This is the first Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) to be launched in the Metropolitan Police Service area, affording members of Brunel University’s security team “extended and targeted powers appropriate to their role”.
For example, they’ll now be able to stop and demand the name and address of anyone behaving in an anti-social manner or committing the specific offences listed under the Police Reform Act 2002. They’ll also be able to confiscate alcohol from those imbibing in a controlled drinking zone (such as the Brunel campus). In neither instance will they have to make prior contact with the police service for back-up and/or assurances before acting in their ‘community policing’ capacity.
Two years of research and development
Brunel University was chosen for this 12-month trial period following nigh on two years of background work by Chris Hoad (Brunel’s security manager), who has liaised extensively during the set-up period with John Malcolm (managing director of Ickenham-based contractor Pace Security and supplier of dedicated, Security Industry Authority-licensed officers to augment Hoad’s own in-house team).
Speaking at yesterday afternoon’s 2.00 pm launch (to which SMT Online received an exclusive press invitation), Professor Chris Jenks – Brunel University’s vice-chancellor and principal – stated: “We’re delighted to have been chosen for the trial. It will mean improved information sharing protocols between the local police and our security staff, all of whom are now entitled to display the CSAS badge. It’s an offence in law to obstruct or assault an accredited person. That being the case, our officers now have genuine powers to make a difference in the community.”
Each officer has had to pass through enhanced and approved levels of training in addition to stringent vetting procedures. “We want to make sure Brunel is as safe and secure a campus as we can, and this accreditation from ACPO will greatly assist us in that endeavour,” added Jenks, who was speaking from the podium in the impressive surrounding’s of the Michael Sterling Atrium at Brunel’s Wilfred Brown Building.
Building on existing, strong ties
Responding to Jenks on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, Carl Bussey – Borough commander for Hillingdon – joked that the Met has had more pilots than British Airways, but assured the assembled gathering that: “This one will definitely work. The planning has been meticulous, and the good thing is that we are already building on a very strong relationship between ourselves and Brunel’s security staff.”
For Bussey, the CSAS presents an ideal opportunity to increase the information flow between his own Safer Neighbourhood Team and the security operatives on campus. “We want this CSAS to be an integral part of the Safer Neighbourhood Team’s work on and around the campus. I totally support the CSAS for this university.”
Bussey’s next words made for a real statement of intent. “We welcome the Brunel security staff into the Wider Police Family. I assure you that you will be treated with the utmost respect by my officers.” A welcome antidote to the nay-sayers in the police service who still refuse to place their trust in Government-regulated private sector assistance even when the (at best) static or (at worst) dwindling numbers of sworn officers tell them they absolutely must do so.
Shift leaders and officers accredited
In concluding the official launch, Bussey presented each member of the Brunel team with their official CSAS certificates. The personnel from Pace Security who received their accreditations were assistant shift leaders Emma Andrews, Alan Ilsley and Adam Miller, along with security officers Anthony Callender, Ferat Dauti, Andrew Morris, Daiva Padolskiene, Charlie Price, Leon Rowson, Andrew Singh, Alvin Rama and Leonard Bell.
The members of Chris Hoad’s in-house team receiving their CSAS certificates included deputy security manager Terry Vass, shift leaders George Allen, James Gallagher and Nicholas Nicholls and security officers Edward Howe, Mark Kearney, Gary Kenealy and Gary Robertson.
With the presentations at an end, SMT Online spoke to Borough commander Bussey for some further comment. “The security officers here at Brunel do a tremendous job. We wanted to recognise that at the Met, which is one of the main reasons why this trial has been organised,” opined Bussey. “We’re aware that the Met hasn’t been as quick off the mark with the CSAS as have other forces, but this is a big day for us and we aim to use the accreditation scheme to gel the relationship between the Safer Neighbourhood Team and the security officers.”
Perspectives from the security manager
For his part, Chris Hoad welcomed the launch after nearly two years of hard slog to realise his vision. Some time ago, Hoad – an active member of the Association of University Chief Security Officers – read about the University of Surrey’s CSAS, and promptly travelled down to quiz his opposite number (security manager Barry Jakeman) on how well the scheme was progressing.
“We have had to spend a fortune on additional training and vetting to make today happen. All this talk in certain national newspapers of security companies paying GB pound 100 for a CSAS badge or whatever is absolute rubbish. The only way you can become CSAS registered is to put in a great deal of effort, and then hope that ACPO will afford the due recognition.”
Brunel is a campus-based university which, as Hoad pointed out, is something of a rarity in the London area. It ranks 5th, 8th and 10th respectively in The Times University Guide for design, sports sciences and engineering, and is both renowned and hugely respected for its ‘sandwich’ placement courses.
Continued collaboration with industry worldwide and groundbreaking research in vital areas such as cancer genetics has led to the acquisition of over GB pound 16 million in research grants over the past year alone.
In recent times, no less than GB pound 250 million has been spent on revamping the campus as part of a ten-year master plan for the university, the past four years witnessing a GB pound 48 million investment in premium quality student accommodation alone.
Extended sphere of influence
Brunel University sits cheek by jowl with international organisations such as Apple (UK), Coca-Cola, Xerox, Centrica, BT and GlaxoSmithKline, all of whom will obviously be delighted by the CSAS launch as the security and safety operation devised by Safer Neighbourhood sergeant Derek Wheeler in collaboration with the Brunel security staff begins to widen its sphere of influence in west London’s local community.
Brunel University’s director of resources and operations, Paul Thomas, told SMT Online: “Our involvement in this scheme is a direct reflection of our commitment to continuing to ensure that the Brunel University campus remains a safe and secure environment for all concerned. The security team will be able to complement the activities of our own campus police constable, Jon Walls, in ensuring that living, studying and working at Brunel is both a continually safe and enjoyable experience.”
Also present at the launch were Ian Russell (anti-corruption specialist with the IDR Consultancy, who consulted on behalf of Pace Security when the CSAS was being established), Pace’s operations director Mark Verard and the aforementioned John Malcolm – a long-time friend of Security Management Today and now a firm supporter of SMT Online.
Desire to build on what’s in place
“Today is a very significant event for everyone involved,” explained Malcolm. “We’re the first company to be accredited by ACPO to work with the Metropolitan Police Service, and I’m very proud of that. This is only the beginning, though. We need to build on what has been started today.”
Malcolm concluded: “By the way, Brian, Chris is absolutely right in what he says. We were thoroughly audited by ACPO for this scheme. It’s a stringent process, and so it should be. After all, we’re talking about private sector operatives working in the local community alongside the police, so every check must be made to ensure that a given contractor is totally fit for purpose.”