCTV. They view CCTV as an anti-crime measure, and feel safer when they know it’s there.”

What we do need is a clear understanding of the benefits to be realised from surveillance. Not perceived, but actual. “Best Practice in the CCTV world has to be incentivised,” asserted Norstrom. End users are important here. They need to be incentivised towards Best Practice by their insurers. Constant police response in relation to BS 8418 is vital. This is truly a landmark standard, but it requires full police service and insurance community backing.”

How can the CCTV sector raise its game, and genuinely assist in the creation of safer communities? For Norstrom, current developments in video content analytics (‘Analytics under surveillance’, pp30-31) are essential. “Indexing is the key for system operators, allowing them to access really fast post-event processing,” explained Norstrom.

In conclusion, then, CCTV most certainly does have a crucial role to play in securing communities, but if that end goal is to be realised at all times then “active and continual support from all of the stakeholders involved is absolutely critical.”

Accreditation for police partners

“In years to come, you are far more likely to see Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) on patrol than fully-fledged police officers. The Government’s target is to have 16,000 of them on the payroll before the end of March next year. As a police service, we must understand and come to terms with the fact that policing is not – and can no longer be – carried out solely by the police, whether we like it or not.”

Strong words from Peter Davies, assistant chief constable at Lincolnshire Police and the ACPO lead spokesperson on security systems and the wider policing family.

In his afternoon presentation, Davies said: “Government is now beginning to talk the language of the security industry. Vernon Coaker’s speech at last month’s Security Excellence Awards is a classic example. The security industry is beginning to take an active role in community policing. Excellent news.”

Davies wasn’t slow to point out that there are now close on 1,000 individuals accredited under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme right across the country. “The big challenge for us all is to ensure that skills are transferable with the minimum amount of difficulty for those involved.”