With heavy rumours of a double-dip recession abounding and budgets remaining tight for 2012, how is the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) ensuring that Trade Association membership remains a worthwhile spend for businesses in the security sector?
As Britain’s unsteady economic growth continues, businesses across the UK are busily assessing each and every aspect of their expenditure and, all the while, looking for meaningful return on investment.
Often, it’s added value services like Trade Association membership that are particularly scrutinised, with many businesses failing to accurately assess the business benefits that can be gained from such memberships.
Margins remain particularly tight for many businesses operating in the UK’s security sector. As such, membership organisations like the BSIA are having to work doubly hard to demonstrate tangible value for their members.
The BSIA’s director of manpower and membership services, Trevor Elliott, explained: “While many businesses may see these memberships as a luxury in such difficult economic times, the added value benefits of belonging to a Trade Association can far outweigh the costs. A prime example of such a benefit is the extensive lobbying and public affairs activity conducted by the BSIA on behalf of its members.”
Elliott continued: “Many small and medium-sized companies benefit significantly by having a platform from which to influence vital Government decisions. This is often easier for them to achieve as part of a wider association than as an individual business.”
The changes seen by the security industry over the last decade continue to have an impact today, with the forthcoming changes to industry regulation and subsequent establishment of the Security Regulation Alliance a key example of the Trade Association’s role in today’s business environment.
As the security sector works towards a new form of regulation, Trade Association membership offers businesses of all sizes a valuable conduit through which to ensure their views are accurately represented and any concerns expressed.
With responsible security companies being the first to embrace change, some might say that now more than ever such a dynamic industry needs a strong trade body to liaise with and bring together the inspectorates, key stakeholders and industry companies by way of ensuring their voices are heard and offering what the customer truly wants.
In an ever-changing industry, Trade Association membership is a vital investment to ensure that businesses operating in the security sector, whatever their size, are accurately represented as the nature and shape of the industry continues to shift.
Here are just a few examples of how the BSIA has supported its members in 2011:
To find out more about the benefits of BSIA membership simply visit the Benefits of Membership web page
Photographic community welcomes BSIA and Home Office guidance for security officers
In July 2010, Home Secretary Theresa May announced her intention to review Government’s counter-terrorism and security powers with the aim of finding a way to restore and safeguard civil liberties in a manner consistent with the security needs of the country.
Police use of counter-terrorism powers to prevent photographers from legitimately taking photographs was one of the issues covered by the review.
This part of the review also looked at concerns expressed about the actions of “security guards attempting to take action against photographers”.
The Home Office published the findings of this review on 26 January 2011. In relation to photography and security officers, the review recommended that the guidance provided to private security officers be re-evaluated in order to ensure that it sufficiently reflects the right of the public to take photographs.
Commenting on this issue, BSIA chief executive James Kelly said: “From a security personnel point of view, it’s important to appreciate that even when politely seeking information from members of the public, this can be regarded as unwarranted intrusion.”
Kelly added: “Security officers should therefore approach members of the public to ask why they’re taking photographs or filming only when they consider their behaviour to be suspicious.”
In order to provide clearer guidance on Best Practice behaviour when dealing with individuals taking pictures or filming, the Home Office and the BSIA have worked together on the creation of a guide to Photography and Hostile Reconnaissance. Copies are being made available exclusively to members of the BSIA.
The BSIA has encouraged its members to distribute this guidance to any employee likely to come into contact with members of the public taking photographs or filming – a move that has been welcomed by the photographic community.
Dr Michael Pritchard, director general of the Royal Photographic Society, told Amateur Photographer magazine: “It’s promising to see the BSIA providing a clear statement of the law for its members which clearly affirms the rights of photographers, when they are on public land, to take photographs of any building or person.”
The Big Issue: BSIA supports North West police campaign in run-up to Christmas
The BSIA has pledged its support to a police campaign aimed at combating robberies of transit couriers in the North West in the run-up to Christmas.
The project is co-ordinated by Titan, and is a regional collaboration of forces designed to tackle serious and organised crime groups. It brings together officers from Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and North Wales with the BSIA, SaferCash and other partner agencies to fight Cash-in-Transit attacks.
Officially launched on 24 November, the campaign will see officers across the North West using both high visibility and covert patrols on the ground and in the air to escort security vehicles and couriers as they carry out their normal deliveries.
Head of Titan, detective chief superintendent Paul Richardson, said: “The North West has seen significant reductions in Cash-in-Transit robberies in recent years. Our message to criminals contemplating carrying out these kind of crimes in the run-up to Christmas is clear – we will find you, and we will make sure you spend your Christmas behind bars.”
Richardson continued:”Robberies targeting Cash-in-Transit vehicles, banks, Post Offices and commercial businesses are not victimless crimes and cause deep distress to those at the brunt of the attacks. In the majority of cases the offenders don’t hesitate to use violence against innocent people, which can result in life-changing mental and physical injuries.”
Steve Hurst, the head of SaferCash, said: “Working with regional police forces and our partners, we’re determined to make the cash-handling industry as secure as possible.”
Hurst stated: “Cash-in-Transit robberies don’t only affect the security officers involved. They also affect their families as some victims of these often very violent attacks suffer terrible psychological effects and are unable to return to a job they once loved.”
In conclusion, Hurst told Info4Security: “We urge the public to help us combat these attacks by reporting any suspicious activity near to Cash-in-Transit vans, particularly in the busy run-up to Christmas.”
The BSIA’s chief executive James Kelly added: “Cash-in-Transit attacks, while often perceived as a business crime, are not victimless. Working alongside the Home Office and police forces across the country, BSIA members are seeing some positive results in combating this type of criminality. However, only through the ongoing commitment of such effective partnerships will we continue to keep our couriers safe.”
Amanda Beesley is PR and communications manager at the BSIA
