Page 8 - the SyI Quarterly 11

Know your Institute
Know your Institute

Her Royal

Highness The Sitting and listening intently during the
presentations until it was time to take the stage
herself, The Princess Royal then stood before
Princess Royal the audience and delivered her own speech.
She spoke about the perception of the Security
industry, her own experiences with security
professionals over her lifetime within the Royal
attends SyI Events Family and emphasised the importance of
nurturing young people and making the industry
more accessible to them, often referring back
to the previous presentations content to further
clarify her points. Her Royal Highness spoke
As you may know, The Security Institute is incredibly about the Cadets she had met a couple of weeks
honoured to call Her Royal Highness The Princess before and how wonderful it was to see them
Royal our Royal patron. Her Royal Highness took up perform those exercises in real time, how these
this position last year and we have been thrilled to young people are the bright future of the security
have had her attend two of our hugely successful industry but as current industry professionals we
events in recent months. need to keep them involved and engaged, which
highlighted the importance of our #NextGen
On Wednesday 6th April we invited the Volunteer initiative.
Police Cadets to join the #NextGen initiative once
again. This time, we hosted a Hostile Environment After The Princess Royal’s speech, she left the
Training Course in a remote location near Kettering, main room and made her way to the balcony area
Northamptonshire. The Cadets, aged 13-18 years where there were four newly registered Chartered
old underwent challenging simulations, including a Security Professionals who had the honour of
recreation of a road traffic collision, a vehicle hijacking having their certificates formally presented to
and a street fight. The Princess Royal observed these them, one of those CSyP’s was Andrew Donaldson
simulations, as the cadets tended to actors with CSyP MSyI.
critical injuries in life-like scenarios.
Leanne Buckingham, Deputy Chief Cadet Officer,
attended alongside the cadets and recalled this of
their experience. “All of the Cadets were very excited
to meet Her Royal Highness. For most of them this
was the first time they had met a member of the
royal household. The Princess Royal walked around
speaking to each of the groups and the cadets Andy had this to say about the experience, “It
commented on how impressed they were that she was an absolute honour to be presented with
gave each cadet her time and listened intently. A once my CSyP certificate by Her Royal Highness
in a lifetime opportunity that they will remember for the Princess Royal. We laughed more than we
years to come.” probably should have. It shows, however, how
Her Royal Highness has such an ability to make
On Thursday 28th April we held our Annual General one feel relaxed and engage in meaningful
Meeting at the Victory Services Club in London. Her conversation. We are fortunate with such
Royal Highness arrived and met with members of patronage”
the HQ team as well as directors and patrons, taking
time to have a conversation with each person in the Security Institute Chair Peter Lavery FSyI
line-up. Security Institute Office Manager Helen Stone commented, “We are very lucky here at the
was fortunate enough to have been in this line up, Security Institute to have a Royal Patron who
she commented ““It was an absolute privilege and takes a real interest in what we are doing, and
honour to meet Her Royal Highness The Princess what we plan to do for the progression of the
Royal. After being chosen to meet with HRH, the team security industry. It was a great honour having
and myself were both nervous and excited to have Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in
this opportunity. She was fascinating to speak to attendance for both of these events and we look
during the line up, it is not until you meet somebody forward to welcoming her to more in the future.”
in person that you truly experience their personality,
and I was genuinely touched by her warmth and to be
so giving with her time.”

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