NSI to showcase Associate Consultancy Programme at CONSEC 2019

The National Security Inspectorate (NSI) has announced that it will be exhibiting for the first time at CONSEC, the Association of Security Consultants’ Annual Conference, which takes place on Thursday 3 October at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Heathrow. The NSI team on site will be showcasing the Inspectorate’s Associate Consultancy Programme (ACP) – an independent referral listing.

The NSI’s Associate Consultancy Programme enables consultants to use the NSI ACP logo once successfully completing their application for membership of the programme, and signals the professionalism of the business to organisations seeking consultancy.

The NSI conducts due diligence on each consultancy prior to acceptance for the programme, and thereafter on an annual basis.

“For any business in the sector considering an external consultancy service, the Associate Consultancy Programme is a good starting point with participating consultancies covering a wide range of security and fire safety-related services,” explained Richard Jenkins, CEO at the NSI.

*For more information on the NSI’s Associate Consultancy Programme access: https://www.nsi.org.uk/information-centre/information-for-consultancies/

**Companies wishing to source NSI Associate Consultancies can find out more at: www.nsi.org.uk/information-centre/nsi-associate-consultancies/

Security industry professionals determine to support Armed Forces veterans

Security industry professional associations are convening at a fundraising reception on Tuesday 13 November from 6.00 pm in support of UK Armed Forces veterans suffering from mental health issues caused by military trauma.

The reception at The Crick Institute in central London will raise funds for charity PTSD Resolution, which provides free treatment to former members of the Armed Forces and their families through a national network of therapists with a near 80% success rate.

Tickets for the event are available from ASIS online. The cost includes drinks, canapés, entertainment and a raffle. The event is organised by ASIS UK with support from the Association of Security Consultants, the International Professional Security Association, the National Association for Healthcare Security and the Spitalfields Security Forum.

David Clark, chairman of ASIS UK, commented: “I would like to thank our fellow Security Commonwealth members for joining with us in this initiative. With so many veterans working in the security industry, it’s important that we, as responsible employers and line managers, recognise their contribution and support them in resolving the effects of trauma experienced now and sustained during their former military careers.”

Clark added: “PTSD Resolution has a longstanding partnership with the security industry as a provider of therapy that’s free, effective and locally available, not only to veterans but also their families. It’s fitting that, at this time and very soon after Remembrance Day, we should reflect on the contribution of veterans still with us and join together as an industry in supporting the effective therapy available.”

PTSD Resolution’s director Patrick Rea responded: “The symptoms of military trauma can result in family breakdown, job loss, addiction and suicide. Veterans or family members who believe that they may be suffering from the symptoms of trauma should seek help immediately.”

Key features of the service available through PTSD Resolution include the following:

*Free help for Vetverans and family members suffering mental health issues

*Confidential (no GP referral is needed)

*Local help through a UK network of therapists

*Fast treatment (usually with resolution in an average of five sessions)

*First session is booked often in days

*Compassionate: veterans do not have to talk about the events that have led to their mental trauma

*Transparent (with results monitored and reported)

For further information access www.ptsdresolution.org

Professor Martin Gill CSyP wins 2016 Imbert Prize bestowed by ASC

Professor Martin Gill CSyP, director of Perpetuity Research and founder of the Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs), has won the prestigious Imbert Prize bestowed by the Association of Security Consultants (ASC). The winner of the Associations segment of the annual Imbert Prize was announced at CONSEC 2016, which took place at the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel.

The Associations Prize is awarded to an individual in recognition of his or her demonstrably significant contribution to the security business sector across the previous year, with nominations made by ASIS UK, the British Security Industry Association, the International Professional Security Association and The Security Institute and adjudged by the ASC’s own Awards Panel.

The Imbert Prize itself highlights the ASC’s mission to encourage the advancement and professional development of the disciplines of risk and security management within the UK. The prize is named in honour of Lord Peter Imbert, former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service and Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, who has been a prominent figure in security and policing for many years now.

