Westminster Security becomes “first private security company” to accept Bitcoin as payment for services

Westminster Security is “leading the way” as the “first private security company in the world” to accept Bitcoin and cryptocurrency as a form of payment for the security solutions it delivers to customers.

The London-based business is a trusted name in the security services industry staffed by a team of experienced ex-police and military personnel providing clients with services and solutions including close protection, private investigations and surveillance.

Indeed, Westminster Security was the first security company in London to join the London Living Wage scheme and sign a pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant. Now, it’s once again demonstrating innovation by accepting cryptocurrency payments from its clients. 

Bitcoin is an established and respected digital or virtual form of currency (cryptocurrency) and highly secured by cryptography, meaning that only the intended recipient of the data can read and process it. That makes it impossible to counterfeit or double-spend.

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Efficiency and accessibility 

Cryptocurrency has been praised for its security, efficiency, accessibility, divisibility, inflation resistance and transparency and offers Westminster Security an opportunity to future-proof its reputation in the market.

John Moore, managing director of Westminster Security, explained to Security Matters: “My continued vision for Westminster Security is that we are constantly evolving, innovating and future-proofing. With continuous improvement, we find ways in which to add value which ensures that we deliver an exceptional client experience. Our acceptance of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency demonstrates this and shows that we’re ahead of the curve as the first private security company in the world to use and accept it as a form of payment.”

Moore added: “We already have many clients who use and invest in cryptocurrency and we’re happy to offer them this option to pay for our services. As standard, it will give our clients greater choice and peace of mind. Our ethos is to protect people, their assets and their interests. In this respect, cryptocurrency certainly meets that criteria for us as a business and in terms of the individuals whom we protect.”

London security directors prosecuted at Thames Magistrates’ Court

Three London security company directors have been fined and given a criminal record for failing to disclose information to the Security Industry Authority (SIA). The prosecution is part of an ongoing investigation into the use of fraudulent SIA licences.

On Monday 8 March, two former company directors – namely Damien Burrell and Omar Nelson – were sentenced at Thames Magistrates’ Court. In a previous hearing on 17 July last year, both pleaded guilty to failing to provide information to the SIA. This is an infringement of the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

Burrell, the former director of Pro-Active Event Staffing Ltd, was fined £233 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,323.50, plus a victim surcharge of £32 within 28 days.

Nelson, formerly the director of No.1 Security Ltd, was sentenced in his absence. He was also fined £233 and required to pay prosecution costs of £1,323.50 within 28 days, in addition to a victim surcharge of £32.

The third security director, Shahbaz Ahmed of HAR Services Ltd, also pleaded guilty to the same charge at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 22 October 2020. SIA investigators made repeated requests for information to Ahmed, but he failed to engage with the regulator. Ahmed was fined £80 and also required to pay court costs of £100.

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Fraudulent licence

SIA investigators found that these three security companies were sub-contracted to supply a security officer who attempted to use a fraudulent licence. These included Burrell’s company Pro-Active Event Staffing Ltd, Nelson’s company No.1 Security Ltd, and Ahmed’s business HAR Services Ltd.

SIA investigators pursued the directors in the wake of receiving a query from the client of an SIA Approved Contractor. After initially ignoring the SIA’s requests for information, Burrell and Nelson eventually provided information to SIA investigators.

On 23 March 2019, an HAR Services Ltd employee arrived at a student accommodation centre in London to start his shift. He presented an altered SIA Security Guarding licence. During routine induction checks, an employee noticed that the licence had been tampered with. The man fled the premises and this was duly reported to the SIA.

Due diligence

Nathan Salmon, criminal investigations manager at the SIA, said: “Nelson, Burrell and Ahmed did not carry out adequate due diligence of licensed security and, as a result, betrayed the trust of their client to whom they were contracted for the protection of London students. They have been prosecuted for failing to engage with the SIA. They thought that ignoring us would mean they would face no consequences. The reality is that it’s against the law to ignore a legal request for information. These three men now have criminal records and will not be able to work in the industry in the future.”

Salmon concluded: “The use of fraudulent SIA licences is completely unacceptable. I would encourage anyone who has concerns over such matters to report them to the SIA such that we can then investigate.”

The SIA’s investigations into the use of fraudulent licences continues.

Ground Truth Intelligence promises “new model for investigations and due diligence”

Ground Truth Intelligence, a new global intelligence and investigations marketplace platform, has now been formally launched. With the business headquartered in London, the platform itself was born in response to market feedback, chiefly received from investigations and intelligence managers in corporations, banks, law firms and consultancies commenting on how investigations, due diligence and other corporate intelligence requirements have been serviced.

