Gallagher named first manufacturer to achieve CAPSS 2021 standard

Security technology developer Gallagher has become “the first manufacturer to achieve the Cyber Assurance for Physical Security Systems (CAPSS) 2021 standard” with its Command Centre software and High Security Controller 6000 product. Gallagher is delivering high-security solutions for Governments in the Five Eyes alliance, along with providing confidence for the management teams at Critical National Infrastructure sites that its software and hardware meets the toughest of cyber security-focused requirements.

Richard Huison, regional general manager for the UK and Europe at Gallagher, informed Security Matters: “Meeting this standard proves to ourselves, our channel partners, our customers and Her Majesty’s Government that we are at the top of our game.”

Gallagher has been focusing on the CAPSS 2021 standard

Huison continued: “Along with other manufacturers, Gallagher was part of the market research conducted by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) to establish how new technology would influence the latest 2021 standard. Obsolescence occurs fairly quickly based on an ever-changing environment. On that basis, the standards must evolve.”

National security

The CPNI focuses on national security in the UK by helping to reduce vulnerability to terrorism and other threats posed to the national infrastructure. 

Gallagher’s Command Centre and High Security Controller 6000 had already passed the CAPSS 2015 standard testing procedure and was included in the CPNI’s Catalogue of Security Equipment (CSE). The CSE is designed to help organisations choose appropriate physical security equipment to protect the assets for which they are directly responsible.

“To be listed in the CSE provides assurance for all customers, not just our high-security and critical infrastructure customers,” stated Huison. “Gallagher is the only manufacturer that sits across multiple categories in the CSE, providing assurance across the various components that make up the Gallagher system,”

Within the CSE, Gallagher sits across the Access Control Equipment, CAPSS Approved and Detection and Tracking Systems categories. Gallagher’s Z10 Tension Sensor was added for the first time last year, while its Command Centre and High Security Controller 6000 were tested to the CAPSS 2021 v1.1 standard and added this month.

Cyber protection

“As we’ve seen in the news recently, with cyber threats growing in sophistication, it follows that cyber protection has never been more important,” explained Daniel McVeagh, value stream lead at Gallagher. “Cyber security is an essential part of Gallagher’s physical security solutions. Achieving the CAPSS 2021 standard provides our customers in the UK with confidence that their Gallagher system will not be the weakest link in protecting against a cyber attack.”

Gallagher has a proven track record and reputation when it comes to the delivery of high security solutions around the globe, meeting some of the world’s most stringent physical and cyber security-related Government standards.

McVeagh concluded: “We’re committed to delivering solutions that meet Government compliance standards, not just in the UK, but around the world, and particularly so across the Five Eyes nations.”

Government Actuary’s Department hit by circa 24,740 malicious e-mails per month

The Government Actuary’s Department has been hit by an average of 24,740 malicious e-mails every month. Data obtained and analysed by the Parliament Street Think Tank via a Freedom of Information request has revealed that a total of 74,221 malicious e-mails, including phishing, malware and spam, had been sent to the Government Actuary’s Department across July, August and September this year.

The Government Actuary’s Department provides actuarial solutions including risk analysis, modelling and advice to support the UK’s public sector. Government Actuary’s Department plays host to circa 200 employees across two offices – in London and Edinburgh – of whom around 165 are actuaries and analysts.

The majority of threats received by the Government Actuary’s Department were spam e-mails, with 38,653 attacks of this nature. In the three-month period under examination, there were also 35,497 phishing attacks and 71 malware or virus e-mails in circulation.

The total amount of phishing attacks decreased over the three-month period. In July, a total of 15,233 phishing attacks came through. In August, this number reduced to 12,111 attacks and, come September, the figure lessened once again to a total of 8,153 phishing attacks.

On average, there were 12,884 spam e-mails received across the three months. These e-mails have the potential to download viruses to staff members’ computers and steal passwords and personal information.

IT infrastructure investment

The Government is investing heavily in its IT infrastructure to the tune of almost five billion pounds on an annual basis. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy alone spent almost two million pounds on laptops and smart phones last year. Some 1,216 mobiles were issued to departmental staff in 2020, with 1,557 computers or laptops also part of the mix.

Tim Sadler, CEO and co-founder of Tessian, commented: “The number of phishing attacks that today’s organisations have to deal with is relentless. Phishing is one of the easiest ways for cyber criminals to hack into a company. They just need one distracted or tired employee to miss the cues of an attack in order for it to be successful.”