This award comes hot on the heels of Professor Gill receiving The ASIS President’s Award for Merit. This was awarded to Gill at ASIS International’s 62nd Annual Seminar and Exhibits (otherwise known as ‘ASIS 2016’), which ran in Orlando from 12–15 September. Gill received this particular award for his demonstrated dedication to the field of security and his assistance in advancing the profession as a whole, highlighted through his work in the field of security education, his service on the Board of the ASIS Foundation and the development and implementation of the aforementioned OSPAs.

Referencing this duo of prestigious honours, Gill told Risk UK: “To me, it’s the ultimate accolade to be recognised by your peers, and I’m both extremely grateful and humbled by the honour. I’m acutely aware of how many deserving people there are out there in security undertaking excellent work which is often unheralded. It’s ironic that I receive two prestigious awards when one of my main commitments is to recognise the truly deserving security people around the world via the OSPAs (www.theospas.com). I would like to thank all those people who continue to support me and my work.”

ASC hosts inaugural Business Group meeting of 2016

The Association of Security Consultants (ASC) held its first 2016 Business Group event of 2016 at the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) in the City of London on 18 February.

“2016 is a significant year for us as the ASC celebrates its 25th Anniversary,” explained the organisation’s chairman Joe Connell. In fact, there has arguably never been a better time to join the ASC either as a member, as an associate or a supporter.

The ASC’s move to such a prestige environment as the HAC is just one example of how the organisation is focusing on the delivery of enhanced benefits to its members.

ASC Business Group gatherings offer great opportunities for professional learning, sharing and networking. Add to that the ability to earn CPD points, opportunities for dining and networking at the House of Lords, the RAF Club and the HAC and first class conferencing at the Marriott Hotel, Heathrow for CONSEC and it’s no wonder ASC membership applications are at an all-time high.

For this month’s meeting, Jason Piggott and James Walker of Dallmeier plus Geoff Gritton and Dave Adams of Veracity informed, shared and entertained up to 60 guests alongside Richard Bell, head of cyber operations at Transport for London.

Comment from the industry

From an industry perspective. Murray Bothwell, the managing director of Veracity, stated: “The ASC Event was definitely a great opportunity for us to meet many of the key consultants, specifiers and project managers from the UK’s security business sector. I know that our team members were delighted with the turnout and the organisation of the whole event.”

James Walker, managing director at Dallmeier Electronic UK, added: “The day was very educational for all who attended, and a great opportunity for networking with both new and regular ASC members. Dallmeier will certainly be returning to future ASC Business Group events to benefit further from the educational and interactive presentations given across all aspects of security topics.”

Roger Noakes, the ASC’s vice-chairman, commented: “We’re grateful to our sponsors, including Dallmeier, Veracity and Frontline, and indeed to our guest speakers who always provide added interest and relevance to industry professionals. We’re pleased to be able to offer this great service to our members, their guests and associates and look forward to an exciting range of ASC events throughout 2016.”

Security Management via the Cloud: ‘Organisations must embrace the risks as well as the opportunities’

Organisations embracing cloud-based security management systems will see major benefits from doing so but must adapt quickly to ensure they don’t open themselves up to evolving risks. This was the clear message emanating from the Association of Security Consultants’ (ASC) winter Business Group meeting held on 18 November at the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Inderpall Sall, technical director at NG Bailey IT Services, highlighted the rapid progress towards the next phase of cloud evolution when everything will be connected to the Internet. This would maximise the intelligence available, facilitate the convergence of building, ICT and business systems within organisations and routinely mean that powerful analytics were available.

Examples given included access control data triggering whether lights were switched on or off at a particular workstation, an entry card being disabled and desk and parking space released when someone is on holiday and an American company using data from cameras to analyse behaviour on train stations with a view to preventing suicides.

Clients are now demanding cloud-based mobile technology – “You have to put a network in otherwise someone else will do it”. There’s now a move away from organisations requiring every system to have its own separate infrastructure and applications. Indeed, Sall cited the examples of a client that had opted to have just one cabling infrastructure to manage and monitor everything and of a requirement to provide a very simple, single application with security, fire and building management sections available from one screen.

