The security guarding sector must be competitive around pay, benefits and working conditions for everyone to attract the best people to join us.

In the words of the legendary Nat King Cole, ‘There may be trouble ahead’, but rather than facing the music and dancing, we must act.

The United Colors of Benetton cannot compare with the security guarding industry when it comes to diversity, with licensed representation from 198 of the possible 223 nationalities in the world. We also have a vast age spectrum for security operatives currently licensed, from 18 to 99, yes 99 years of age, although we are unable to ascertain how many of those licence holders are operational given the three-year licence review at this current time.

Interestingly, the gender definition within the SIA records remains as male or female, with just over 10% of the industry total of 440,666 licensed operatives being female (48,299/10.9%).

Despite much talk over the last few years about making the industry more attractive to females with equal pay, the adjustment of shift times, and allowing changes in working practices — aligning operational contract terms with school holidays an example — this does not seem to have made any real difference with the percentage ratio of female to male officers only increasing by 0.78% since December 2020, albeit this equates to an increase of just over 11,000 females in the industry.

Our youngest industry entrants, the 18-year-olds, account for just 1,122 of our licensed individuals, although this number does increase progressively each year so that in total, as per the latest SIA figures, there are 69,516 licensed individuals between the ages of 18 and 25.

The number of licensed female security practitioners in our industry combined with the 18–25-year-olds age group accounts for approximately 27% of our entire industry (excusing the fact that some people will be double counted by being female and under the age of 25). This is clearly an area where we could attract further colleagues with the right working conditions and benefits.

However, at the peak of the recruitment frenzy in 2022 there were approximately 1.3 million job vacancies in the UK, which has since reduced significantly but still sits at around 884,000 vacancies.

If you look through the job sites you will see that there are plenty of better-paid jobs on offer outside our industry with the likes of Tesco, Asda and McDonald’s, for example, all paying more per hour than a large number of our security officers currently receive, with more family-friendly working hours and without the need to be vetted and screened for licensing purposes, which is, unbelievably, often at a cost to the individual still.

Add the worklessness crisis facing the UK into the mix, with an approximate 9.5 million people of working age neither in work nor looking for work, and you can see why there is trouble ahead.

A recent survey by Total Jobs showed that businesses prioritised attracting talent that they could invest in; training and career development were the most- mentioned benefits, followed by financial rewards.

The winning benefits in the eyes of the candidates were bonuses, flexible hours, free or discounted food and drink, pension contributions over what’s legally required, and private health insurance.

During any contract tender process TUPE Regulations impose an obligation on the outgoing employer to provide employee liability information (ELI) to the new employer, and this must include all the benefits that the staff currently receive.

Having personally reviewed many ELI submissions over a number of years, I continue to be disappointed by what some of the leading companies in our industry are currently offering, or not, as is the case most of the time. Many submissions reviewed offered the minimum wage, the basic statutory holiday and pension requirements, and absolutely nothing else

Of course, I am sure those companies will say that this is their client’s fault because they will not pay any more, but the question I pose is: have you even asked the question or presented your case on behalf of your employees?

So here is our crossroads. Do we continue as we are by showcasing specific sectors of our security industry through excellent industry awards, for example, the Women in Security Awards and EDI&B (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging) Awards, to show how inclusive we are? Although being controversial for a moment: if we are being inclusive, why do we not also have awards for People of Colour, who make up by far the largest proportion of our industry, or the 18-years-old group, who make up 0.04% of our industry, or even for those over the UK state pension age of 66 (rising to 67 in 2026) who continue to work and make up a mere 2.9% of our industry?

Until our industry shows that it’s united at all levels, for all ages and for all genders, and that we are able to compete with any other profession in regard to pay, benefits, and working conditions, we will continue to lurch forward as we have for the last 20 years with a diminishing labour pool and other industries picking the best from those who want to work while we sit on the sidelines and watch.

David Ward CSyP FSyI

David Ward Associates

www.Davidwardassociates.com

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One positive take from this pandemic for our security sector is that COVID-19 elevated the important role all frontline workers play in our society.

The media shone a spotlight on so many people, from supermarket staff, bus drivers, tube workers, railway operators, delivery drivers and postmen to our NHS staff and emergency services workers, and in doing so has helped a nation wake up, possibly for the first time, to how our society really runs.

