RiskUKSeptember2017

The Changing Face of Security Services: Brexit
security industry, in particular, can pick and
choose their next move.
That being so, this leaves a pool of – dare I
say this – poorer-qualified applicants with less
experience, or those individuals with no
experience at all.
For the latter, we need to bear in mind that
the security industry may not be an attractive
option when hours, shift patterns and salary
levels are all taken into account.
Historically, therefore, like many labourintensive
industries, security has always
welcomed a broad mix of individuals from
overseas, and if entry into the UK is to be made
more difficult for migrants, or the number of
immigrants is otherwise limited in some way,
then we will all have to recruit more homegrown
talent.
Future considerations
If this is the case, as an industry we will need to
consider two things. First, how do we go about
making security and security companies
themselves more attractive as a career for
potential employees? Second, but inextricably
linked with the first point, how do we go about
raising salary and benefit levels to attract the
right people in the first instance?
The answer to the second question poses a
real conundrum as it’s not something that’s
directly within our control. Site-based
remuneration is in the hands of our customers.
Unless we see a universal shift across the
industry, and stand together to drive positive
change, a low-price option will still be a choice
for end users in what some of them view as the
race for the bottom.
On that note, for years now many of us in the
guarding sector have bemoaned the increase in
skills and quality sought on some contracts
when viewed alongside an apparent – and, in
some instances, actual – unwillingness on the
part of customers to pay for that situation.
Our officers are constantly being asked to do
more with – or for – less. Their roles and
responsibilities have widened. Their remit often
extends beyond security into Front of House
services, Health and Safety and facilities
management. With the evolution of services
has come the need for greater training and
additional management support. Yet all the
while the fees being paid for such services have
been heading downwards and not up.
Perhaps Brexit will have a positive impact
here? We can certainly hope so.
Security’s attractiveness
With regards to making our industry more
attractive for potential new recruits, many of us
“It has been up to individual security companies to make
tough choices over pay levels and benefits for their nonsite
based staff and for customers who recognise the value
of their security to ‘up the ante’ in terms of contract rates”
felt that SIA licensing was the advent of a new
dawn. The promise from the Regulator and
those in power in Westminster at the time was
that it meant ‘cowboy’ operators would be
exposed and forced out of business.
Perhaps more importantly, licensing and
regulation also meant that standards would be
raised and officers given the credit for the
difficult tasks they perform. It signalled a
positive move towards the highly successful
Scandinavian model wherein security is viewed
as a respected career of choice.
Unfortunately, this hasn’t turned out to be
the case. In the real world, it has been up to
individual security companies to make tough
choices over pay levels and benefits for their
non-site based staff (with one eye on everdecreasing
margin levels) and for customers
who recognise the value of their security to ‘up
the ante’ in terms of contract rates.
If the price of security to end users were to
increase, there would undoubtedly be a
concerted movement towards ever-smarter
solutions incorporating the latest technology
and reduced manpower. Here, we’re talking
about solutions that many companies would
welcome due to the increased margins often
produced from such outcomes.
Closer to home
In reality, at this present moment nobody really
knows the true impact that Brexit will have on
our industry, or indeed any other industry for
that matter. What we do know, however, is that
if we reduce the pool from which we can recruit
then a difficult situation will be made even
more difficult still. If security businesses can no
longer rely on a steady flow of talent influx from
across Europe then we may have to look closer
to home for a solution.
During the lead-up to the EU Referendum, we
were all inundated with truths, half-truths and
what have subsequently been shown to be
falsehoods to try and win our vote. This
scenario doesn’t appear to have changed.
We all have our opinions of what might
happen post-Brexit and we all want to remain
optimistic about our future prospects. One
thing’s for sure, though. If we are to realise a
positive outcome for the security business
sector, we must put company interests aside
and all work together for the greater good.
David Mundell: Managing
Director of Axis Security
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