Page 18 - the SyI Quarterly 15

Our Membership

Security Officer to Security

Manage. By Karol Doherty MSyI

Introduction:
I have heard a lot of people talk about a career path in the
security industry. The question is, does the frontline security
officer know there is a career path available for them within the
security industry? Well, I think not.

In my opinion, the frontline security officer does not know
where to start! Of course they have a Security Industry Authority
(SIA) license, but if they work for a security service supplier
then almost all their managers have a SIA license too - and
that is the only qualification they have within Risk and Security
Management.

The Security Officer that wants to progress their career and
invest in themselves, often do not know where to start. If they
were to speak with their contract manager, most contract
managers will not even know where to go themselves, because
they do not have an academic qualification to use by example.
The Security Officer believes that the career path for the entire
security industry is Security officer, Security Team Leader, Security
Supervisor, Contract Security Manager, Account manager,
Operations Director, and Managing Director.

Do not get me wrong, this is all progression in the industry, and
of course, a lot of Security Officers would like to be at the level of
Director/Managing Director. My point is, that this is not the only
route in the security industry. However, for the people that are
coming into the industry from the frontline, this is what they see.

Should the client be responsible? When it comes to the Client of
a security service provider, the client is always viewed as a “do not
speak to unless spoken to”, by security front line staff, and are
therefore an unapproachable avenue to take when it comes to
progression and training. From the client’s point of view, the client
expects the managers of the frontline staff to be able to progress
their own staff, and without their involvement. But as I said
previously, almost all contract managers will not have an academic
qualification in security risk management themselves. So, when the
frontline security officer goes to seek help from their manager, they
will often be unable to.
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