Security officers are often quite literally standing on the front line. Yet they are so often unrecognised until they are needed.  They are the silent onlookers, the trained first responders and inevitably the first people asked for help in the absence of a police officer.

They are invaluable to us, yet our industry remains underrated and often poorly remunerated. We must learn to pay all frontline workers a decent wage, one that reflects the important contribution they make to our society and the professionalism of these people. However, if we are to gain the buy-in from the people that pay the wages of our officer, then we as a security industry must maintain and continue to drive high standards. To this end the City Security Council has created an HR group where representatives of 16 security companies have been tasked to look closely at what training the industry should be investing in to raise standards. The findings of the group will be taken back to the Security Industry Authority to advise on best practice and what they believe should be built into the qualifications and training of all security professionals. This process should drive quality standards as well as demonstrate to clients hiring security services just what they are paying for and why they need to pay more.

Let’s not go into next year leaving this issue of poorly remunerating our frontline workers as something we all say should be addressed but is not.  We may have stood on our doorsteps and clapped our thanks but we need to go much further to reward and recognise the importance of our security officers.

David Ward, MSyI

Chair,

City Security Council

For further views on this topic, see related articles from our Police & Partnerships category:

Robert Hall, Resilience First, on lessons learnt from 2020

Guy Mathias, Security Commonwealth on evolving the security response

Richard Jenkins, NSI on the security sector response to Covid-19

Mike Reddington, BSIA, on dealing with the global pandemic

The post David Ward on recognising the importance of security officers appeared first on City Security Magazine.

 Working collectively and collaboratively has continued to be the main theme and focus for the members of the City Security Council (CSC) over the last few months.

We have continued to dial in regularly on the City of London Police-coordinated Silver conference calls which has ensured that all our security teams are fully up to date with the latest intelligence and are aware of any potential threats direct.

Collectively, we have a robust presence in the City of London, and this also means we have a strong and united voice. We used this to good effect, lobbying local government particularly around the issue of recognising and reclassifying security officers as essential key workers. We, along with other Associations, argued successfully that the 10,000 security related staff based in the City of London are essential key workers who have a vital role in supporting and assisting the police and the public, and protecting the security of our country.

We raised awareness not just of the importance of frontline workers to the infrastructure of our communities nationally but of the wider significance of having essential worker status for the families of security officers, such as allowing their children to attend school and gain authorised travel within restricted areas.

We also raised our collective concerns around the financial impact of reintroducing the London congestion charge and the potential impact this would have on our security personnel trying to get to their buildings safely.

Unfortunately, on this occasion we were not successful, receiving a rather wordy response from the Greater London Authority stating their concern for road congestion and air pollution as the reasons for declining our request, and therefore our frontline teams continue to endure both the congestion charge and the emissions charge on a daily basis when travelling into work as they try to avoid public transport where possible.

So, while we have spent a considerable amount of time talking, we have also continued to be active in the field. A large number of the City Security Council members took part in a joint, hi-visibility patrolling strategy with the City of London Police, as part of a Project Servator style initiative to deter potential building attacks from protest group Extinction Rebellion.

The joint initiative was implemented over the May Bank Holiday weekend and saw combined patrols being set up across the CSC sites within the Square Mile. Approximately 1,000 security officers took part, supported by the police, who were out in force both on foot and as mounted police officers. Together we created a sea of security officers and police officers, all highly visible and acting as an efficient deterrent for any potential protestors.

This was an excellent example of why the CSC exists in the first place, with everyone working side by side and collaboratively with the police to provide a common goal of greater protection for our clients, their assets, and the public.

The largest project that the CSC continues to work on is for the provision of a shared communications with the City of London Police and the City of London Corporation. The specification requirements are being finalised and shortly interested parties will be invited to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire to demonstrate their ability to move onto the short list for presentation to a review panel.

The benefits of the shared communications platform are numerous, with the sharing of information from the security officers on the ground into the Police Joint Contact and Control Room (JCCR) and the briefing of security officers from the JCCR with timely and accurate information being two of the major benefits; also in the event of an emergency, there is the ability to detail available resources to assist in the immediate vicinity in a matter of seconds. It is hoped the successful supplier for the platform will be confirmed before the end of the year with the system then going live in the first quarter of 2021.