Inderpall Sall: technical director at NG Bailey IT Services

Consideration of risk alongside opportunity

However, there’s a need to consider the risks alongside the opportunities. If all information is on the network, the implications of being hacked would be much more serious. Effectively, it would be possible for someone to gain control of a whole building.

To offset these risks, i’s important to have substantial physical and IT security in place, give very careful consideration to enterprise security architecture and ensure that all functions involved with security provision are co-ordinating their activities effectively.

The intelligent buildings theme was continued with a presentation on security reporting from Brian and Steve Larkins of Verifi FMS. Despite all the technology developments of recent years, security officers have remained largely dependent on paper records. This could make organising and retrieving information (particularly where this is related to events that had occurred some time ago) challenging to say the least. This session demonstrated VeriFi EIDOS, a new cloud-based alternative which requires only a standard browser.

The ASC event also included a presentation by Broadgate Estates’ security and business continuity manager Jonathan Schulten on the scale and nature of dealing with such a large property portfolio, the dynamics of the relationships between landlord, occupiers and property managers and some typical challenges such as public realm management (for example during World Cup coverage in Exchange Square).

The next ASC Business Group meetings will take place on 3 March and 14 May 2015

Speaking after the event, ASC chairman Allan Hildage commented: “We’ve seen today how cloud technology can help to provide a consistent and quality service and ensure different parts of an organisation work together more effectively to meet overall business objectives. However, we’re also constantly reminded that the speed of technological development is challenging everyone. The impact on systems’ integrity and the ability of the regulatory framework to keep pace are just two of the issues raised in questions from the floor.”

Hildage concluded: “From a security and resilience perspective, it’s vital that we grasp the full implications and act on them if we are to maximise the benefits while minimising the risks.”

*The next ASC Business Group meetings will take place on 3 March and 14 May 2015

**For further information about the ASC visit: http://www.securityconsultants.org.uk

Consec 2014 highlights overriding need for true analysis of business risks

Held on Thursday 2 October, Consec 2014 – the Association of Security Consultants’ Annual Conference – ran under the banner ‘Securing Business, Protecting the Future’ and highlighted the overriding need for a true analysis of risks and necessary solutions rather than business professionals relying on simplistic reports and common assumptions. There was also consideration around developing effective strategies for tackling today’s myriad cyber threats and the importance of being able to rely on quality products and services in the ongoing fight against criminality.

Over 150 delegates representing security suppliers and end user organisations attended the event, which was held at the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel. It was the Association of Security Consultants’ (ASC) 20th Annual Conference and Exhibition, with the conference proceedings expertly chaired by Security Industry Authority chairman Elizabeth France CBE.

In his opening keynote address, Professor Michael Clarke (director general at the Royal United Services Institute) outlined key factors influencing current global threats. These include demographic trends, climatic events resulting in population movement, regional tensions, the growth of virtual communications, a significant level of financial assets being out of reach of state jurisdiction, economic hardship and resulting migration and the takeover of liberal revolution by fundamentalist elements.

Consec 2014 was attended by over 150 delegates representing security solutions suppliers and end user organisations

Paul Easter – managing director at Harquebus and 2014 Imbert Prize winner – sought to dispel some common misconceptions around terrorist capabilities. Easter stressed that these capabilities are typically conventional from a technology point of view, and that terrorists have generally not succeeded in using the Internet as a cyber weapon while they also remain a long way off from being able to pose a nuclear threat.

According to Easter, terrorists’ abilities to use more advanced methods of attack are dependent on state assistance. This is very often non-existent or otherwise limited.

Tackling the cyber threat

Sue Seaby – director at SAS Security Risk Service – explained why tackling the cyber threat should be an exercise carried out as part of an integrated plan for dealing with all threats and involve each risk discipline rather than cyber being treated as something special.

Seaby added that Boards of Directors need to be educated against being swayed on risk policy dependent on media coverage at any given time, and feels there should be greater recognition of the scale of the insider threat to information security. Apparently, 80%-85% of all data breaches are committed by members of staff, either inadvertently or deliberately.

