Following last week’s announcement by the Home Office of a new clampdown on the growing problem of metal theft – which is estimated to cost the country GB pound 360 million every year – it’s clear that there’s much the security industry can do to assist in reducing this type of crime.
A new national metal theft crime unit is being piloted for six weeks to clamp down on rogue scrap metal dealers who are illegally handling metal stolen from church roofs, man-hole covers, engineering sites alongside sections of Britain’s rail network and even telephone lines.
The unit is to be run by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the British Transport Police (BTP), and jointly funded by the Home Office and the Energy Networks Association. There will be a sharing of Best Practice ideas with police forces throughout England and Wales. The basic aim is to highlight the tools and powers available to tackle this ongoing problem. The pilot will be evaluated at the end of March and, if successful, may then be rolled out across the country.
The security industry has a significant role to play in the reduction of metal theft throughout the UK. Property marking is one area which can have a considerable effect in reducing this crime. For example, one BSIA member company is working with lead roofing specialist DPM Leadwork to reduce the theft of lead from any new roofs installed by the company.
The BSIA member company provides a forensic marking ‘grease’ which can be painted onto any zinc metal, copper piping or lead roofing. Once a thief handles the metal, the grease is transferred onto their hands and clothing. The criminal is then irrefutably linked to the crime scene as the grease is almost impossible to remove and contains both a UV tracer and a unique DNA code.
In another example, the London Borough of Greenwich has also been cracking down on the theft of valuable metals from businesses and public buildings. Following a recent spate of metal thefts from schools, churches, council buildings and local businesses, the Council teamed up with both the local police and a BSIA member company to launch a campaign which targets thieves and companies who profit from stolen materials such as lead roofs, copper phone cables, road signs and metal from catalytic converters from cars.
In addition, the Thames Valley Police has launched its own initiative – designated Operation Precious – to reduce crime. The initiative involves a partnership with the metal trade business.
Other security measures can also play their part. BSIA member companies have been working with experienced businesses that store large quantities of metal in ordeer to review their security arrangements. They’re looking to use electronic security measures such as CCTV systems to monitor events on site. Target-hardening of on-site physical security has also been set in motion to ensure that all sites are robustly secured.
It’s abundantly clear that the police service and the security industry have their respective roles to play alongside the metal business sector itself when it comes to tackling crime.
The Big Issue (by Daren Wood)
The security industry has enjoyed a very lengthy and productive relationship with the armed forces, but exactly how is the industry working to encourage ex-forces personnel to view security as a career in this day and age, and what benefits does that encouragement reap for the industry?
While recognising the value of new recruits to the industry from a variety of different backgrounds, the British Security Industry Association has also developed a productive relationship with the Careers Transition Partnership (CTP). The CTP provides successful resettlement services for those leaving the Armed Forces, and operates as an intermediary service for employers wishing to hire highly-skilled, committed and extremely capable employees.
Over 15,000 service leavers flood the civilian job market each year. These leavers include highly-trained individuals (among them engineers and technicians) from a variety of backgrounds. Service leavers often have a great deal of experience of working with cutting-edge technologies, and harbour a wide range of transferable skills.
The CTP and the BSIA work together to assist service leavers in finding a career in the industry through a variety of means. For instance, Industry Days (organised by the CTP in liaison with the BSIA) serve to encourage service leavers onto CTP courses which are run in the followings areas: security systems installation (intruder alarms, access control, CCTV), security supervision, close protection and security consultancy.
Through BSIA-led presentations, these Industry Days also play their part in highlighting the realities and opportunities of a career in the security industry.
The next industry day to be organised by the CTP with the BSIA’s support is scheduled for the end of this month, and will be held at RAF Cottesmore.
Once service leavers have successfully completed a CTP course, the BSIA also has a role to play in assisting them to find employment in the industry. Their details are listed on the Association’s web site such that BSIA members looking for prospective employees can contact them directly. Many ex-service leavers have been employed in this way, and the BSIA’s members have been extremely pleased with the results (even saying that this would be their first port of call next time they were recruiting).
With such a group of qualified ex-forces personnel available to the industry, the BSIA’s relationship with the CTP has proven to be extremely fruitful. Other events and joint projects with the CTP are in the pipeline. That being the case, the hope is that many more service leavers will be encouraged to see the security industry as a worthwhile and rewarding career.
Daren Wood is the BSIA’s general manager for the northern region
Manchester Security 2009: Rise To The Challenge
Rise To The Challenge will be the theme at this year’s Manchester Security 2009 event, designed to examine ways in which to keep your business and people safe and secure in the event of a crisis situation.
Sponsored by G4S Security Services (UK), this year’s event is to be held at CWS, New Century House on Corporation Street in Manchester on Tuesday 31 March. It will include an exhibition and seminar organised in conjunction with the Greater Manchester Police, the Manchester Crime Prevention Panel, the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Manchester’s City Council.
Now in its 14th year, Rise To The Challenge was originally organised following the Arndale Bombings in order to review counter-terrorism strategies and issues concerning business continuity.
For more information on Manchester Security 2009, visit the BSIA’s popular web site (at: www.bsia.co.uk) where up-to-date programme details, etc will soon be available.