According to Ground Truth Intelligence, the prevailing industry business model has changed little in 50 years. The business duly offers an alternative to the old approach through its proprietary technology platform which provides access to “the best investigators and intelligence sources” across 200-plus jurisdictions and underpinned by 1,000-plus independent resources (ie ‘Network Partners’).

The Ground Truth Intelligence solution connects clients rapidly and directly to “the best-placed resources” for executing requirements involving anything from document retrieval through to sensitive Human Resources enquiries. The business also flows all information securely, with detailed finished reporting to specific raw information. Document retrieval/site visits are part of the overall mix.

This new, technology-enabled approach is said to afford clients “maximum control” over the “frequently opaque” process of information gathering and significantly reduces the delays, costs, risks and poor results that can often be associated with sourcing investigative support across multiple jurisdictions and requirements.

Ultimately, Ground Truth Intelligence’s end goal is to enable clients to access ethically sourced intelligence and investigative resources seamlessly in any relevant jurisdiction in the world.

Rapid change

As is the case with many sectors, rapid change is being experienced across the global intelligence and investigations market. For its part, Ground Truth Intelligence wants to position itself at the core of change in the industry as the latter moves from a high-cost and opaque model to a lean, transparent and technology-enabled outcome.

Stewart Kelly, founder and CEO of Ground Truth Intelligence, informed Security Matters: “The intelligence and investigations industry is a very late bloomer when it comes to technology adoption. We are the first marketplace platform for intelligence and investigations resources and offer a distinct alternative to the existing model for sourcing investigative support around the world.”

Kelly added: “We reduce cost by removing middlemen. We improve quality by dint of clear sourcing and direct engagement with the person doing the work. We also reduce risk as all necessary information is generated by vetted providers and passes through the platform, enabling maximum data security and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.”

*Further information can be found online at https://www.gtintel.io/

Milestone Systems introduces centralised Search feature in capability enhancement for XProtect

In the latest product update of Milestone XProtect 2019 R3 VMS, Milestone Systems has introduced several new features and capabilities. These include centralised Search, a new driver framework, adaptive streaming and enhanced device password management.

With this product update, Milestone Systems highlights that the business is continuing to pursue ever-higher performing software to fulfil the market’s rising demands for cost-effective video technology solutions.

One of the main features of the 2019 R3 release is Search. This is a new centralised search platform in XProtect Smart Client that makes it possible for end users to search for everything in one place. Previously, end users performed several standalone searches, depending on what data they were searching for. With the new Search tool, users can search for motion, alarms, events, bookmarks and other types of data in one single place enabling rapid and efficient video investigations.

Moreover, the new Search platform also smoothly embeds partner integrations and their powerful analytic capabilities via dedicated filtering options. Through specific plug-ins and devices, search criteria such as line-crossing and object-in-field will be enabled directly in the Search Tab, saving time and increasing efficiency.

Milestone Systems provides customers with support for more than 8,000 cameras and devices. In order to allow XProtect device support to grow exponentially with the number of devices in the market, and to provide support for new types of devices such as the Internet of Things, the company has introduced its Driver Framework. Within the Milestone Integration Platform Software Development Kit, this allows device manufacturers to develop their own drivers and provide faster device compatibility and deeper integration that goes beyond the capabilities of ONVIF.

This new feature will enable end users to receive lower resolution streams from the recording server when a high resolution one isn’t required (for example, when displaying video in the smart client or smart wall in window sizes smaller than a full screen). This will give users smoother viewing and a better user experience, a lower total cost of ownership due to less hardware being needed to decode unnecessary high-resolution video and a better use of bandwidth that can then be employed for other requirements within the organisation.

The new Device Password Management continues XProtect’s focus on ease of use and enhanced cyber security during set-up of new installations, as well as when expanding existing ones. This feature makes it possible for system administrators to manage all devices’ passwords directly from the XProtect Management Client for selected device manufacturers.

In the 2019 R3 update, Milestone Systems has doubled the number of supported device manufacturers and added the option to schedule future password changes according to the cadence in given organisations and their password policies, in turn making device password management fully automatic.

BAE Systems launches “major update” to NetReveal platform for financial institutions

The latest version of BAE Systems’ NetReveal platform combines the best of advanced analytics and human expertise to enable financial institutions to effectively combat financial crime and fraud in an environment of rapidly evolving regulatory requirements and changing financial crime patterns.