Both Seaby and Jane Attwood (representing the John Taylor International Partnership) focused on the importance of organisations ensuring that their suppliers – as well as their employees – follow appropriate procedures specifically designed to minimise risk.

Sue Seaby of SAS Security Risk Service speaking at Consec 2014

Attwood, who is also a member of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Defence and Security Committee, outlined the findings of recent LCCI research on cyber security. 54% of London businesses have been the victim of cyber crime in the last 12 months. The main barriers to improved protection are the perceived high cost (the response received from 34% of those questioned as part of the research) and a lack of threat awareness (30%).

LCCI recommendations include making it simpler for businesses to know where to go for advice and the availability of the Innovation Voucher for cyber security on a continuous basis to help SMEs bring in outside expertise.

UK Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research

Dr Tristram Riley-Smith – external champion to the UK Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research at Cambridge University – explained that, despite a perception that information security is all about technology, probably the most important element in cyber research focuses on human behaviour. A high proportion of risks may be minimised if Best Practice techniques are followed.

The UK Partnership is a national research programme aimed at improving our understanding of current and future security challenges. To date, over 1,200 projects have been energised.

Dr Riley-Smith’s prime mission is “to see value extracted from the university world and delivered to the people who can do something with it”. He cited a number of examples, including making the link between ‘lucky imaging’ techniques from astronomy and improving the resolution quality of surveillance systems installed for operational crime prevention and detection.

It’s estimated that the global security market will rise in value from £410 billion in 2012 to £571 billion by 2016. Dr Riley-Smith said that the goal was for the UK’s share of security exports to rise from 4% to 8% by 2020.

Dr Tristram Riley-Smith spoke about the UK Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research

Following this theme, Stephen Phipson CBE – director of security industry engagement with Her Majesty’s Government – then outlined his own work designed to support various activities across Government. Led by the UKTI and heavily promoting security exports, this work has already built on the UK’s delivery of a safe and secure London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Phipson’s key role involves co-ordinating the interaction between Government and the UK’s security sector and, during his presentation, he duly stressed the importance of being able to rely on high standards from the organisations the Government’s export initiatives are designed to support.

Chartered Security Professional certification scheme

Di Thomas, membership engagement manager at The Security Institute, continued the theme of standards with her summary of the Chartered Security Professional certification scheme.

The 75th practitioner to gain the prestigious status of Chartered Security Professional is Bob Martin, an ASC Board member. Bob’s achievement was marked with an official certificate presentation ceremony at Consec 2014.

Summing up the day, Allan Hildage – the ASC’s chairman – said: “This year’s Consec proved to be yet another informative and worthwhile conference where our delegates were fortunate to hear some outstanding presentations delivered by security and risk expert leaders from across Government, academia and industry.”

*Further information on research projects being enabled via the UK Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research and RISC is available online at: http://www.riscuk.org/academia/academic-marketplace/

**The LCCI report ‘Cyber Secure: Making London Business Safe Against Online Crime’ is available online at: http://www.londonchamber.co.uk

2014 Imbert Prize winners announced by the Association of Security Consultants

The Association of Security Consultants held its Annual Luncheon on Thursday 26 June. The winners of the 2014 Imbert Prizes were announced at the event, which was held in central London at the Royal Air Force Club, Piccadilly.

To its great credit, the Board of the Association of Security Consultants (ASC) continually seeks to encourage the development of ideas for the advancement of risk and security management in the UK.

One of the ways in which this excellent ethos manifests itself is by way of an annual prize – the hugely prestigious Imbert Prize.

Named after one of the Association’s Patrons – Lord Peter Imbert CVO QPM JP, former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service and Lord Lieutenant of Greater London – the Imbert Prize always consists of three separate awards. These are the University Dissertation Award, the Security Associations Award and the ASC Award.

The University Dissertation Award

Each year, an award of £1,000 is bestowed for a selected dissertation submitted by an academic institution. Cranfield, Leicester, Loughborough and Portsmouth Universities are each invited to submit a dissertation produced by one of their students – a dissertation relevant to the discipline of consultancy in the security profession.