Over the last few months it has become clear that many companies who are not members of a trade body have no voice and so we welcome security companies who are currently not a member of the CSC to join us wherever they are based in the UK so that we can lobby on their behalf along with all of our other members. Although the membership remit originally was Approved Contract Scheme (ACS) members only, we would also welcome those accredited to or working towards BS7499, BS7984, BS7958 and BS8517.

Speaking of membership, we were delighted to recently welcome G4S to the City Security Council.  It is almost hard to believe that it was only twelve months ago that the CSC was formally established, signed a charter and started on our collaborative journey. Little did we know then just how important this collaboration would quickly become, both for the industry and for our officers.

Further details are available on our website: https://citysecuritycouncil.co.uk

David Ward, chairman City Security Council

Hot off the press CSC is now opening its membership nationally, read full article here: City Security Council opens membership nationally

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David Ward, CEO of Ward Security, reviews his highlights for the security sector in 2019 and identifies key challenges going forward in 2020.

A case study in security collaboration

Collaboration was an important theme for security in 2019. I have always maintained that sharing intelligence is good practice and that working together, very often with our competitors, makes for a better, more resilient secure environment for all. With that in mind, the creation of the City Security Council is a perfect example of collaboration working in practice. We have successfully galvanised support from our industry peers and, with the backing of the City of London Police Commissioner, launched the council in June.

The CSC, as it’s now commonly referred to, is a collaborative council open to all security businesses that operate in the City of London to join. Its main purpose is to standardise effective and efficient responses from security companies when operating in times of emergency. This approach was devised by senior members of the industry who met over a period of twelve months to discuss ideas and agree what is essentially a code of good practice. In February 2020, the CSC will hold its first multi-agency exercise, involving the CPNI and emergency services and its members. It is a wholly collaborative council and one I believe will make a huge tangible difference to how we respond to incidents in the City, and everyone involved in the set-up should be commended for their efforts. If you have a security business in the City and are interested in joining, see citysecuritycouncil.co.uk for details.

Learning from major incidents

While collaboration has been a key theme, so too has been learning. The security sector has invested significant time reviewing the findings from past major incidents such as London Bridge and the Manchester Arena and considered how our processes and people can be better prepared to support the emergency services and the general public in times of major crisis. A key finding in common from these reviews and from others globally, has been to highlight the importance of first or zero responders in giving medical attention to those injured while waiting for the emergency services to arrive.  Where there is a lockdown situation the first responders are critical in giving medical attention which very often is directly correlated to saving lives.

It is important to review security officers’ medical knowledge, skills and ability to deliver support and we realised there were gaps we could fill and areas to improve on. As an example, Ward Security has created and introduced emergency trauma packs (ETPs) and acid wash stations at some of our client sites and has provided additional training in how to properly use these packs.

Valuing security officers

Looking ahead at the challenges for us as a business next year, one of the hardest ones for us to resolve is ensuring that our security officers are valued and remunerated in line with the importance and professionalism of the role. I have written on this subject before, but it merits another mention. We want to pay the living wage as a minimum wherever we can to our officers; however, on occasion we are restricted by our clients and their willingness to pay. I can’t emphasise enough how important a role security officers have in our society in keeping us, our people and buildings safe. We must retain these people.

Our industry has matured and undergone a step change in professionalism, and as such, we need to recognise our security officers for the true professionals they are and pay them their worth, beyond the living wage. They are key assets and players in the security of our nation. The bottom line is that if we are not willing to pay them enough, we will not attract or keep good people in our industry.

They say look after the people and the rest is easy, but that is hard when our people need better financial compensation. We provide the best we possibly can and in addition, we load them up with employee benefits and invest in enhancing their skills for career development.  However, we need our clients to support our view.

This is absolutely not about financially squeezing our clients to make additional profit; it is all about having the ability to pay fairly and keep the best people in security jobs.

Attracting more young people into security

Linked to this point is how we can attract more bright, young people into the security industry. Our challenge is to get them to view security roles beyond a nightclub doorman.  To see it as an industry that is innovative and exciting where you can have a rewarding and meaningful career and make a difference.