Sadler continued: “While it’s encouraging to see that the Government is investing heavily in its IT infrastructure to support the workforce, it must also address the issue of whether or not robust security measures are in place to protect employees. In short, the people actually working from the devices. Any failure to do so means that the risk of security incidents caused by human error, such as falling for a phishing scam, will only continue to rise.” 

IOPC confronts ever-evolving demands of digital evidence management

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been searching for a new Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) and recently concluded that search with the selection of the NICE Investigate solution following a robust procurement process.

The IOPC exists to oversee the police complaints system in England and Wales. The organisation investigates the most serious matters, including deaths following police contact, and ultimately sets the standards by which the police service should handle complaints. Learning derived from its work is used to influence changes in policing.

The IOPC is an independent body and, as such, makes its decisions entirely independently of the police service and central Government.

An important aspect of the work of the IOPC is to make it as easy as possible for involved parties, specifically police forces, to share information and evidence with case investigators as quickly and efficiently as possible. To this end, the IOPC had been looking for better ways in which to handle the ever-evolving and increasing demands of digital evidence management, with COVID-19 and remote working only serving to accelerate that search.

Keith Tagg, the IOPC’s delivery manager, explained to Security Matters: “When we start an investigation, digital material and evidence needs to be transferred to the IOPC by police forces. In the past, we’ve relied on disks, USBs or delivery by hand. By introducing a DEMS, we knew that we could make it easier and quicker to share information with police forces or other bodies. Not only would the process take less time, but it would also be more secure and, what’s more, of a high evidential standard.”

NICE Investigate

The IOPC spoke to a number of police forces and bodies to inform its decisions and the procurement procedure. NICE Investigate was selected to provide the DEMS in the wake of what’s described as a “robust” procurement process.

One of the factors which led to the IOPC choosing NICE Investigate was the feedback from police forces, in addition to the system’s ability to play back different formats of CCTV footage.

On that point, Keith Tagg explained: “Not being able to watch CCTV footage because it isn’t in a playable format is a problem shared by police forces and the IOPC. It can prolong and impede the progress of our investigations and introduce frustration at the point when a quick decision is needed for a referral or appeal. This issue was exacerbated still further during the pandemic when investigators working from home would need to travel to the office to watch the footage or otherwise request that the footage be uploaded to the network. With DEMS, any CCTV footage is automatically transcoded, so an investigator can instantly play it back with no delay.”

Less physical material

The introduction of DEMS has also meant that the IOPC is now handling less physical material, which woud take significant storage space and is less secure.

“DEMS means that we have consistent control of content,” asserted Tagg. “It’s more secure and we have a detailed audit trail. The assets don’t deteriorate over time and they can be retained and accessed a lot more easily. Most importantly, the assets are preserved to a high evidential standard.”

According to Tagg, the feedback so far suggests that police forces like DEMS. “Moving to more electronic sharing is a shared commitment across the whole criminal justice sector and so far this has been a positive experience.”

The next step is to share material via DEMS with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). “There’s a shared commitment across the criminal justice sector to move towards online management,” concluded Tagg. “Working with the CPS, DEMS means that we can share a link to information residing on our system rather than actual files or physical material. This is more efficient, more secure and also removes a major pain point from the disclosure process. We’re looking forward to making ongoing improvements,”

*Additional information on the work of the IOPC is available online at www.policeconduct.gov.uk

TDSi recommences full COVID-safe training at Poole headquarters

Integrated security solutions manufacturer TDSi has announced the reopening of its on-site training programme, backed up by a robust COVID-safe regime of testing and Track and Trace which helps to protect everyone involved.

Additionally, the business has signed up to the Government-run ‘We Offer Testing to our Staff’ scheme. This facilitates all staff taking lateral flow testing in its offices on a twice weekly basis.

John Davies (managing director at TDSi) told Security Matters: “Now that UK COVID restrictions have relaxed a little further, it’s the perfect time to cautiously reintroduce on-site training for our partners and customers. While online training and assistance is invaluable, there are many practical training applications, particularly so those involving hardware installation, that benefit quite considerably from first-hand demonstration.”

Davies continued: “We fully appreciate that some visitors will have anxiety about frequenting other locations, so we have put in place highly robust measures to ensure those who visit and work at our facilities have maximum reassurance that the risks are minimised and that they’re protected.”