The Judging Panel (which, in 2014, included Mike Bluestone CSyP, immediate past-chairman of The Security Institute among its cohort) is appointed by the ASC’s chairman and Board.

All Judging Panel members are independent of any of the institutions submitting dissertations.

2014 Winner

The winner in 2014 is Lt Col Paul Easter (Cranfield University) for his dissertation entitled: ‘Jihadist Use of Technology: 1998-2013’.

Runners-Up

In 2014, the runners-up are Andrew Bates (University of Leicester): ‘Whistleblowing in the Private Security Industry – Factors That Influence The Reporting of Wrongdoing’, Stuart Senior (Loughborough University): ‘Mine Action Industry: Is There A Case for a New Approach to Security When Working In Current or Post-Conflict Zones’ and Stephen Green (University of Portsmouth): ‘An Investigation of Current Security Technology Procurement Paradigms and Subsequent Effects on Perceived Efficacy’.

The Security Associations Award

This element of the Imbert Prize is awarded to the person deemed to have made the most notable contribution to the security sector in the preceding 12 months.

Nominations are received each year from The Security Institute, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), the International Professional Security Association (IPSA) and ASIS International’s UK Chapter.

2014 Winner

The winner for 2014 is Peter Finch CSyP CPP FSyI FCMI FInstLM, former head of security at the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and now security manager at the Coventry Building Society.

ASIS Nominee: Adrian Leppard (Commissioner, City of London Police)
BSIA Nominee: Andrew Rennison (former UK Surveillance Camera Commissioner)
IPSA Nominee: Geoff Tate (CEO, Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board)

The ASC Award

This award is bestowed upon the ASC member who has made the most significant contribution to independent security consultancy in the preceding year. The nominee is put forward by the ASC, as adjudged by the ASC Award Panel.

2014 Winner

The winner in 2014 is Joe Connell (director, Praemunitus Intelligence and Risk Consultants Ltd)

*Long-standing ASC member and founding director Nigel Flower was also named an Honorary Life President of the ASC

**The Keynote Address was given by Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach KCB CBE ADC BA MPhil DTech DLitt FRAes RAF, Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff

Imbert Prize 2013: Don Randall MBE wins Security Associations’ Award

The Security Associations’ Award element of the Association of Security Consultants’ (ASC) annual Imbert Prize is presented to the person making the most notable contribution in the security industry in the preceding year, with nominees being put forward by ASIS UK, the BSIA, the International Professional Security Association (IPSA) and The Security Institute.

This year witnessed nominations for two outstanding candidates who had, in their own right, made significant but differing contributions to the security industry as a whole, not just in the previous year but also throughout the recent past.

Don Randall MBE was nominated by ASIS UK for his fantastic work in promoting security generally, not only within the City of London but more nationally as the chairman and driving force behind Project Griffin, founder of the Safer Buildings Accreditation Scheme and various other security related initiatives and appointments.

Don Randall MBE (left) and Mike Alexander

Baroness Ruth Henig CBE DL was nominated by the BSIA, IPSA and The Security Institute for her significant contribution to the industry as the former chairman of the Security Industry Authority. The Baroness enabled the industry as a whole to bring pressure to bear in ensuring a new, fit-for-purpose regulatory regime.

The ASC’s Imbert Prize Adjudication Panel members recognised the exceptional contributions that both nominees have made and felt that both should be formerly rewarded for their efforts.

Accordingly, it was decided that both Don Randall MBE and Baroness Ruth Henig CBE should be joint recipients of the Security Associations’ Award for 2013.

Left to Right: Graham Bassett, Don Randall MBE, Mike Alexander and Mike Hurst

Unfortunately, Don Randall was unable to attend the Awards Luncheon due to an overseas business appointment. That being the case Mike Alexander, current chairman of ASIS UK, accepted the award on Don’s behalf on the day of the Awards Luncheon.

Upon Don’s return to the UK, Mike Alexander (along with ASIS UK vice-chairmen Graham Bassett and Mike Hurst, ASIS UK’s director of strategy) presented Don with his award at the Bank of England.

This is the third year in succession that the ASIS nominee has won the Security Associations’ Award.