To facilitate this aspiration, we have become very involved in the Next Generation initiative.

Overall, our industry has lots to be proud of, so reflecting on the year and how the industry is progressing is mostly positive for me. There is enough work and appetite for everyone to collaborate with each other and in doing so, exciting new ideas that keep evolving our security industry continue to come to light.

I am looking forward to 2020 and the next round of collaborative ideas.

David Ward

CEO, Ward Security

www.ward-security.co.uk

See also:

City Security Council launches in the City of London

Security Institute launches Next Generation initiative

Manchester Arena Attack – new approaches to bereavement support

Security officer as first responder

The post Security sector highlights and challenges appeared first on City Security Magazine.

The role of security officers in protecting people and buildings is ever changing.  Today’s modern security officer is trained to be resilient and much more than boots on the ground. Just how is the industry evolving and how can security officers be trained to act as first responders in times of critical incidents?

 The Commissioner of the City of London Police, Ian Dyson, recently highlighted at the launch of the City Security Council (CSC) the growing importance of security officers working in collaboration and in support of police officers as first responders in times of crisis and major incidents. His view is a popular one that is shared by many within the security industry, since we are the providers of the people who are very often at the centre of crises and the first people making decisions when incidents happen.

How our security officers act and react in the heat of a moment can be critical to gaining positive outcomes. Similarly, how quickly and efficiently we use mechanisms to share information between other security companies and the emergency services.

Sharing Information and Collaboration

Since the establishment of the CSC we have worked hard to build on this and develop fast and efficient ways to disseminate and cascade information through the ranks from the bottom up and top down.

The extent of the collaboration now across the security industry shows there is a great appetite for joined-up thinking and working which not only improves the benefit of security for our clients but the overall safety of our nation.

Physical Attacks

While we are getting better at this coordinated communication response, we are also seeking new ways of working that improve our physical response. There is a need for this to happen, particularly with the disturbing surge in chemical and acid attacks in the UK.

According to the Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) the UK continues to have one of the highest rates of acid attacks per capita in the world. Knife crime and gun crime are also widespread. While it makes depressing reading, we must act on these statistics.

Physical attacks happen either as part of organised crime or random targeting, which makes it hard to know when they might occur. However, we know where they occur. They are happening at street level and generally where our officers are patrolling or are in close proximity to, which means we need to be prepared to respond.

Training security officers

While situational awareness, being in tune with our environment and being switched on to unusual occurrences is important, it is only part of the key to being a good first responder to any attack. Training beyond SIA security officer licensing requirements and providing ongoing continuous professional development is essential.

In my view, it is imperative we invest in training our officers to know far more than the basics. They need to know the latest trends in criminal behaviour and criminal thinking and have access to the right emergency kit to help them deal with situations.

We must provide medical training, beyond basic first aid to non-medical staff. Learnings from major terrorism attacks such as the Boston Marathon show that despite heavy casualties the survival rate of victims from serious injuries was significant and credited to the immediate lifesaving actions of police and bystanders. Some security providers have their own training academies, to share the-indepth knowledge they have with others.

They also run regular scenario-based testing with their teams on the ground. Running ‘mock up’ exercises improves performance so that in an emergency reactions become natural. Practices such as automatically switching comms to dedicated radio channels, using text messages and monitoring WhatsApp groups set up for critical incidents mean everyone on the ground works together from the start of an incident.

Mental Health First Aid

Another area that is increasingly useful for first responders to be trained in is mental health first aid awareness. Having the knowledge to be able to spot someone who has or is developing a mental health issue and understanding the sensitivities around handling that person can often be the first step in intervening before it escalates.

Being a first responder is a hugely responsible and critical role.

Our security officers are relied upon by thousands of people to help them and it is refreshing to see the industry collaborating, reacting and evolving to rise to the new challenges that are often presented to them every day.

David Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Ward Security

www.ward-security.co.uk

See also the Security Management archive of articles, in particular articles on Guarding.

The post Security Officer as first responder appeared first on City Security Magazine.