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While the testing remains voluntary, TDSi is positively encouraging staff and visitors to test themselves to ensure everyone’s peace of mind and safety. Davies asserted: “When trainees attend the Poole facility for training, we will present them with individual bags containing all of the equipment they need as well as an instruction pack. They will be advised to complete the lateral flow test in their cars before entry to the building to ensure that any potential issues are isolated.”

Return to the office

From Monday 17 May, around 70% of the TDSi team returned to the company’s headquarters for daily operations while always maintaining safe social distancing. However, the business will continue to support a mixture of home and office working to ensure there’s flexibility and also that all operations continue to run smoothly and safely.

Davies added: “Our employees are now testing themselves at home on Sunday and Wednesday evenings in line with the official guidelines, with the results reported back to the NHS. If any individual has a positive result, we will ensure they receive a PCR test to confirm that they’re negative before they return to the office such that any potential infection routes are immediately restricted.”

Further, Davies stated: “We owe this level of scrutiny and care to all our visitors and staff and are proud to be extending this level of reassurance to our visiting partners and customers. While there are still considerable potential health threats at large, it’s also important to ensure we safely deliver the right levels of support and training by adjusting to the needs of the ‘new normal’ as quickly as possible.”

*To find out more about TDSi’s Installer Training or to book a place on a COVID-safe course visit www.tdsi.co.uk/training.html

*For more information on TDSi in general visit www.tdsi.co.uk

Mitie appointed to Government agreement for community COVID testing sites

FM solutions specialist Mitie has been named as a supplier on the Crown Commercial Service agreement for COVID community testing sites. The appointment enhances Mitie’s position as a key supporter of testing services which are a critical part of the UK’s strategy to combat the Coronavirus.

The agreement covers new COVID test sites to be opened as needed by local authorities for short periods (of up to 12 weeks). Mitie will potentially offer test site management and support services to local authorities across 11 regions: Yorkshire and Humber, the North West, the North East, the West Midlands, the East Midlands, the South West, the South East and London, with an option to add Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to the mix.

Mitie will be providing security officers, registration assistants, processing operatives and test assistants as well as cleaning services at the sites along with any additional services required by the local authorities involved. With testing central to the UK’s Coronavirus recovery strategy, Mitie will continue to play a key part in supporting its delivery.

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Mitie has been supporting the country directly in its COVID-19 response since the beginning of the pandemic through community testing centres, the first of which opened in Inverness on 25 April last year, and via the provision of essential services for hospitals, including the Nightingale Hospital in London’s Docklands and the Ysbyty Calon y Ddraig – the Dragon’s Heart Hospital – in Cardiff. 

More widely, Mitie now operates over 150 testing sites for public and private sector clients, while the company’s staff members have continued to provide key services at critical sites such as ports and airports right across the country.

Simon Venn, chief Government and strategy officer at Mitie, said: “I’m delighted to be extending our vital work at the heart of the UK’s Coronavirus response to support local communities with their testing programmes. I’m proud of the commitment of our Mitie colleagues in delivering these critical services. They truly are front line heroes. We continue to play our part in keeping the country running and also supporting its recovery.”

Police Crime Prevention Initiatives to support Safer Streets Fund initiative 2021-2022

Police Crime Prevention Initiatives will be providing another round of support to the Government’s latest Safer Streets Fund initiative. This second £20 million round of the Safer Streets Fund aims to build upon the momentum instilled by the first round of funding, offering Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and local authorities the opportunity to invest in new hotspot areas.

Safer Streets Fund 2021-2022 will maintain a number of the core characteristics of the initiative that have already made it a success to date, while also making minor strategic changes such as allowing local authority-orchestrated bids.

For 2021-2022, a total Safer Streets Fund of £20 million has been set, with a maximum of £432,000 worth of grant funding per successful bid. There’s a requirement for a 20% matched funding contribution towards the bid, which can be provided as a financial contribution, or the equivalent of 20% in resourcing costs (eg staff/officer time).

Bidders will also have flexibility to use the matched funding contributions for a wider range of supplementary activity to their bid (eg officer resource in a hotspot).

Police Crime Prevention Initiatives will be providing technical guidance to help PCCs, local authorities and Designing Out Crime Officers deliver on the new objectives, which primarily focus the Safer Streets Fund on four neighbourhood crime types: burglary, robbery, theft from the person and vehicle crime.

