Magazine Who is protecting who

Guarding NewsAWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING WORK:Pictured left to right:Simon Webber andMark Curtis receivingtheir award from BSIADirector of Manpowerand Membership ServicesTrevor ElliottPhoto courtesy of theBSIAGareth Stead Clark withTrevor ElliottJames Kelly and HazelBlears68HAPPY‘Our focus is onsupporting policeofficers, not replacingthem.’From an issue of thecompany in-housemagazine, John Shaw,MD of G4S PolicingSupport Services.OFFICERSHAILEDLast month saw aroundthe country ceremonies togive framed certificates toofficers as regional winnersin the annual BSIA securityofficer awards. As everyyear, behind the winnerswere varied and sometimesremarkable stories.Two security men from Burtonupon Trent won ‘service tothe customer’ in the Midlands.manager, and Mark Curtis, asecurity supervisor, work for VSG(Vision Security Group) and havebeen working for their client for acombined period of 12 years. Thetwo men brought in a new gatehousesecurity procedure, which streamlinedoperations with cost savings for thecustomer. Previously, around 4000double sided pages were printed andphotocopied each month, costing intoner and print ink. The previouslyprinted information was sent todrivers by Bluetooth. Nearly alldrivers passing through the site hadmobile phones with Bluetooth. Asa result, the equipment was able toregister contact with almost everyphone. Using supporting signagethe Bluetooth transmission from thegatehouse exceeded 75 per cent. Thetrial projected monthly savings of upto £800 for the client. Bluetooth alsoreplaced the manual distribution ofprinted health and safety informationto the 540 visitors at the site eachmonth. The men ran a second trial, onthe visitor reception process, beamingan electronic copy of the instructionsto visitor handsets, vastly reducing thenumber of hard copies handed out.Mall superviserGareth Stead Clark, a VSG superviserwho has worked at The Malluse of technology in the north west.Ian Fisher, Account Director at VSG,said: “He has taken a very proactiveapproach to his position, spent timeAPRIL 2013 PROFESSIONAL SECURITYgetting to grips with new technology,which has allowed him to apply hisexpertise across various initiatives.The Mall management, CCTVoperator colleagues and visitingfrom Gareth’s knowledge.” At aMarch 7 ceremony, Gareth said: “Ienjoy working in the security industryand intend to remain so for sometime. The team I work alongsideremain strong and take each challengehead on, no matter what pressure weare put under. Our management teamideas and processes, which helps theteam to grow and develop. I feelbeing a part of this is a privilege andintend to help this growth anddevelopment in any way I can.”regional winners are: PCL Whitehall,SPS Security, G4S, Advance SecurityUK, Securitas, ADP SecuritySystems, Westgrove Group, CorpsSecurity, and Wilson James. The national award winners arenamed at the association’s annuallunch on July 16, in London. Theseawards in their 15th year have allalong been sponsored by CamberfordLaw plc, the specialist insurancebrokers to the security industry. Blears at roundtableTrust, accountability and the deliveryof value for money are three keydeliverables essential for the privatesecurity industry to build successfulworking relationships with police. Soa recent parliamentary roundtablemeeting heard, hosted by the BSIA,including some new police and crimecommissioners and chaired by LabourHazel Blears. SIA e-renewalsgo on trialThe Security Industry Authority waslast month running a trial for its newelectronic renewals for companiesbefore launch.The regulator says that new servicelets employers renew licences orapply for more licences on behalf ofstaff. If a licence holder gives theirpermission, you can submit a renewalapplication on their behalf without asignature. The service is fully online;so no need to print or submitdocuments. SIA Assistant DirectorCustomer Service and QualityImprovement, Christy Hopkins, said:“Our aim is to reduce cost, simplifythe application process and helpbusinesses to manage the licensingprocess of their employees. The pilothas been extremely successful andthe feedback from each company thathas used the e-Renewals service hasbeen very positive. This is just thelatest in a series of initiatives aimedat improving the services we offerour customers and there are more tocome in the year ahead.”And in IrelandThe regulator in the Republic ofIreland, the Private SecurityAuthority, says it’s starting work onthe licensing of private investigators.It doesn’t have a time frame for thelicensing of the sector, but isassessing what’s required this year.Separately: the Tipperary-based PSAused to let people work without alicense if they have put in anapplication with the appropriate fee,declared they haven’t any criminalconvictions, and they will work for alicensed contractor or have a letteroffer. Since March, you have to holda PSA badge before you can startsecurity work. Why this change? ThePSA speaks of cases where applicantssaid they had no convictions butvetting showed they did haveconvictions. The PSA found that mostof these applications came fromemployers outside of the scope ofPSA licensing. Contractors who arenot subject to PSA licensing don’thave to screen. www.professionalsecurity.co.uk