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Una Says<br />

The need to have professional<br />

security standards in a port has<br />

never been more important.<br />

Our regular contributor Una Riley<br />

recently caught up with Roger Felgate<br />

BSc MBA CMC, the newly appointed<br />

chairman of the marine section of<br />

IPSA (International Professional<br />

Security Association).<br />

28<br />

Above: Masts at<br />

Holyhead<br />

Right: Roger Felgate<br />

Photo by Una Riley<br />

Una Riley has worked<br />

on behalf of many<br />

security industry<br />

associations. She is<br />

Master Emeritus of the<br />

Worshipful Company of<br />

Security Professionals<br />

and separately a Past<br />

Master of the Guild of<br />

Public Relations<br />

Practitioners.<br />

Credentials<br />

Felgate has the credentials to do the<br />

job having originally qualified as an<br />

electrical engineer. He also worked<br />

as a Merchant Navy Officer and then<br />

joined the Royal Naval Reserve,<br />

gaining experience for over 26 years<br />

in the areas of general security issues.<br />

These included defence of ports<br />

and anchorages, naval control of<br />

shipping, and working at sea as the<br />

RN representative in merchant ships<br />

on exercises. He also cross-trained in<br />

personnel development and is a full<br />

member of the CIPD, and a Certified<br />

Management Consultant. Felgate<br />

has taught management at all levels<br />

internationally. He joined IPSA as<br />

an inspector and trainer 20 years ago<br />

and taught most IPSA courses. He<br />

has correspondingly created bespoke<br />

courses and one in particular for a<br />

property company in Hong Kong that<br />

he recalled. As if that wasn’t enough<br />

for a security professional he also<br />

served 12 years as a Metropolitan<br />

Police Special! I have always been<br />

fascinated by all things nautical,<br />

having been born beside the sea.<br />

Listening to Felgate is a pleasure as<br />

he recalls his experience in this sector<br />

and his ideas.<br />

Standards<br />

He explained the serious need for<br />

standards and responsibility, when the<br />

threat to all levels of transport are on<br />

high alert. Felgate explained about<br />

ports at present and how each needs<br />

a port plan where vulnerabilities, risk<br />

assessments and states of readiness<br />

are reviewed. Port Facilities Security<br />

Officers (PFSO) are responsible for<br />

wharves, jetties, and restricted areas.<br />

Other security staff will be carrying<br />

out port security duties covering<br />

goods and passenger movements,<br />

security, and safety. He also explained<br />

that port police forces have been<br />

NOVEMBER 2017 PROFESSIONAL SECURITY<br />

A marine<br />

experience<br />

reduced and more onus has been<br />

placed on security companies to cover<br />

security and policing duties.<br />

Marinize<br />

There is a need to ‘marinize’ security<br />

officers and ensure they are ‘maritime<br />

aware’. Wharves, jetties, cranes,<br />

ship movements and tide differences<br />

provide a working environment that<br />

is fraught with potential hazards.<br />

He said: “Unfortunately, we still<br />

find security officers with an SIA<br />

blue [guarding] badge working in a<br />

supermarket one day and then given<br />

a dockside post the next day without<br />

having any maritime training.” I<br />

asked if they can get training through<br />

IPSA. Felgate said: “IPSA maritime<br />

specialists have experience in port<br />

security, maritime training at all<br />

levels and police procedures and<br />

operations. This includes Projects<br />

Griffin and Argus and Operations<br />

Fairway, Kraken and Yali.” Felgate<br />

spoke at length about the adoption of<br />

this standard; or the lack of embrace<br />

of it. He added: “The EN:16747 was<br />

supposed to have been implemented<br />

back in February 2016 in the UK. The<br />

standard recognises that qualifications<br />

and skills required to be updated<br />

along with the CPD (Continual<br />

Professional Development) that is<br />

needed.” I enquired more about the<br />

standards. Felgate explained that<br />

in 2011 Skills for Security set up a<br />

working group with maritime and<br />

policing knowledge to produce a<br />

National Operating Standard (NOS)<br />

covering port security operations<br />

with the key purpose ‘to manage<br />

and maintain the security of the port<br />

environment whilst maintaining the<br />

integrity of the restricted area’.<br />

Cost of adoption<br />

This would have to comply with the<br />

ISPS code and probably add to it. The<br />

result of this work was a presentation<br />

to ‘Transec’ [the security side of the<br />

Department for Transport] which<br />

resulted in it being accepted as a good<br />

standard that could be used. However,<br />

due to UK Government departmental<br />

changes it was never implemented.<br />

Felgate went on: “We were told<br />

that it would cost the industry (port,<br />

port operators, security companies)<br />

money to implement. They<br />

concluded that it would not be<br />

acceptable as no-one would<br />

➬<br />

www.professionalsecurity.co.uk<br />

p28,9 Una <strong>27</strong>-11.indd 1 12/10/2017 11:22

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