The Safer Streets Fund 2021-2022 also allows investment into commercial and non-residential areas such as car parks and city centres. Wider acquisitive crime types (eg shoplifting and bike theft) will be considered as secondary outcomes, as will episodes like anti-social behaviour, violence and drug and alcohol-related crime.

Deciding on prioritisation

Three priority bids per PCC area can be submitted regardless of the lead bidder. Ultimately, PCCs will decide on prioritisation and be required to sign off on any local authority-led bids. The deadline for bids is midnight on 25 March. Bidders will be informed as to whether they’ve been successful by the end of May.

Police Crime Prevention Initiatives’ support for the Safer Streets Fund includes five ‘How to’ crime prevention guides, peer reviews of 15 police forces’ separate approaches to acquisitive crime prevention and the provision of ad hoc advice and guidance to forces having difficulties with delivering specific interventions.

Jon Cole, chief operating officer for Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, observed: “I’m delighted that we can continue to support PCCs, local authorities and police forces in their delivery of the Safer Streets Fund bids.”

The updated Safer Streets Fund crime prevention toolkit can be accessed at this link: https://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/Safer_Streets_toolkit.pdf. Further details about applying to the Safer Streets Fund are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safer-streets-fund-application-process

The 2020-2021 Safer Streets Fund provided £25 million in funding to 35 PCCs to invest in a range of physical situational crime prevention measures such as home security, ‘alleygating’, CCTV, street lighting, training community wardens or establishing Neighbourhood Watch schemes across 52 high crime areas in England and Wales.

Range of support material

Police Crime Prevention Initiatives created a range of support material for the Safer Streets Fund 2020-2021, among them a number of technical guides, a range of training courses to assist PCCs in making their bids, a series of 26 blogs in the Knowledge Hub and 26 weekly, live, hour-long crime prevention Q&A sessions delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams for those involved in the delivery of the Safer Streets Fund. Further, Police Crime Prevention Initiatives provided ongoing support to local police Designing Out Crime Officers who are attached to police forces and help introduce and implement crime prevention measures and techniques for local areas in a concerted bid to deter and reduce crime.

Police Crime Prevention Initiatives is a police-owned organisation that works to deliver a wide range of innovative crime prevention and demand reduction initiatives designed to support the wider UK police service, Government and the general public. The organisation maintains close working links with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s national leads, central Government, manufacturers and companies involved in providing security products (within the UK and those in countries that supply the UK), standards authorities and key stakeholders such as planners, architects, developers, local authorities, housing associations, academia and the public.

*Further information about Police Crime Prevention Initiatives is available online at www.policecpi.com

Pharmas urged to review anti-counterfeiting plans ahead of no-deal Brexit

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are being urged to review their anti-counterfeiting plans ahead of the possible failure by the UK Government to agree on a Brexit deal with the EU.

Global trade body the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) has warned that the UK could see a flood of counterfeit medicines after the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) ceases to apply at the end of the Brexit transition period on 1 January 2021.

In place since early 2019, the FMD uses mandatory safety features and an EU-wide database to help stem the distribution tide of fake or counterfeit medicines which could endanger lives.

The FMD will cease to apply if there’s no deal, leaving the UK with no access to the EU database except in Northern Ireland, where the FMD will continue to apply.

Interpol, Europol and national medicines agencies seize many falsified medicines and close hundreds of illegal websites selling them every year. Indeed, a report published by Europol’s Intellectual Property Office in 2019 estimates that counterfeit medicines cost the EU pharmaceutical sector more than ten billion Euros annually in lost revenue.

Fuelling the problem

The IHMA has stated that the COVID-19 crisis is also fuelling the counterfeit problem. Criminals are taking advantage of the pandemic to market and distribute fake pharmaceuticals, spurred on by increased demand and a shortage of basic drugs and medicines.

Illicit goods, or those with a vague provenance, can threaten people’s lives as well as damage corporate reputations and investment in companies and their products.

The IHMA has echoed calls by the National Pharmacy Association that, in the interests of patient safety, there should be ‘…the continuation of an anti-counterfeit system. However, not [one] necessarily governed by the rules of the FMD’.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has also voiced its concern over the issue, pressing Government to put “robust plans” in place in a bid to ensure that counterfeit medicines don’t enter the supply chain.

