Lord James Bethell – one of the Association of Security Consultant’s (ASC) Patrons – was the Keynote Speaker at the Association’s successful annual international conference Consec, held on Thursday 6 November at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon.
In terms of securing the nation, the most effective way forward is in shared experiences and knowledge and that proved to be a key theme for the day. An array of eminent speakers assembled by the ASC provided a wealth of expertise and experience gained in their diverse fields.
Overview of politics and security
Chairman for the day was Peter Clarke (former assistant commissioner, specialist operations with the Metropolitan Police Service). Clarke expertly kept the distinguished speakers in order and made the day run extremely smoothly with his exceptional wit and humour, all the while affording invaluable input and displaying a vast knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.
As Keynote Speaker, Lord Bethell gave an interesting outline of politics and security. Other speakers included detective chief inspector Mick Neville, who shared his candid – and sometimes controversial – views on how to realise the massive investment placed in CCTV solutions and Chris Tomlinson of Arup Security Consulting (offering his company’s views on design guidance and building resilience against terrorist attack).
Further renowned speakers included Dr John Wyatt (chairman, technical director and principal lecturer at SDS Group) who gave an interesting and comprehensive presentation on explosive effects and their mitigation. John Ellis (a strategy consultant with Symantec) provided some particularly thought-provoking details on information security threats of the future, while chief superintendent Kevin Hurley shared experiences on the lessons of Iraq and policing a fractured society.
Individual security innovations
Sponsors showcased their products and individual security innovations at an exclusive exhibition arranged as part of the event. Major sponsor Lenel was joined by JVC Professional Europe, Salto Systems, MAXxess Systems, Nedap, TDSi, Complus Teltronic and Kaba Ltd. Official Media Partner for the event was United Business Media’s flagship end user title Security Management Today.
Roy Sutherland – the newly-appointed chairman of the ASC – commented that he was pleased to see so many members of the Association and other delegates at the conference. Each year, increasing numbers of delegates are attending this popular event, with this year’s Forum attracting over 170 bookings.
On a positive note, more and more attendees are staying until the closure of the conference – the ASC believes this is because of the calibre of speakers and what they have to offer.
Date for the Diary: Consec 2009
The ASC is already looking forward to Consec 2009, which will be held on 5 November at the same venue.