Owners and managers of shopping centres, malls and retail parks proudly boast of annual footfall figures that talk in the millions, and they celebrate when these figures increase.

Local authorities will also proudly trumpet these achievements, especially when footfall figures increase on their beleaguered high streets.

Unfortunately, retail and crime have always been familiar bedfellows and always will be. Where there are people with money to spend, there will always be criminals intent on preying on them.

For the low-level criminal intent on theft, burglary, shoplifting, fraud, or even physical attacks, modern retail centres are irresistible. They can take advantage of the easy access, parking and facilities provided for law-abiding shoppers, and can disappear easily into the throng.  An entire industry exists to deter, detect and apprehend this ever-present nuisance.

Worst-case scenario

However, when talking about retail and security, it is important to consider the worst-case scenario, and not only low-level crime.

The Omagh car bombing of 1998, in which 230kg of fertiliser-based explosives were detonated in a busy high street on a Saturday afternoon, killed 29 people and injured 220 others. This was the highest death toll from a single incident during the Northern Ireland troubles. It violently illustrated not only how vulnerable shopping centres are, but also the level of carnage that can be caused by a well-planned attack.

Fifteen years later, in 2013, the world was shocked as gunmen attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, killing at least 67 and wounding more than 175 people. Video footage filmed on smartphones helped to drive home the horror of the attack and illustrate the helplessness and panic of victims caught up in the carnage.

In February 2015 the Al-Qaida-linked terror group al-Shabaab urged extremists to attack UK shopping malls to replicate the Nairobi shopping centre attack.

In July 2016 ten people were killed and 36 injured by a lone-wolf attack at the Olympia shopping mall in Munich. While the attack does not appear to be terrorism related, it once again illustrated just how vulnerable shopping centres continue to be, and how attractive they are as targets.

Security must evolve

The retail environment continues to evolve, and threats will also continue to evolve to take advantage of the changes and opportunities. It is therefore important that security measures and responses evolve to match emerging threats.

Unfortunately, the threat of attack, like the threat of fire or natural disaster, or indeed low-level crime, cannot ever be truly eradicated. Therefore, managers of sites responsible for planning and implementing fire and evacuation procedures should consider rethinking the standard approach of evacuating people and having them congregate at muster points.

Considering terrorist attackers prefer large groups of people to target, and considering events like the recent Westminster incident where a vehicle was used as a weapon to attack innocent bystanders on bustling London streets, instructing people to exit an area and stand in a crowd offers a subsequent easy target. So it is far better to employ a dispersal technique to your evacuation plans rather than a congregation one.

Evacuation plans

Whatever the location, building or site, it is important to periodically audit your evacuation and dispersal procedures to ensure they are still fit for purpose.

Have the procedures become outdated as the site and its usage have evolved? Is signage still in place and clear? Are staff and resident businesses properly and regularly briefed about procedures? Updating procedures could literally be the difference between life and death.

The issue of assembly of evacuated persons should be looked at as part of this audit. Dispersal is preferable to the congregation of evacuated persons as not only is it a safer strategy, it is also more realistic at sites where space is limited, such as busy city centres.

Technology for evacuation

Owners and managers of retail sites, and indeed business owners, should already be investigating how technology can be included into their evacuation and dispersal plans. Technology platforms are already being used by police forces and organisations such as the Cross-sector Safety and Security Communications (CSSC) initiative.

The CSSC initiative brings together law enforcement agencies, local and national government organisations and private sector businesses, and is proving highly effective in delivering a robust communications and intelligence infrastructure. This model could prove invaluable for all retail centres and can be critical in helping to make sure all businesses and staff are equally well informed about a situation. Details about major threats and incidents can be effectively disseminated through such networks, quickly and efficiently.

The communications technology that underpins the CSSC model is ubiquitous. All that’s needed is for retail business communities and site managers to come together to take advantage of the opportunity.

With a smartphone in every pocket, there is a great opportunity to use technology to great effect and to ensure the safety of shoppers and staff. There’s no reason why technology should not become integral to evacuation and dispersal, even functioning as a mobile guide to where people need to go in the event of an incident.

David Ward

Managing Director, Ward Security

www.ward-security.co.uk

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It is an unfortunate truism that crime prevention will forever remain a case of the good guys playing catch up with the bad guys.

