Exploring different routes into security
continued...
Networking and finding support
The CP industry is all about who you know, and a crucial part of making a success of the role is keeping your contacts and relationships going. You are only as good as your last job, and it can be a very cut-throat industry. It’s definitely good to keep a small and strong network of trusted people around you.
Ways of coping with stress and getting a work / life balance
sector, I spent four years on the freelance CP circuit, gaining experience in all aspects – Personal Protection (working with royalty, celebrities, and High Net Worth individuals in a wide range of environments, UK and overseas), Asset Protection for the luxury market (in both a covert and high-profile capacity) and also heading up large-scale events. A wider security consultancy role now suits my skill set and experience.
It is difficult for traditional security companies to bridge the gaps between standard man guarding and close protection, and standard man guarding and events and I think my background and experience, being from a non-standard route to the industry, brings a different dynamic to the table.
My day-to-day role depends on the time of year. It is currently the events season in London and I’m planning every aspect of operations for large-scale event security for a wide range of clients, such as the Royal Opera House and London Zoo, and heading up the event.
The three best aspects of my role are working with interesting and varied clients, developing bespoke security operations, and building teams and working with people. The most challenging are working with interesting and varied clients, and building teams! Educating clients about security matters in what is a too- often overlooked area of concern.
Professional qualifications and training
Close Protection training absolutely steered me and gave me a great grounding in a new industry. Although I had no intention of working in a role that would require me to carry firearms, I did my firearms competency training as an addition to the basic CP course, as I felt that not coming from the standard military/police background, this was a show of commitment I could make to an industry I was new to. (And it was also a fantastic experience!)
© CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – AUTUMN 2018
It is very difficult to achieve a good work/life balance during the events season, which involves unsociable hours and long days, but it’s all about planning around it, and ensuring you have a good close team around you when it comes to the operation helps immensely. I don’t live in London, I live on a boat on the coast, and my free time is spent very differently to my working life, which helps to maintain the balance.
Tips for success
Security skills have such a wide range of applications – things you’d never have thought were important for a security role may actually be the key thing you are hired specifically because of… the languages you can speak, sports or activities you love. These may be the key thing that lands you your best job. I have my skipper’s licence and have been approached for a number of jobs on superyachts specifically because of this. Also, I don’t have the usual profile for security, which is actually what I’ve found to be my biggest strength. I’ve been hired specifically because of my ability not to be picked out as the obvious security presence and in many contexts, this is worth more than you can imagine!
An apprenticeship in security systems: a choice never regretted...
John Lyons Head of Operations, QCIC Group
I have always had a career in security, albeit more aligned to my chosen field of electronic security systems.
To be absolutely honest, I chose an apprenticeship in security systems over electrical installation as a sixteen-year-old based solely on the fact that it was a three and not four-year duration. I’m glad I did. That choice as a young man has afforded me a career that has allowed me to travel the world and has also allowed me to work on, and hopefully influence, a large number of landmark developments.
At present I am the Head of Operations at QCIC Group. I am responsible for a team of Security Systems Consultants, and our main role is to oversee the tender and construction
www. c i t y s e cur i t yma g a z i n e . c om
phases related to security engineering for many high-end developments – from Blast and Hostile Vehicle Mitigation to electronic systems such as CCTV and Access Control. I also support our Professional Services team and their work to deliver complex global security system upgrades to large multinational organisations.
I was asked to list the three best and the three most challenging aspects of my role, but would any of them be the best if they weren’t challenging? I think not, but here goes. Number one, working with people; number two, working with people; number three… you get my drift. I enjoy working with people every day; a few of you who know me may challenge that, but it’s true. I’m not advocating a working utopia: people can be difficult and complex but also warm and helpful, but I believe if you treat all with empathy and respect, be they the security officer at the gate or the CEO in the boardroom, you won’t go far wrong.
It would be misleading of me to advocate working your way up through your career, as I believe if you find a role that you truly enjoy there is nothing wrong in sticking with that, but use training and development to become the best you can be and then be even better.
I have always tried to use education and the knowledge of my peers and seniors to improve myself; none of us have all the answers but maybe all of us together might get very close.
Qualifications open up a world of opportunity, such as the ability to join like- minded others in professional bodies linked to your chosen field.
Always remember that it’s a job, a job that should empower and improve you and your loved ones’ lives, and not a job that should be a continual strain on you and your loved ones’ lives. Again, no working utopia here, we all get stressed, it’s because we care. So, don’t be afraid to push back, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. People are productive only when they have some degree of fulfilment.
Tips for success
Nothing really ground-breaking from me: • Be honest, to yourself and to others • Try and enjoy what you do; you spend a lot of time doing it, so why not enjoy it?
• Grow and nurture a mutual support network
• Always move forward and try to better yourself in work and in life
• Be open and learn from others, whoever they are, be that the good or the bad.
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