AUCSO | 09


BELOW: Bernadette Duncan (AUCSO COO), IACLEA President Vickie Weaver and Ray Wheatley, AUCSO Irish representative and IACLEA International Director


ABOVE: L-R - Roger Morgan, Chair of AUCSO, Glenn Farrant of Critical Arc (sponsor),


with the winners of the Security Team of the Year, 'C Crew' University of Manchester


Keeping campuses secure


Bernadet e Duncan, Chief Operating Offi cer at AUCSO, explains more about the organisation and its plans for the future


T


he Association of University Chief Security Offi cers (AUCSO) emerged from an informal group


of universities in the south of England and became a formal Association within the UK higher education (HE) sector in 1984, with members from the north of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. In 2009, a number of changes occurred


at the Association, with members of the 'European Association of Campus Security' agreeing to merge and join with AUCSO, and the AGM also voting in favour of opening membership to further education (FE) colleges. In 2014, the Association celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special gala dinner at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Membership of AUCSO, which is


institutional not personal, is aimed at those responsible for security, personal safety, emergency management and related services within UK and European universities, HE and FE colleges. AUSCO currently has 148 member institutions across the UK & Europe, with members from outside Europe recently joining. Elected members forming an Executive


Commit ee keep the Association running, supported by the Chief Operating Offi cer and the Secretary,


which together arrange conferences, regional one-day meetings, seminars and training. Keeping up-to-date with legislation and liaising with other professional groups and organisations is an ongoing task. Requests from members for


information on security and related issues were a common topic on email but quickly fi lled inboxes, so the AUCSO website (www.aucso.org.uk) now provides a forum where members can pose questions and see replies from other members. Question topics range from equipment suppliers, use of body armour and body cams, queries on pay rates and types of shift work. With years of experience, members will usually come up trumps with the answers and willingly share their knowledge. The website is also used to disseminate current security information, advertise events and provide guidance in its on- line documents and resources page.


“In 2014, the Association celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special gala dinner at the Royal Hospital Chelsea”


The latest publication from AUCSO is


the guidance document, ‘Resilience in Higher Education’ (spring 2014) which is available on the website and replaces the original ‘Guide to Managing Emergencies in HEIs’. There is also an annual AUCSO


conference, held every April at a diff erent member campus. The 2014 conference, held at the University of Roehampton, at racted 120 delegates and 38 exhibitors, the largest yet. The suppliers’ exhibition is vital as it allows members to see a wide range of new equipment from CCTV, body armour, car parking controls, integrated security solutions and electronic key systems, to suppliers of security training and related services. It is also a time to re-establish links with old friends and welcome new in a relaxed environment. As well as exhibitors, the Association


has gratefully accepted sponsors for various parts of the conference, including the gala dinner and the very important Security Awards, introduced a few years ago. Members may nominate their campus staff for ‘Security Offi cer of the Year,’ ‘Security Team of the Year’ and ‘Security Initiative of the Year’, with winners invited to the dinner to receive prizes.


For more details on AUCSO and how to join, visit www.aucso.org.uk or email chief-operating-offi cer@aucso.org.uk


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