Regardless of the area of criminal activity, it is inevitable that crime prevention, detection and deterrence will be, by its very nature, reactive. Criminals develop ways of committing crime and the world has to react to find a way to stop or deter them.

Crimes and techniques for committing crimes evolve and take advantage of the times or the environment, and again, the world has to similarly adapt as these new modes emerge.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the ugly world of terrorism.

Modern terrorism

Modern terrorism is a model of innovation for evil. The modern terrorist has embraced all of the tools available in a digital world and has used emerging technologies for research, planning and communication. They have also embraced technology to help fund their activities.

Cybercrime is a well-recognised threat to us all. We are targets in both our personal lives and our business lives. Even governments are targets. The bad guys are countless and their motives varied: from the individual opportunist looking to make personal financial gain, to politically driven activists, and even foreign states looking to gain an advantage on the global stage. It is certainly true that some legitimate businesses will occasionally engage in illegal cybercrime activities to gain a commercial advantage.

Within these cybercriminal ranks will be terrorists and terrorist organisations who use cybercrime to not only launch cyberattacks, but who also use the proceeds from cybercrime to fund their real-world activities.

The entertainment industry understands how this process works, which is why a movie DVD will often start with an advert about how piracy supports other more serious criminal activity such as people trafficking. If you can’t get your funding from legitimate channels, of course you are going to turn to illegitimate channels. We must all be aware of this model and must strive individually to avoid supporting crime through our own activity.

Counter terrorism funding

The relationship between seemingly low-level fund-raising cybercrime and actual physical terrorism is yet another new area to address. Not only do we have to deal with the initial cybercrime and the actual terrorism, we now have to look at the point where fundraising activity meets real-world terrorism and how funds are transferred. Once again, we are playing catch up. But perhaps the most worrying aspect of this entire scenario is that the terrorists are ahead of us as regards their organisation and funding. They have the highly effective terrorist funding mechanisms in place, where we often do not have comparable counter terrorism funding.

This puts the concept of playing catch-up on a whole new level. Not only are we permanently playing catch-up at a micro-level of cyber security and terrorism, we are also behind at a macro-level with our attitude towards funding counter terrorism. If only we could be more advanced in this respect, we might be able to have more impact.

Organisations such as the Cross-Sector Safety and Security Communications (CSSC) initiative are increasingly important in counter terrorism.

Here is one way that we CAN be a ‘market leader’ in the battle between terrorism and counter terrorism. By bringing together law enforcement agencies, local and national government organisations and private sector businesses and sectors, we can operate in a way terrorists can’t. We can operate as a community in communal defence where they forever have to operate in the shadows, alone and in secret to avoid detection. At last, we have the edge.

However, at the same time the CSSC operates under charitable status and relies on donations and goodwill to support itself. Surely this is something we need to address? A more formal government supported funding mechanism would surely be justified considering the seriousness and nature of the challenge.

Even the police have to lobby for funds and support and are always looking over their shoulder at the spectre of funding cuts from government.

Creating a cash flow problem

But until this issue is addressed we need to think about the ways in which we can make it more difficult for terrorists to fund themselves through cybercrime and in effect create a ‘cash flow problem’ for terrorists and terrorist organisations. That means taking a more proactive and serious approach to our own cybersecurity, both as individuals and as organisations.

Businesses should engage with security companies and ensure they have proper cybersecurity audits and should make sure staff are aware of the risks and the potential for supporting terrorism, albeit it innocently, but not being vigilant with their own security. Businesses should also consider their role in helping to fund counter terrorism through supporting organisations like the CSSC.

It is ultimately for their own benefit. While most businesses have strong CSR programmes in place, there is a justifiable argument for adding support for the CSSC within those programmes.

For once, let’s turn the tables and take the lead in the fight against terrorism. Let’s not let the terrorists be the market leaders. While we will remain the followers in a game of catch- up on many levels, let’s take the lead in how we fund our counter terrorism efforts.

David Ward

Managing Director, Ward Security

www.ward-security.co.uk

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One of the challenges we found in setting up our local branch of CSSC is that outside London the CSSC is still a relatively new concept for businesses and organisations.

