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Chartered Security Professionals

The Ever-Progressing Path

to Professionalism of the

Security Industry

by Stuart Williams CSyP FSyI

Back in April 2013, my article titled ‘The Path to Professionalism’ was
published in Professional Security magazine, highlighting a growing
desire within the security industry to develop career paths towards
becoming a genuine profession. In that article I referred to my recent
application to become a Chartered Security Professional (CSyP), how
I found the process to be efficient, robust, flexible and thorough. I
also highlighted my gratitude for the recognition it brought among my
work colleagues, who as built environment professionals, while not
necessarily understanding much about security, certainly understood
what it meant to be chartered.

Growth of the Register
In the last 8 years since I was admitted, the Register of Chartered Security Professionals has gone from
strength to strength – only last year Mike Edgerton became our 200th CSyP and as at the end of March 2021,
we have 207 CSyPs on the Register. We have also transitioned from being a primarily UK based organisation
to now representing 19 countries, including the USA and Canada, most of Europe and with CSyPs located
as far away as the UAE, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea; that truly demonstrates the global
recognition of the CSyP. Even from my list of peers, I have seen Hunter Burkall CSyP FSyI (USA), Aaron
Thatcher CSyP MSyI (USA), Mike Edgerton CSyP FSyI (USA) and Jean Perois CSyP FSyI (France) achieve this
certification, demonstrating the recognition of the CSyP as the ‘gold standard’ for those operating at the
strategic level of security around the world. That diversification has also seen 11 women admitted and
the value of the Register has been demonstrated by its formal recognition by the Centre for Protection of
National Infrastructure (CPNI), and endorsement by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

The Register has also worked hard to improve the process for candidates. Mentoring workshops are
now conducted to help potential candidates better understand the application process and the evidence
requirements. In addition to the formal mentoring, many CSyPs are encouraging peers to apply and I
have personally helped several along that path – it is genuinely rewarding to see friends and colleagues
recognized for their security careers. The Register also began pioneering virtual interviews several years ago
to assist with the challenges of international applications, which enabled the process to rapidly transition to
successfully respond to the challenges of COVID-19.

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