Page 11 - the SyI Quarterly 14 Booklet Format

Know your Institute
Know your Institute

Let me move over to our brilliant colleagues in the various police forces; in England and Wales we have 43,
The Institute is also home to an array of key Special plus Transport Police, Civil Nuclear police, and the Ministry of Defence Police but The Institutes wider reach
Interest Groups across a breadth of subjects. These means any officer in any police force can be part of our community*. Like our service personnel, the breadth
groups are predominantly run and organised by of skills and knowledge this profession brings to the sector is phenomenal. This can be demonstrated by a
members and bring so much to our profession and police constable who qualified to become a Chartered Security Professional and join the Register of Chartered
are recognised for doing so; this also includes the big Security Professions, because among other things, he had been seconded to a government group that had
spot light on NextGen and the youth aspect, because been established, and was able to demonstrate just how much strategic thinking he had brought to the table, a
we need to demonstrate that security is so much more skill the security profession so needs; individuals who can think outside of the box at a strategic level.
than just a Hi-Viz jacket. (Check them out at https://
security-institute.org/sigs/). Of course, a percentage of police officers will transition into a familiar role, and if only I had a £ for every serving
or ex police officer I have met who is a Close Protection specialist. Undoubtedly, there is a lot of call for this
What else can we do? skill set whilst in uniform, but much less once the uniform is left behind. However, one element this role does
highlight specifically well is Risk. Even the glamourisation of the role in the 1992 film ‘The Bodyguard’ bought to
This may be hard to believe, but I can actually the forefront to remind us, is that Close Protection is based around risk; risk of harassment, harm, or attack.
remember security being a night watchman sitting
around his (yes no hers’ in those days) brazier fire, Ref: At this point I will ask you to consider RISK; and think outside of the box and to consider where else that
with the alarm being “Oi You” shouted at you! Did I understanding and skill can be used.
consider future developments when being chased
back over the fence, no! Yet the sector has certainly For example, every company will be mindful of the risk to their organisation. They personally may not need any
evolved and I have witnessed many changes including close protection, but what they do need is to mitigate their organisational risk. Therefore, if you own one of the
diversity, training, and career progression being more many companies that specialise in Risk Management, (perhaps not just physical security), where do you get your
visible which creates more professional opportunities. best players from? Do you recognise the wealth of talent amongst our service personnel, many of whom have
To this end, we need to define what the profession or are very soon due to transition from a uniform service role, who are competent in managing risk and have
encompasses, and how we can encourage our the ability to bring that skill, knowledge, and behaviour to the workplace.
uniformed colleagues to understand what they can do
to successfully transition into the security profession as
a career choice. TRANSITIONING THE GAP SUPPORT - I AM SAVING THE BEST BIT TO LAST!

In some cases roles may be similar to their current or previous position, for example; Close Protection, In June this year The Security Institute is proud to be organising a Careers Fair for Veterans and Serving
Counter Terrorism or on the frontline dealing with incidents and emergencies, but this is where we need to Personnel. There will be an array of employers, information on education and the opportunity to chat about
go off piste away from the more well-known roles to understand the skills and knowledge required for the personal and professional development to assist with progression and transition.
wider security industry. At this point we need to identify how we can harness the skills of other professions -
architects; engineers; designers; computer experts; managers and strategists to assist in the transition into Therefore, can I ask of you please to consider the following -
one of the plethora of opportunities available in the world of security – try it yourself, continue off piste with
your own ideas as there are many more. ‘If you are in uniform and soon to transition or you know of anyone in that position; if you have already
transitioned but perhaps seeking better opportunities; or you are an employer looking for top quality
Now add the word ‘security’ in front - security architect; security engineer, a security strategists or those individuals, please spread the word and come along’.
using a technical bit of kit to consider working with Artificial Intelligence - something you may already be
familiar with and using in the day job. According to good old Wikipedia Artificial Intelligence (AI) is about— SAVE THE DATE:
perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to a human.
It successfully combines computer science and data bases, and can be used for speech recognition, CAREERS FAIR - Thursday 8th June Victory Services Club, 63-79 Seymour Street, London, W2 2HF
computer vision, translation between (natural) languages, as well as other mappings of inputs. Attendees can attend free of charge, accrue CPD points but registration is essential. Booking details will be
anounced in the very near future - so keep your eyes peeled!
And while I am no techie, I do recognise opportunities are twofold. Firstly, the person seeking employment
who may not have considered security as an employment opportunity post service (I bet many have not) Furthermore, if you are an employer interested in recruiting personnel from the uniformed services or able to
and secondly, those offering employment. If you are a developer; manufacturer of AI or come to that, provide a small sponsorship donation, please contact:
biometrics, or any of the other tools we have in our toolkit these days. Have you ever considered that there
is already a wealth of ‘experts’ who are about to leave the armed services, who are disciplined, loyal but Anjee Lawson via email Angela@security-institute.org
above all else, extremely competent?
Thank you for supporting our wonderful, uniformed colleagues – please spread the word – and make this an
event that makes a difference in the ‘transition from the day the uniform comes off’.

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