This means we have concentrated on having conversations around establishing the credibility of our organisation, so finding the right people to help has been essential. The local Counter Terrorism Security Advisers (CTSAs) and CSSC connections have helped massively, which means we have been introduced to the right people on the ground to help us spread the word.

Communicating its benefits, how the CSSC came into being and its hugely important and relevant role in delivering counter terrorism, is a key part of my role. The CSSC name and key messages have got to get out more consistently and nationally from the heart of CSSC in London and that is something every CSSC member can help with.

To my mind, something simple like having a coordinated push to our network of contacts that explains who and why the CSSC exists would be a massive help for all CSSC branch coordinators.

Cascading messages

However, the biggest challenge I am trying to address is ensuring we cascade the messages from the hub far enough down the chain.

By this I mean, how do we get to the smallest of businesses, the taxi and courier firms, the corner shops based on a high street near where there may be a major incident or issue, the thousands of independent businesses that are not based on a business park or in an office environment or plugged into a major communication network. We need to build our database of recipients in each region and find smart ways to alert everyone, efficiently and effectively and that might be something as simple as signposting businesses to receive text alerts.

Another issue for us is the enormity of the geographical spread of the South East region: we cover Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and Thames Valley. Unlike London, we are not compact and on a good day it can take five hours to drive from one end of the region to another, which means getting people together for face-to-face meetings, to brainstorm ideas or talk through initiatives can be problematic. I acknowledge we have skype, email and conferencing facilities, but nothing beats a face-to-face meeting, particularly when you are explaining CSSC.

All that said, recruiting sector leads in the southern region is going well. We are delighted to have on our team the Head of Security for P&O Ferries, Chief Constable Thames Valley Police, the Head of Security for Virgin Airways and the National Security Manager of Santander.

Fundamentally, the CSSC model is a proven and strong asset for ensuring better security and business resilience in our local communities; we just need to build on it and improve awareness nationally if it is to have the same importance and impact that it currently has in the capital city.

David Ward, Chairman, CSSC South East

For further information please visit thecssc.com

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There is debate as to whether or not Napoleon actually said it, but it is certainly true that Britain is a nation of both shopkeepers and shoppers.

Of course, the activity of shopping has changed dramatically in recent decades. The High Street is no longer the primary site for bricks and mortar retail, and inner city shopping centres (malls) and out-of-town retail parks are where we increasingly do our real world shopping.

Security Strategy for Retail Centres

From a security point of view, the change in the retail landscape presents both challenges and opportunities. These need to be well understood because, while we all love shopping, we have to recognise that retail centres present lucrative and high value targets for criminal activity, ranging from low level anti-social behaviour through to major terrorism. So any strategy for protecting our retail centres needs to be broad and conscientious, and crucially needs to understand each distinct environment if it is to provide effective protection for businesses and shoppers.

The Threat

The seriousness of the threat is proven. While the recent attack on the Olympic Park shopping centre in Munich does not appear to be related to a recognised terrorist group or motive, it shows how vulnerable these sites are. And we need only to look back to the Omagh bombing of 1998 to understand how devastating an attack on a seemingly serene High Street shopping environment can be.

At a lower level, retail centres are of course the natural hunting grounds for lesser criminals – the anti-social youths, shoplifters, thieves and pickpockets – and they will remain so. The potential pickings are too good to resist.

Challenges for the Inner City Mall

The situation is challenging for inner city shopping centres and malls. These tend to be retail enclaves within a wider organic urban environment, and therefore the typical mall will have several entry points and a more fluid and ever-changing footfall that will be difficult to monitor.

The more modern and substantial malls often include car parks which are below the main pedestrian and retail areas, so the threat of a terrorist bomb, if big enough, would present significant risk of structural damage and collapse. The 1993 attack on New York’s World Trade Centre, in which a truck loaded with explosives was detonated in an underground car park, was an attempt to achieve just this result, but on a grandiose and truly repulsive scale.

At a lower level of crime, it is easy for thieves and pickpockets to move in and out of a mall, and therefore they are more difficult to monitor and apprehend. But at the same time there will be in place high levels of CCTV monitoring and connectivity between mall management and resident businesses, which considerably empowers the security stance.