Faced with increasing transactions, evolving regulations, a growing number of payment channels, customer friction, investigation challenges and strengthening privacy regimes, financial crime and fraud investigators are under pressure to make more confident and intelligence-led decisions and do so at an unprecedented pace.

Built on modernised modular technology, NetReveal addresses these challenges by working smarter and faster and supporting an intelligence-led approach:

Smarter: Profiling and detection against transactional data that commonly takes hours to process is now processed within 30 minutes (on average)

Faster: Advanced analytics with machine learning techniques improve operational performance by driving fewer false positives. Integrated Robotic Process Automation (RPA) means that routine tasks are automated, enabling investigators to focus more on high value strategic investigative work. The Real-Time Detection Engine helps institutions to keep pace with sophisticated criminals across growing digital channels

Intelligence-Led: Entity-based investigations deliver efficiency improvements of 20-30% on average by streamlining multiple detections into a single combined alert dashboard. Interactive lists also provide actionable information to adjudicate alerts effectively

Culmination of major investment

Rob Harrison, head of product and solutions for the financial services sector at BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, said: “This release is the culmination of major investment and engineering development of our financial crime platform and suite of solutions. We’ve focused on providing compliance and fraud teams with the latest advanced analytics, technology advancements and productivity improvements.”

Harrison added: “The latest version of NetReveal combines the best of human expertise and advanced analytics which we believe puts financial institutions in the strongest position possible to address the major market challenges of today, namely regulatory complexity and change, evolving fraud patterns, productivity and efficiency pressures and new risk management approaches.”

Julie Conroy, research director for the Aite Group’s Retail Banking practice, commented: “The use of RPA to improve financial crime operations significantly increases accuracy, reduces operational costs and enhances productivity. Given the growing data challenge, having the ability to advance investigator efficiency by reducing repetitive manual tasks, human error and, by extension, the number of false positives ultimately frees up time to focus on more strategic tasks.”

NetReveal is a single integrated platform for money laundering compliance and fraud prevention, enabling financial institutions to benefit from lower total cost of ownership across their compliance and fraud teams thanks to a single solution.

A comprehensive range of compliance and counter-fraud solutions can be deployed either individually or collectively.

East London security bosses sentenced for supplying unlicensed officers to Upton Park development

On Thursday 22 November, Martin Makesa (49) of Bettons Park in East London, the sole director of London Guard Security Limited, and Emily Kamau (35) from Stratford and a former company director, were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court. They were found guilty of providing unlicensed security officers which is an offence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

Makesa and Kamau received a sentence of three months’ imprisonment (suspended for 18 months) and have been required to do 80 hours’ unpaid work. They were ordered to pay £2,000 each and disqualified from holding company directorships for five years. The pair are also required to pay a victim surcharge of £115 each.

The company, London Guard Security Limited, was ordered to pay £12,134 and now has 12 months to make the payment. This follows on from the prosecution of Makesa and Kamau by the private security industry’s regulator, the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Makesa and Kamau were found guilty on Friday 26 October following a two-week trial. Full costs were awarded by the court to the SIA.

An SIA investigation began because Makesa’s business, London Guard Security Limited, was sub-contracted to provide SIA-licensed security officers by Crystal Security Services Ltd at the redevelopment site of Upton Park, the former home of West Ham United FC. Emily Kamau was a manager of London Guard Security Limited at the time. Crystal Security Services Ltd had a contract with Barratt Homes (London), the developers of the site, to provide security while filming was taking place at the site.

Unlicensed and untrained operatives

Nathan Salmon, the SIA’s criminal investigations manager, commented: “The defendants in this case sought to satisfy a sub-contract by using unlicensed and, ultimately, untrained security operatives. However, this offered little protection to their customer Crystal Security Services Ltd or to the general public. This created uncertainty regarding the suitability of those operators to perform the role, and whether they had previous criminal offences and/or the right to work in the UK. In addition, the defendants sought to frustrate proceedings by making unproven allegations and providing fraudulent material during the trial. These assertions were, quite rightly, rejected by the Jury and the defendants were convicted.”

SIA investigators carried out routine checks twice on 30 August 2016. Upon arrival on the first occasion, several security officers ran from the site. It was strongly suspected that they were unlicensed. On the second visit, several security officers were found to be working on expired licences and using an invalid Licence Dispensation Notice (an SIA licensing mechanism).

