By its very nature, security must be inclusive to the organisation that it supports and be able to stand-alone, in much the same way that basic auditing and Health and Safety functions do. Security is not an industry within an industry.
In the National Health Service, for example, a member of the Board has direct responsibility for security – a sure sign of the acceptance of protective security within the organisation. Most corporate security managers also have direct access to CEOs and managing directors.
A spell in the military allows individuals to bring valuable experience to the security arena. For example, those involved in civil protective security in hostile zones such as Iraq, and those trained directly in protective security – in particular the Intelligence Corps in the Army who developed protective security during the Second World War, the RAF Provost and Security Services, as well as the Royal Navy and Royal Marines security functions. They can all add value.
In many respects, it is their experience of late and during the Cold War (some with international experience before the demand for security consultants escalated overseas) that balances the dimension brought to security by the police service. Add to the recipe the valuable role played by those practitioners without military or police experience and you begin to realise a vibrant and mature business discipline prepared to push the boundaries – and, importantly, challenge the status quo.
If there is an issue here it’s that security has not been sufficiently exploited and engaged by Government.
In his correspondence, David also stated: “Ex-police service or military personnel simply topping up their pensions is a cancer within the industry that gives us all a bad name.” Based on that statement alone, the less we see of Mr Young in the security industry the better.
Clearly, David isn’t able to function within a discipline that requires teamwork and imagination to meet new challenges.
Nick van der Bijl BEM JP Dip Sec Mgt FSyI
Security Manager
North Bristol NHS Trust
Southmead Hospital