Since the introduction of Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensing, all security officers passing under the Regulator’s radar now undergo Basic Job Training. This guarantees that they have all attained the same minimum level of competency.
We can only view this as a positive step towards making long overdue improvements to the industry, but it would appear that the requirement to complete an SIA-approved training programme is beginning to have a worrying side effect.
The training provided to attain a licence gives officers the basic skills and knowledge required to be a security officer, but that’s about all it does. It has been designed to provide a basic, generic grounding in security and nothing more.
Despite this, I believe it’s now increasingly common for security companies to reduce their training budgets and to educate only to SIA licensing standards. Such a mentality is being driven partly by a tendency for potential clients to believe that every security company now provides the same level of service post-licensing, and partly by the need for security companies to reduce costs in what is still primarily a price-led market.
Security is all-too-often seen as a commodity purchase. That has been the major problem for us all for some time now.
Professional development
Whatever the cause, the resultant reduction in ongoing training is likely to have a detrimental effect on the industry and the service it can offer its client base. If there is a lack of professional development opportunities, high quality employees will be discouraged from entering the security industry and we will continue to lag behind other professions in terms of reputation, opportunities and attractiveness to employees. In short, we will continue to fail to attract the calibre of entrant this industry so badly needs.
In addition, a smaller pool of security personnel will result in intense competition for the recruitment of staff. The smaller security companies – which often provide very bespoke, tailored Service Level Agreements will be hit hardest as they struggle to compete with the comprehensive benefits packages larger firms are able to offer recruits.
If these smaller companies cease to exist, then this in turn will limit the choice available to clients who’ll then be forced to opt for the ‘one size fits all’ type of service offered by the large security conglomerates.
If the introduction of SIA-approved training is used as an excuse to cut back on the training required to give each officer the skills needed to work at a customer’s site, the service buyer will be left to choose from a list of security providers whose officers are not properly qualified to handle the security issues specific to a given client’s premises or operation.
Differences between sectors
As an industry, it’s important we recognise the fact that although the primary objectives of security – to protect people, property and assets remain the same, the ways in which these goals need to be met varies immensely from one sector to another. The skills, training and knowledge required by security officers demand a tailored approach to training as different working environments naturally have differing requirements.
For example, a retail security officer must deal with loss prevention, surveillance and the ‘rules of engagement’. Their position also requires them to have the necessary people skills to deal with members of the public, potentially violent situations and the appearance of aggressive individuals.
In contrast, the role of a warehouse security officer will be focused on access control, perimeter protection and minimising shrinkage via activities such as monitoring the picking, checking and delivery procedures. It is highly unlikely that a security officer working in this environment will have any dealings with the public at all.
Although there’s an overlap regarding the basic skills required hence the SIA-approved training – there are clearly training issues unique to the particular sector in which an officer may work. This must be obvious to any serious practitioner in the industry.
As a result, we believe that a bespoke approach to training is nothing less than essential if clients are to receive the security service they both need and deserve. If the standard of officer and the service we provide as an industry is to improve, training related to SIA licensing should be viewed not as a complete package but as the start point for further professional development.
Clearly, an homogeneous security package cannot successfully manage all the different aspects of security while relying on a single training programme.
Centres of Excellence
In line with Equinox Security Management’s tailored approach to the development of security solutions, we are now establishing Equinox Academies Centres of Excellence where security officers are trained at the client’s site(s). This unashamedly bespoke approach to training means that officers become intimately familiar with the risks and challenges presented by the site (or sites) on which they work, as well as the needs of the individual client.
In turn, this means that each client receives a security service tailored completely to their needs. One that will maximise the effectiveness of their security provision.
Our commitment to comprehensive and bespoke training is such that Equinox Academies are being established at a range of retail, manufacturing, industrial and corporate locations across the country.
If the security industry is really committed to improving standards and clients truly value the security service they are buying, then we feel this bespoke approach to training is the only way forward.
In today’s business environment, relying solely on basic SIA-approved training programmes is simply not good enough.