A subsequent investigation found that a security officer (employed by London Guard Security Limited) had handed Mr Makesa his expired SIA licences on the understanding that he would be given employment and would be re-licensed by London Guard Security Limited. This did not occur and, instead, this individual’s personal details were used as a cover to deploy a different, unlicensed security officer to the site on multiple occasions.

Regulatory framework in place

His Honour Justice Southern said at court: “Parliament has seen the need to put in place a regulatory framework to ensure that only those who have been properly trained and assessed as competent and suitable are deployed to work as security officers. In committing these offences, you have circumvented those requirements and, in so doing, have fundamentally compromised and undermined the integrity of the regulatory framework and so deprived the public of the protection that it is designed to provide.”

His Honour Justice Southern continued: “These offences are aggravated by the way in which they were carried out in that documentation was falsified to cover up the fact that a systematic and deliberate disregard of these requirements was being pursued by you for personal financial gain. For these reasons, the offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified. Also, as in committing these offences you employed false representations as to identity and were knowingly concerned with the production of false documentary records.”

Representations were made to the judge as Mr Makesa has recently acquired a legal qualification and that a conviction would curtail his ability to practise law. With this conviction, Mr Makesa will also be unable to hold an SIA licence in the future.

SSAIB appoints Dougie Callander as new manned services scheme manager

The Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB) has named Dougie Callander as the organisation’s new scheme manager for manned services after predecessor David Taylor made the decision to step down from the role over the summer.

With over 19 years of experience in the security industrym having entered the security world straight from school, 37-year-old Callander has spent the last decade working as a regional investigator for the Security Industry Authority (SIA), where he also completed a seven-month stint acting as regional investigations manager for the Regulator’s compliance and investigation department during 2012-2013.

While working for the SIA, the new Scotland-based scheme manager also played an integral part in a multi-agency team co-ordinating the regulation and quality assurance at high-profile events such as the London 2012 Olympic Games, the G8 Summits in Northern Ireland (2013) and Cardiff (2014), the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Ryder Cup tournament.

Dougie Callander: new role at the SSAIB

After building up a wealth of experience in his previous employment at the SIA, Callander is now looking to use what he has learnt so far to “bring a new dynamic to the SSAIB.” He told Risk Xtra: “While working for the SIA and within the security industry over the last ten years, I’ve been aware of the excellent reputation that the SSAIB enjoys within the industry and the work the organisation has done to help raise the performance standards within the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS). Most importantly, I also know of the part the SSAIB has played in safeguarding the integrity of the ACS by ensuring that all assessments are fair, proportionate and transparent. For me, it’s essential that the SSAIB continues to perform to the high standards already set.”

Callander added: “I like to think I’m a champion of change. I always promote Best Practice. Therefore, I believe that my unique and diverse background, as well as my knowledge of the SIA and the ACS, will bring a new dynamic to the SSAIB. I’ll be able to offer fresh ideas on ensuring that we continue performing to a consistently high standard.”

Departing manned services scheme manager Taylor – who joined the SSAIB back in June 2014 – will continue as a part-time manned services assessor for the time being. The organisation would like to thank him for all of his hard work during his time as manned services scheme manager.

Genetec unveils collaborative case management system to improve investigation workflows

Genetec, a leading provider of open architecture IP security solutions, has developed Genetec Clearance, a case management system specifically designed to speed up investigations by allowing different organisations to collect, manage and share video evidence and other relevant case information.

Genetec Clearance is expected to be available in Q4 2016 via subscription, through certified Genetec channel partners and resellers.

Genetec Clearance allows police officers, investigators and security managers to gather digital evidence from a variety of sources (such as Genetec’s Security Center and other video management systems, body-worn devices, in-car systems and mobile phone footage from bystanders and witnesses) and easily store, manage, review and share it from within a single application.

Genetec Clearance enables collaboration across independent agencies and private sector organisations. All pertinent files related to cases (video files as well as audio, images and documents, etc) are centralised and can be securely shared between investigators or requested by third parties without needing to physically ship or deliver the recordings.

As the application is not licensed per seat, access can be shared with as many users as needed without incurring any additional fees. With built-in video redaction (patent pending), the privacy of bystanders can be protected by allowing identifiable information to be masked before sending video to other stakeholders. All user actions initiated within the system, whether internal or external, are automatically tracked to ensure the chain of custody of the evidence is maintained at all times.

