Although this year’s ‘Summer of Sport’ is already well and truly underway, fans of ‘The Beautiful Game’ will be particularly excited just now as the 2012-2013 football season’s about to kick off.
It’s well publicised that many Barclays Premier League players are now earning well over GB pound 100,000 per week, and so it’s easy to see how they might fall victim to crime: from robberies and break-ins to stalkers and over-zealous fans.
Clearly, security is of paramount importance to both individuals and club businesses in the football sector.
“The question regarding the responsibility of any football club in terms of it taking care of players and management when they are off duty is one that has been asked many times and yet still doesn’t realise a clear answer,” explained Mike O’Neill, chairman of the BSIA’s Close Protection Section.
“Whether a breach of safety and/or security of these key personalities happens on or off duty, it’s certainly the case that the effect on the club concerned will remain considerable.”
Constantly in the spotlight
With the popularity of the sport second to none in the UK, football players and key management figures at football clubs are constantly exposed to public scrutiny. That being the case, and particularly so during high profile appearances, close protection detail is often arranged to facilitate the movement of the people involved and enhance their security.
Another challenge faced by the players is how to protect their home. With the general public often aware of when players are likely to be outside the country, their premises can often be left vulnerable at these times. Houses may often lie empty or occupied solely by a player’s wife/girlfriend and the children, with threats from intrusion by obsessed fans or opportunistic thieves always looming.
Security consultancies who provide advice for football clubs can also help assess the residences of the individual players and their security systems. The latter should include an integration of measures such as CCTV, physical security (for example high fences and sturdy gates) and intruder alarms.
Consultants will take into consideration the layout of the house and assess the vulnerability of the individual in question (for example, in terms of whether they attract any known stalkers or have recently been subjected to negative publicity in the media).
It’s not just the players who are potentially at risk. Mike O’Neill, whose company Optimal Risk belongs to the BSIA’s Security Consultancies Section, added: “Football clubs are big business, and face all the challenges that ordinary organisations face as well as many others unique to such high profile activity. Security requirements are constantly evolving. They’re impacted by the reputation of the club, players and management, as well as team performance on the field and heightened media interest. These are all areas that can expose the businesses to threats such as theft, vandalism, violence and arson attacks.”
Providing holistic security regimes for sports personalities is a unique challenge and one that requires expertise in a number of security sectors, predominantly close protection and security consultancy but also in terms of integrating with physical and electronic security (including access control and CCTV).
As the profile of the game continues to rise, in turn security around it and its participants becomes increasingly important.
To locate a BSIA member company near you, or for any further information on the solutions mentioned here, visit the BSIA website.
Finding lone worker information on the web
With financial constraints leading to many businesses cutting back on staff or changing working practices in order to increase productivity, the number of people whose job requires them to work alone or without direct supervision is on the rise.
For businesses employing such lone workers – who are often required to work away from an office environment or outside of normal working hours – fulfilling their obligations under Duty of Care legislation can be a challenge.
The financial repercussions of any neglect of Duty of Care can be significant and, in some cases, far outweigh the cost of implementing a lone worker protection system.
Lone worker systems work through devices that are equipped with mobile phone technology and which can connect employees quickly and discreetly with an emergency response system that has direct links to the police.
A number of products are commercially available from BSIA member companies, ranging from applications on Smartphones to dedicated GPS/GSM lone worker devices.
Businesses seeking to protect their lone working employees – and, indeed, individuals who work alone – can find out more about their duties and responsibilities from the BSIA’s dedicated lone worker online hub which provides links to useful guidance documents and advice on choosing the right system. There’s also information on what British Standards to look for when sourcing a lone worker solution.
Also available on the site are a number of Case Studies highlighting the positive differences that solutions provided by BSIA member companies have made to businesses in a wide range of industry sectors (among them transport, healthcare, local authorities and housing associations).
Patrick Dealtry, chairman of the BSIA’s Lone Worker Forum, commented: “This dedicated web page means that employers can now find out more about the implications of British Standards, download useful guidance and locate reputable suppliers all in one place, with everything co-ordinated by the leading Trade Association for the private security industry.”
Access the lone worker online hub now
The Big Issue: Nominations open for the BSIA Security Personnel Awards 2013
Following the success of the 2012 Security Personnel Awards, which were presented at the BSIA’s Annual Luncheon in June, nominations are now open for the 2013 awards.
The Security Personnel Awards serve to reward security officers working for BSIA member companies in respect of their dedication, loyalty, teamwork, customer service skills, use of technology and bravery.
They provide an ideal opportunity for businesses to showcase the skills and achievements of their employees, whether they’re working within a small or medium-sized enterprise or a large corporate company.
The key dates for the 2013 BSIA Security Personnel Awards are as follows:
- Application deadline: 31 October 2012
- Regional awards judging: December 2012
- National awards judging: March 2013
- National awards presentation: 16 July 2013 at the London Hilton Hotel, Park Lane
With the popularity of the awards growing year on year, the opportunities for nominees and winners to gain a heightened profile through the BSIA’s awards scheme publicity continues to increase.
Security personnel can be nominated in the following categories: Service to the Customer, Outstanding Act, Best Newcomer, Best Use of Technology and Best Team.
Promoting the value of quality service is the key function of these awards, and provides an added benefit of belonging to the BSIA.
How to engage with the 2013 scheme
Companies wishing to find out more about the Security Personnel Awards, as well as other benefits of BSIA membership, can do so by contacting the Trade Association’s business development manager Sharon Mughal via e-mail at: s.mughal@bsia.co.uk
For BSIA member companies wishing to nominate their personnel for the 2013 Security Personnel Awards, the relevant information can be found on the Members Area of the BSIA website
Amanda Beesley is PR and marketing communications manager at the British Security Industry Association