Page 29 - the SyI Quarterly 15

Intelligence sharing and the sharing of information is undoubtedly the key component in keeping us all
safe and making us more resilient to the effects of crime. CityINTEL enables the City of London Police to
communicate in real-time to security companies on matters of safety and security. We have seen real value in
being able to advise our business community of any upcoming threats or risks that could impact on the safety
of their people and the operational effectiveness of their businesses.

Having the ability to communicate with our security partners puts the City of London Police in an
extraordinarily strong position in relation to collaboration and partnership working. I personally recognise that
we have a very professional and willing security industry across the Square Mile; it is therefore vital that we
maximise the opportunities to draw down on the capabilities of our security partners to benefit us all.

Having led our recent day of activity with security industry partners, it was reassuring to see police officers,
security officers and management building relationships and planning further activities and initiatives.

We recognise that our security industry partners are often likely to be first on scene at an incident: for this
reason, it’s so important that we understand each other’s capabilities and do all we can to ensure the safety of
the City of London.

We face unprecedented security challenges from a variety of sources – both nationally and internationally.
These challenges can only be tackled effectively by public/private partnership engagement.

It is clear to see that the security profession has made considerable progress over recent years, with the
industry being recognised as a fundamental and trusted partner of the police. I am personally grateful for the
support provided by the industry and appreciate how powerful we are when we work as one.

For the reasons I have set out above, I decided to join the security institute last year to support my own
development and to better understand the security industry. I would encourage police officers in my position
to do just the same and wherever possible ensure that this very capable resource partnership is maximised at
every opportunity across the UK.