Infiltrating supply chains

Dr Paul Dunn, chair of the IHMA, said: “Failure to secure a Brexit deal could leave the door wide open to crafty criminals who are infiltrating global supply channels, deploying scams and counterfeiting measures to trick consumers and damage manufacturers. Furthermore, items such as falsified medicines and drugs bought online pose a terrible threat and can endanger lives.”

Dunn continued: “Whether or not the Government introduces new measures, the latest track-and-trace holographic systems remain a fast and effective front line security device in the battle to protect against any post-Brexit threats and keep medicines, and people, as safe as possible.”

He added: “Holograms can be effective in the front line fight against counterfeiters and fraudsters, protecting brands and profits alike. Those involved in the supply chain are reassured by holograms’ presence on products, recognising the security and financial benefits that are provided.”

The use of well-designed and properly deployed authentication solutions, as advocated by ISO 1293, enables examiners to verify the authenticity of a legitimate product, differentiating it from fake products coming from counterfeiting ‘hot spots’ in Asia and eastern Europe. Even those that carry a ‘fake’ authentication feature can be distinguished from the genuine item if that item carries a carefully thought-out authentication solution.

Intersec moves to 2022 at Dubai World Trade Centre

Intersec, the ever-popular security, safety and fire protection-focused exhibition, has been rescheduled to take place in January 2022. The move has been confirmed by event organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East.

The 23^rd Edition of the three-day event was originally set to run from 24-26 January next year at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The move to 2022 follows on from extensive consultation with key industry stakeholders.

“We’ve spoken to many of our exhibitors, industry Trade Associations, supporters and partners over the last couple of weeks and have heard first-hand the many challenges they’re facing which, inevitably, is putting pressure on their ability to participate at Intersec in January 2021,” explained Alexandria Robinson, Intersec’s show director.  

Robinson added: “Moving Intersec to its customary January dates in 2022 at the Dubai World Trade Centre will allow time for business recovery.”

Further, Robinson stated that Intersec will be very active throughout 2021 via its ongoing webinar series, while the team is now working towards creating a virtual event early next year to engage industry leaders, regulators, Government agencies and opinion formers alike. 

“We might be restricted physically, but we know there is a definitive need for critical conversations and discussions to address the challenges the industry has faced,” asserted Robinson. “By hosting these talks via a digital forum, it enables us to remain connected with the industry and nurture our existing relationships, while at the same time sharing solutions and common goals. We’ll outline further details and plans about the digital event in the coming weeks.”

Trends and opportunities

Intersec’s popular free-to-attend webinar series (there have been 11 broadcasts so far in the last four months) has kept thousands of attendees abreast of the latest industry trends and opportunities.

“We know we have a vital role to play in connecting and supporting the industry and the Intersec webinars fulfil the remit of stimulating meaningful conversations, collaborations and success stories,” added Robinson. “We will continue to run these webinars and support our stakeholders in every way possible until we meet again in person, and safely, at Intersec 2022.”

In conclusion, Robinson informed Security Matters: “One thing is absolutely certain, and that is that our community is resilient and will bounce back. It has been involved in many front line situations throughout the course of this year and it will continue to play a critical role in the months ahead. Throughout 2021 and come January 2022, we’ll have much information to share and Best Practice to learn from each other.”

Intersec in 2020 featured 1,100 exhibitors from 56 countries, duly attracting 33,872 visitors from 135 countries.

The global industry event is supported by the Dubai Civil Defence, the Dubai Police, the Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA), the Dubai Police Academy, and the Dubai Municipality.

*Further information is available online at www.intersecexpo.com

Radiation detection company Symetrica lands £4 million investment to accelerate international growth

Symetrica, the manufacturer of radiation detection products for military and homeland security applications, has closed a £4 million funding round. The round was led by Parkwalk, the investor in start-ups spun out of UK universities, with participation from other existing investors and the management team. It includes a provision for a further £2 million commitment from a specialist defence and security investor.

Symetrica was founded back in 2002 by the former head of Physics and Astrophysics at Southampton University. The company now manufactures, supplies and supports a wide range of devices, from hand-held and backpack-mounted sensors through to vehicle-based detectors and drive-through scanners. Its solutions are used by customs, border protection, law enforcement, the Emergency Services, military personnel and first responders, enabling them to identify threats and respond accordingly.

According to the business, its proprietary Discovery Technology – a combination of patented algorithms and hardware – enables Symetrica detectors to be two-to-three times more accurate than equivalent conventional detectors.