“The increased evidence that’s now available from video surveillance systems, body-worn cameras and witnesses can help solve crimes,” explained Erick Ceresato, product manager at Genetec. “However, the sheer amount of data to be managed can also become cumbersome to process and review, in turn increasing the time spent on case preparation rather than the investigation itself. That’s why we’ve developed a case management system to help automate certain tasks that are frequently performed on a manual basis and to facilitate collaboration between law enforcement, corporate security departments, legal entities and the public.”

Today’s organisations are looking at ways to streamline their evidence sharing process while maintaining stringent audit capabilities. The growing volume of video recordings has become increasingly complex to manage and it’s important for users to collaborate while also maintaining a clear chain of custody. As Genetec Clearance supports many common video codecs, video evidence can easily be reviewed, while also eliminating the time-consuming manual process of video codec conversion.

Designed as an open platform, Genetec Clearance APIs can be used to integrate with third party systems and automate the upload of video recordings and associated metadata to be reviewed within the system. Integration with Record Management Systems enables law enforcement departments to automate the creation of new cases with their existing record system, thereby reducing the need for duplicate data entry.

Genetec Clearance is available on a subscription basis and includes access to all the latest software updates and features. Updates are automated within the system as they become available, requiring no additional intervention from the client’s own staff.

*For more information on Genetec Clearance visit www.genetec.com

Protectas SA and Bosch Security Systems partner on new cloud-based monitoring services in Switzerland

Protectas SA and Bosch Security Systems are now partnering to provide remote video monitoring services to Protectas customers in Switzerland, home to two major Protectas Remote Control Centres.

Bosch cloud-based monitoring services enable Protectas to offer a vast portfolio of video monitoring services securely and cost-effectively from a centralised cloud server.

For its small- and medium-size customers, Protectas offers a highly effective ‘live intervention’ service, with IP cameras from Bosch monitoring key areas. Cameras detect suspicious behaviour and notify personnel at the Protectas Remote Control Centre. From this central location, the security operators view video, and can investigate and verify the suspicious behaviour being reported.

Through a remote audio connection, the operator notifies intruders that the police are on the way, preventing further damage.

Other vital monitoring services include video verification for indoor areas, virtual guard tours and virtual assistant, which provides immediate remote video and audio support to employees in distress with just one push of an emergency button.

The system is also designed for easy and inexpensive start-up. With only an IP camera and an Internet connection, end customers can begin using the Site Monitor App immediately for live and remote video monitoring. Benefits also include industry-specific business support services such as customer traffic reports for high-traffic retail facilities.

Fastest possible emergency response

Bosch cloud-based monitoring services and Protectas’ highly-trained operators work in synergy to ensure the fastest possible emergency response. Cloud-based alarm bundling intelligently groups related events together, significantly reducing the operator capacity needed per incident. As soon as the operator on duty initiates the alarm response process, cloud-based monitoring services displays the video operation interface, which renders a clear perspective of the situation to enable a swift and sure emergency response.

Arnaud Ducrot, CTO at Protectas, explained: “At Protectas, we’re really confident that this partnership will serve our remote guarding strategy. Including mature, efficient and cost-effective cloud services in our security solutions, especially on-site and mobile guarding, makes an important difference to our small- and medium-size customers.”

Protectas SA belongs to Securitas AB (which, incidentally, is not affiliated with the Swiss company of the same name, Securitas AG). From a broad range of services of specialised guarding, technology solutions and consulting and investigations, the business customises offerings that are suited to the individual customer’s needs in order to deliver the most effective security solutions.

Lodge Service organises Intelligence Centre Open Days on 26 and 27 April

Lodge Service is inviting security installers and property managers to view its new Lodg:IC Intelligence Centre in Redditch, Worcestershire on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 April.

Visitors can view the Cat 2 Alarm Receiving Centre and enjoy demonstrations of new monitoring and communications technologies as well as have their questions answered on issues of connectivity, compatibility and testing.

The Intelligence Centre offers 24-7 fire and security monitoring, as well as two-way communication for signal verification and reporting. A feature is the technical assistance available for solution end users. This ensures a prompt response to all enquiries.

Services include 24-7 control and centralised management of security, power and other building resources. Almost any web-enabled system or service can be supported, in fact, with real-time monitoring and alerts delivered to smart phones, tablets or other selected devices.

The intelligence network combines the control of on-site security systems as well as security guarding, investigations, staff screening and other personnel services through a single source.

*To book your place on one of the Open Days e-mail: asmith@lodgeservice.com or telephone 01527 587153