A f e s t i v a l o f s e c u r i t y i d e a s c o n t i n u e d


picture as opposed to net user, so there is a real urgency for European agencies to maintain the UK’s access.


This exponential growth brings new challenges, the most central being the industry’s future leaders. In the wake of new threats, building a robust security capacity and resilience is more and more essential and, to do so, this sector needs to step outside its “comfort zone” and think long-term.


Diversity and inclusion are instrumental for any industry, but even more so in the realm of public safety, security and risk management.


Traditionally, manned services have been a male-dominated business, carrying the intrinsic meanings of strength and courage typically associated with heterosexual male figures, with military or law enforcement backgrounds. The security industry has been associated with such stereotypical imagery since its very beginnings.


However, in the last few years, alternative members of the industry started to offer new and refreshing points of view, thus turning this arena where a wide range of different voices and contributions can be heard from an inclusive workforce representing a variety of backgrounds.


Beyond the stereotype


Mitigating threats will always involve the power of dialogue with a number of people who possess diverse perspectives and opinions, and the security industry in the UK has been proactive in wanting to eradicate the outdated image of the mission-driven muscular male security officer.


In the last few years, and increasingly after 9/11, awareness was raised throughout the world about the need for knowledgeable security professionals. This has led to increased job opportunities and longer-term career prospects in the varied arena of security services and management.


Security is not a solo profession; it is broad and is based on the synergy of many factors: legislation, current events, trends, and available technology all in synch with each other towards a common goal. It comes as a consequence then, that this diversity provides the right balance to fundamental risk-related processes, be they frontline services or across technology domains.


8 © CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – WINT ER 2018


Forward-thinking companies providing security services understand the unlimited and widespread benefits inclusion and diversity bring. Getting different input from diverse groups is enriching on a corporate level and provides social inclusion on a wider scale as well: more and more people will ultimately feel safer if a more heterogenous community is represented within our industry.


The security territory is becoming a space of empowerment for women and any individuals who do not fall within categories classically associated with this sector and its activities.


Q


What can event providers do to support the security sector?


Philip Ingram MBE BSc MA. Journalist


Like anything trying to look at dealing with how best to support the security sector with evolving risks and threats, we need to understand what they are. The ‘traditional’ threats from criminal behaviour will likely continue the downward trend Joe Traynor from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) described in the latest Crime Survey for England and Wales, when he wrote:


“Over recent decades, we’ve seen continued falls in overall levels of crime but in the last year the trend has been more stable. The latest figures show no change in the total level of crime but variation by crime types.”


Then we get the more complex threats including cyber and terrorism; there is an inevitability that these will continue to evolve in the way we have seen them do so over the past few years. Several factors will influence this through 2019.


The first factor is the dreaded BREXIT and the effect this may have on the ability for security organisations to share and get information and intelligence to and from the rest of Europe. However, the UK is more of a net contributor to the overall European threat


www. c i t y s e c u r i t yma g a z i n e . com


Slightly more worrying is the impact BREXIT may have on Irish Republican terrorism. In 2016/17 Northern Ireland saw 8 murders, 55 bombs, 113 shootings, 80 guns recovered, 53kg of explosives recovered and 244 terror- related arrests. The trend over the 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed is similar and averages out as approximately one terror-related event every four days. This is almost wholly Northern Ireland focused, with the threat level to Great Britain set as Moderate. However, any increase in terror activity in Northern Ireland because of post- BREXIT border issues carries the potential for that to spill across the Irish Sea.


2018 has highlighted three ‘new’ risk areas that are likely to continue through 2019. These are information and data as a weapon, the ‘return’ of hostile intelligence agencies as a recognised threat, and the potential for further use of chemical, biological or radiological weapons.


All event providers can do is provide a platform that allows all of the issues the security industry is facing to be discussed, so that best practice can be outlined, and shared, new and existing technologies introduced so end users can assess the most appropriate solution for the risks they need to mitigate, the latest regulations outlined and as important as all of that, people can put names to faces and meet. Security is a people process and built on personal relationships as much as technology and processes.


Peter Jones, CEO of Nineteen Events who deliver the International Security Expo, describes his approach: “As an event organiser I am not and can never be a security expert, but my team and I take the view we want to make a difference and add value so we can help make the world a little safer for our families. It is that philosophy that drives us to deliver the best event we can, and an integral part of my team is my 40+ strong advisory council of high-level security experts and practitioners.


“We focus on the latest relevant content, getting senior officials and decision makers to the event and providing the platform for best practice and ideas to be shared. It’s adding value that lets me sleep more secure but also encourages the exhibitors and visitor we need to have a successful event.”


The Nineteen Events approach sums up the best way event providers can support the security industry. People, platform and content all working together, but it’s getting the right people, the right content and a progressive platform all together at the right time. The focus must be on adding value to all attendees.


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