Every day, the technology removes radiation alarms not of regulatory interest and provides police and customs officers alike with high confidence nuclear material identification in hand-held isotope identifiers with smart phone-like connectivity to technical authorities for operational assurance.

Accelerate global growth

Symetrica operates from offices and manufacturing sites in both the UK and the US and employs 75 members of staff. The new funding will be used to accelerate global growth by enhancing the company’s international sales programme.

Symetrica already supplies its products to Government departments in the UK, the EU and the United States, as well as to partners worldwide. Its technology is employed by the US military.

Commenting on the impact of the funding for the business, Heddwyn Davies (CEO at Symetrica) explained: “In these extraordinary times, this investment gives us the capacity to increase our sales and business development resources and sell more into international markets where we’ve already won prestigious contracts. It also enables us to capitalise on multi-year procurement opportunities. We’re pleased to have our existing investors follow on in this round, and also very excited to see what we can achieve with their continued support.”

Neil Cameron, investment director at Parkwalk, said: “Symetrica’s Discovery Technology is a huge leap forward for radiation detection and testimony to the high-class science and engineering capabilities of the team, as well as to the importance of patient capital for R&D-rich companies. We’re pleased to be leading a round that will enable the team to capitalise on some significant customer wins and accelerate international growth.”

Security guarding specialist SSGC appoints Haines Watts to manage “rapid growth trajectory”

One of Britain’s fastest-growing specialist security businesses has appointed a leading national accountancy firm as part of its planned expansion strategy that has so far seen a substantial turnover increase to over £60 million per annum.

Robust systems and bespoke technology has enabled SSGC, a niche provider of fully-vetted security officers, to deploy hundreds of individuals to secure and marshal the COVID-19 testing programme at centres right across the UK, building on the significant growth already achieved by the company throughout 2019.

Further, the business has now appointed Haines Watts, the accountancy firm with more than 50 offices nationwide, to manage its financial affairs as it draws up its long-term expansion plan after securing contracts which have underpinned the aforementioned robust and rapid growth in turnover.

Swindon-based SSGC has demonstrated its ability to rapidly provide hundreds of guarding personnel within very tight time windows, many of them former military personnel returning to front line duties as part of the national Coronavirus effort.

Mike Lloyd, a partner at Haines Watts (left), with Guy Dungworth (a shareholder in SSGC) and David Stubbs (managing director at SSGC)

Reinforcing the front line

“Reinforcing our front line in the fight against COVID-19 has meant making some sound decisions as we rise through the ranks of security firms to be part of the top flight of specialist businesses,” said David Stubbs, managing director of SSGC, in conversation with Security Matters. “Appointing an equally top flight accountancy firm was always part of our long-term planning.”

Stubbs continued: “Growth has always been a major part of our strategy, but our ability to demonstrate a robust response to the Government’s needs during the COVID-19 lockdown suddenly accelerated those plans. We had already established a good relationship with Haines Watts, so a complete move to take advantage of a strategic finance partner that complements our own direction of travel will definitely help us when it comes to shaping our future direction.”

Mike Lloyd, partner with Haines Watts, responded: “We provide services to thousands of businesses, many of which, like SSGC, are going through a phase of significant growth in a short time. Expansion presents new and exciting challenges and secures a spot for SSGC as a major corporate player. This is a target the business was already heading towards before current events arose.”

Lloyd continued: “Accountancy services fall broadly into two distinct areas, namely compliance and planning. From the compliance side, we can make sure that SSGC meets all of the necessary legal and tax requirements. With planning, we can help optimise areas such as tax management, financial modelling and scenario forecasting in order to maximise the financial fluidity of the company under growth. We are already working with the directors on both fronts at this key time in the company’s evolution.”

Armed Forces Covenant signatory

A signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, SSGC is an ethical business committed to supporting the military community through remobilisation projects and is also being supported by other key partners in Skipton Business Finance and Squire Patton Boggs Solicitors in delivering on the Government’s call to action.

SSGC is a Security Industry Authority Approved Contractor Scheme registered business that was formed by MBO back in 2014

David Stubbs, himself a former military policeman, concluded: “This is a very exciting time for the business as we transition into the next phase of our development. Working with Haines Watts provides seamless access to the financial services and expertise we will be leaning on this year as we execute the next phase of our growth.”