Who cares what the Government insists on calling them. Anyone who has the slightest understanding of today’s security sector knows that an appropriately trained and licensed security operative is a security officer, and that’s exactly what the true professionals will continue to call them.
So let’s move on! If the time, energy and resources wasted on pontificating about what to call security officers was instead diverted towards treating them like professionals and giving them the best possible training money can buy we would all be able to live in a safer place.
Which leads me neatly on to my pet subject – weapons-related crime. As SMT Online’s Editor Brian Sims rightly stated in one of his excellent Editor’s Views: “Whether the Government likes to admit it or not, this country is in the grip of a knife crime epidemic, and the public’s perception is that such crime is out of control”. This is a statement of fact, and anyone who has read any of my articles on info4security, listened to any of my lectures or attended one of my training courses will know that I forewarned the arrival of this problem years ago.
Serious knife culture in the UK
The fact is that the increase in weapons-related crime – and in particular knife crime – has resulted in an all-time high for such criminality across the globe. Contrary to what the police service and the Government tell us, there is – and always has been – a serious knife culture in this country. Knife crime is now four times more prevalent than gun crime. Hospitals receive hundreds of victims of knife attacks every month, with figures of 55% of murders attributable to knife wounds now being reported.
It’s simple – if you carry a knife, you are a potential murderer. Furthermore, I believe if you carry a disguised or stealth knife that murder is premeditated.
We all know that London Mayor Boris Johnson has spent fortunes on the installation of metal detectors in schools, and equipping the police service with mobile detection equipment. However, not one penny has been spent on education with regards to the subject of stealth weapons. Has Mayor Johnson even seen one of these implements? Maybe I should send him a copy of my article entitled The Non-Metallic Threat.
Only a couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of some of my training equipment being inspected by a security professional in the employ of Her Majesty’s Government. Said individual had absolutely no idea what he was looking at. All I can say is that it’s a good job I’m one of the good guys.
It wasn’t his fault. No training. I repeat: he’d had NO TRAINING! It’s as simple as that.
Educating the victims
Some of you may have read my theories on educating the potential victim (and by potential victim I mean you and I). The aforementioned security officers are victimised by their total lack of education on the subject of disguised and clandestine weapons. If a tiny fraction of the time and funds that are being poured into trying to re-educate the perpetrators were diverted into educating the victims our streets would be much safer.
We all face the inherent dangers of an economic crisis that’s spiralling out of control. We have no time to waste time and, in today’s financial climate, we undoubtedly can’t afford to waste hard cash. As if by magic, that brings me neatly back to where I began this discourse.
Stop wasting time and money on quarrelling about what to call a security officer and use that time and money to make them better at the job. After all, properly trained, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Steve Collins is CEO at PS5