Connecting up the High Street

High Streets rarely, if ever, benefit from such connectivity or management. There will not be a central management office and businesses will usually operate in isolation, making it very hard to disseminate information or synchronise an evacuation if needed. Aside from an on-the-street police presence, and the occasional employment of additional security by councils or Business Improvement Districts, most High Streets lack any sort of coordinated security presence, and it is difficult to envisage any way in which they can be made any more secure.

There is, however, a system in place that even the smallest High Street independent retailer should consider. The Cross-Sector Safety and Security Communications (CSSC) initiative, detailed earlier in this magazine, is a partnership between law enforcement agencies, local and national government organisations and private sector businesses that is proving highly effective and, if broadened, could prove a model for even the most remote High Street.

Intelligence about major threats and incidents can be better disseminated through such networks, quickly and efficiently. The communications technology is ubiquitous, all that’s needed is for High Street business communities to come together to take advantage of the opportunity. It would put such local traditional retail communities on a more equal security footing with their more organised neighbours in the malls and retail parks.

Sensitive Security

When policing busy retail centres there will an additional challenge of political sensitivity and ensuring security does not negatively dominate the shopping experience. In the UK we like to know security is there to protect us, but we feel uncomfortable if it is intrusive or domineering.

As a society we also feel uncomfortable with obvious profiling when delivering the security function. This latter point takes on additional importance in an environment which is dominated by fears of Islamic terrorism. As current events in the United States show, there is a risk of significant damage to the fabric of society of profiling on a racial or religious level, so security and policing needs to be handled sensitively, especially in our High Streets where the cultural mix of retailers and shoppers is the most varied.

David Ward

Ward Security

www.ward-security.co.uk

The post Retail security strategy on the UK’s High Streets appeared first on City Security Magazine.

In the Middle East, security awareness is unsurprisingly high, with Governments in high political risk countries investing in security measures to both secure properties and people, but also to reassure companies they offer a safe haven to conduct business.

How effective is the increasing use of security dogs in the Middle East, both in airports and elsewhere?

The use of dogs by Government officers to detect illegal substances, explosives and stowaways at airports and border controls has been commonplace since the 1960s. Initially, many countries conducted their canine searches away from the public gaze, but the recognition that dogs with handlers in action can also provide a strong visible deterrent meant that dogs soon became fully integrated with the enforcement officers on the ground dealing with the general public.

Globally, the aviation security industry has long embraced the integration of dogs into their security programmes. Capable of screening cargo, mail and large volumes of people efficiently, dogs also provide a complementary detection tool alongside high tech mechanisms, such as trace particle detection and x-ray machines.

Trust in security dogs

The level of trust the general public place on security dogs is now also extremely high – a recent U.S. passenger poll, to establish how best to reduce drug smuggling into Grand Cayman airport, showed more than 62% felt the most preferable method would be to introduce or increase the presence of sniffer dogs.

In general, the use and acceptance of security dogs as a key security device is increasing in the Middle East as well, and not just with state institutions, but also with private businesses, who are activity seeking professional dog security.

CCTV and dog security together

Dogs and handlers certainly don’t replace or negate the need for more modern techniques such as CCTV or Wireless Intruder Detection Systems, instead they augment the security and, particularly when there are large spaces and perimeters to patrol, such as airport terminals, they can be much more effective. Dogs also ensure the security officers are not exposed unduly to risk while on patrol.

Generally, people tend to be more scared of dogs than cameras, so the presence of a dog on any site can often be a strong enough deterrent to stop a criminal act occurring.   For the aviation industry, particularly in countries near war zones or with a high risk of domestic unrest, this provides a strong reason to incorporate an element of dog security into their tightening security programmes.

Dog handling is a highly skilled, specialist role that requires handlers to undergo rigorous training regimes and the companies that provide them to pass and maintain the highest possible accreditations and standards in order to provide dog security.

The value of the police dog, not just in transportation security, has been recognised in the UK for a long time and for that reason the UK has built a reputation for excellence in the provision of highly skilled guard and detection security dogs.

David Ward

Managing Director, Ward Security

www.ward-security.co.uk

The post Security dogs deter and detect in the Middle East appeared first on City Security Magazine.