10 Stories You Might Have Missed Last Week in Security

1. Global commercial biometrics market to “grow considerably”

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan finds that the global biometrics market earned revenues of $1.48 billion in 2012 and projects this to reach $6.15 billion in 2019. “Better end user recognition of the unique capabilities of biometric technologies has helped vendors win a number of projects and contracts,” explained Frost & Sullivan’s senior research analyst Ram Ravi.

2. ONS figures show that crime continues to fall

Welcoming new quarterly crime statistics for the year to June 2013, crime prevention minister Norman Baker has stated: “Recorded crime has dropped yet again by more than 10 per cent under the coalition Government, and the crime survey says that crime has more than halved since its peak in 1995.”

3. GCHQ code-cracking challenge unveils depth of UK talent

Mathematicians, code breakers, and ethical hackers have spent the last month attempting to break a series of codes hidden across the Internet. GCHQ’s “Can You Find It?” competition has seen “a phenomenal uptake” since its launch on 11 September, with more than 400,000 visits to the competition site. To date, only around 1 percent of visitors have been able to crack the complex codes created by a GCHQ team of top mathematicians.

4. Tom Temple wins 2013 Sheriffs’ Award for outstanding bravery

Logistics consultant Tom Temple is this year’s recipient of the Sheriffs’ Award, which is bestowed by The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals on behalf of the Sheriffs of the City of London. On 3 November 2012, Tom apprehended an individual who threatened a taxi driver with a hand gun, pinning the man to the ground until the police arrived.

5. Intelligence and Security Committee widens inquiry on digital surveillance laws

Big Brother Watch has commented on the Intelligence and Security Committee’s plans to broaden its investigation into whether the laws on digital surveillance and communications are adequate in the Internet age. Big Borther Watch said:

This is a welcome step forward given the widespread concern that Britain’s surveillance laws are not fit for purpose, having been written before Facebook existed and when few people had Internet access.

However, such a debate cannot be allowed to take place behind closed doors and without pressing questions being asked about the legal justification for what we know to be already happening at GCHQ and elsewhere.

6. SIA Stakeholder Conference 2013: Partners in Protecting Society

The Security Industry Authority is holding its 2013 Stakeholder Conference on Wednesday 20 November. The Partners in Protecting Society event is to be held at the Cavendish Conference Centre in London and includes presentations on serious and organized crime, and the private investigations sector.

7. Do we need a police ombudsman for England and Wales?

ACPO president Sir Hugh Orde has spoken to Radio 4’s Today programme on the subject of police integrity. Sir Hugh said that public confidence in policing has been “remarkably stable in the last five to ten years because of 130,000 officers embedded in local policing and delivering a good service.”

8. Radical overhaul promised for Whitehall security

The Government’s security classifications are to be fundamentally overhauled for the first time since World War II. The shakeup sees the six existing levels of protective marking replaced with just three: Official, Secret, and Top Secret. From next April, these new markings will be used by more than 700,000 civil servants and military personnel.

9. “Fight against fraud needs big-data to come up with more questions than answers”

As fast as big-data tools and techniques improve, fraudsters are still keeping one step ahead and managing to illicitly obtain corporate information and funds, warns KPMG. To counter the threat, KPMG’s Eddie Short is calling on companies to move towards a more analytical workforce. Doing so, he argues, will make it easier to spot the anomalies which can often indicate fraud or improper conduct.

10. BSIA South East Business Crime Conference: speaker details issued

The BSIA has announced the speaker lineup for its South East Business Crime Conference, which takes place at Brighton and Hove Albion FC on Wednesday 30 October. Presenters include Katy Bourne, PCC for Sussex; Roy Smith of the Met Police; and PRCI director Professor Martin Gill.