Industry surveys suggest that there are something in the region of 2000 security companies operating in the UK. They employ 500,000 people, 335,000 of them in the manned guarding sector. Over the last five years the security sector has grown by 20%, and is still growing today. A rosy picture – but is it?
The answer, sadly, has to be ‘no’. Why? Well, over the past couple of years we’ve been privy to some very disturbing comments. Comments suggesting that clients only have security because they are forced to by insurers. They only pay the minimum rate for security officers, and treat them like skivvies. There’s never enough money in the budget to provide any sort of continuation training. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
All such comments emanate from the companies and not the clients, of course, but it’s painfully obvious that the industry has singularly failed to convince much of the private sector of the value of security.
The industry has often been kicked and is seldom praised. The question is: has it made a rod for its own back?
Back in 1989, the only training course that sprang to mind was the BSIA’s Basic Job Training (BJT) package, later to become the SITO course. Why did it have to take the formation of SITO to introduce academically-recognised courses, and why is it that, with the explosion of courses we now have, many of them are neither suitable for – nor adaptable to – the needs of today’s industry?
Much of the education that’s been introduced is now outdated. BJT and BJT (Retail) were last updated as long ago as 1997. Aviation security courses have been withdrawn as ‘inappropriate’, while supervisor training is almost non-existent. How can this be? We are still waiting for NVQ Level 3 after Level 2 was introduced way back in 1991.
The time is clearly nigh for those responsible for security education to concentrate on development, upgrades and ‘suitability for the need’ (in other words, the skills that clients want). The industry shouldn’t have to rely on volunteers to do all the donkey work. Paid experts are the answer. Commercial gain should not be the issue.
Targeting clients is important. We must tell them how we select, train and develop manpower. Tender conversations should centre on professionalism and value for money. Pay should be at a rate that’s comparable to other professional service industries such that officers don’t have to forego their rights under the Working Time Directive.
A decade of training
During the past ten years SITO has given training the ‘push’ it badly needed, but uptake numbers are slipping. The industry-standard BJT course was originally recorded as having 773 ‘successful outcomes’ in 1991. By 1996, that figure had risen to 14,016 but, come the year 2000, numbers had dropped to 4,546. Similarly, SITO’s Professional Guard 1 (now the Professional Security Officer award) gleaned 3,238 successful candidates in 1991, and 3,776 by 1996. In 2000 (and now in its new format), just 1,715 candidates were successful.
Take away the manned guards from the door supervisors, parking attendants and event stewards that constitute the employment figures for the manned sector and you’re left with around 130,000 officers. Add in the amount of security training that was recorded by SITO in 2000, make a few adjustments for those already qualified and the sad truth is that less than 10% of the workforce is participating in training. Training that is recognised as ‘industry standard’ through our own NTO.
And what of our changing world? Ten years ago security staff would merely be expected to turn up for work, conduct their patrols, write up a few reports and that was about it.
Today, it’s a different story. Officers need to know how to operate CCTV systems, record images and deal with any accumulated evidence. They also need to know the rudiments of alarm systems, banners and access control software.
As well as mastering the technical nitty gritty, they’ll have to familiarise themselves with legislation concerning health and safety, the Data Protection Act (in relation to CCTV) and the Human Rights Act. Put simply, we can no longer afford to ignore the requirement to train.
One of the most important areas of training centres on communication. Your image as a company is reliant upon the communication skills and presentation of your officers, supervisors, managers and anyone else who comes into contact with the client, the client’s staff, visitors, contractors and so on. Many contracts have been lost because of poor communication between the client’s representative and the management of the service provider. Make it a training priority.
Taking communication skills a stage further, conflict resolution and conflict management skills are of paramount importance for any company whose officers might find themselves in a conflict situation. Guards in hospitals are an obvious example. If your employee is injured or harmed in any way, and has not had the training to deal with conflict resolution, then he or she might well be held liable.
Security officers are also likely to be confronted by breaches of criminal law at some point or other. As such, they must understand what offences might confront them, how they can – and should – be dealt with, and the ins-and-outs of company policy. Subjects that should be taught are the Theft Act and relevant, related offences, criminal damage, assaults, powers of arrest and detention, evidence preservation and report writing.
Basic law is covered in many security courses, including SITO BJT and SITO/City & Guilds Professional Security Officer, the National Open College Award in Foundation Security and Loss Prevention and others run by the police and local authorities alike.
The management perspective
More often than not, it’s likely that managers are responsible for hiring and firing, for risk assessment and generally overseeing the guarding workforce. An ideal position, then, to assess the training needs of all concerned.
That said, managers need training too! At present, a good, well-trained manager who knows his/her staff, understands their role and training and is able to pinpoint where development is needed at the same time as carrying out their own tasks is, in my experience, a rare breed. Harsh, but true.
The problem we face is that many managers are selected from ‘within the ranks’, usually on seniority and length of service but not necessarily on an in-built ability to do the job. Rarely are they sent on a course before the promotion is made. It’s only once they’re ‘in post’ that the problems begin to mount up.
This doesn’t make that particular person a poor security employee, it simply means that they’re not suited to the management function.
Management training is indeed available from specialist training providers, as well as colleges and universities throughout the UK. However, it must be delivered by qualified industry trainers, and the content must be relevant to the management level. The National Open College Network qualification is a good one, so too the degrees offered by Loughborough University and the Scarman Centre at the University of Leicester.
The health and safety issue
Sadly, there seems to be a feeling of apathy when it comes to implementing strict health and safety policies on site. It doesn’t apply to all, but it does to many – in particular those who have been around for some time and have managed to get away with dangerous practices and a lack of regard for individuals’ welfare.
One day, something disastrous will happen that will make this industry sit up and take notice, but it will be like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. A security company director will appear in court charged with corporate manslaughter. This may sound hard. Just don’t let it happen to you.
Litigation might also be a problem if it’s enacted against your officers or company for any infringement of the Data Protection Act and/or the Human Rights Act. Do you keep a database on your computer? Does your company have a CCTV system? If so, are you properly registered with the Data Protection Agency? If you are, what’s your CCTV system being used for? Using it to catch out your own employees is not a valid use.
Train to gain
All of what’s been said thus far has been focused on thought – the basic elements of education that you must consider for your staff. We often take calls from companies who have to train their staff to a certain level because a client or insurer has insisted upon it. The ‘students’ who attend these courses have little or no motivation at all. They are told to attend but don’t want to be there.
Outside of such a scenario, what about your staff and their development? Not just to benefit themselves, but your company as well? What is it they want?
Officers need to be encouraged to train, or the more cynical among them will wonder what’s in it for you, the employer and the company. Encouragement is best carried out by way of formal appraisals. Ask your officers how they feel they’re doing, what areas of the job they like best, in what ways they feel they can improve the service they offer. Listen to their answers and evaluate them. Then you can look at training needs in an objective and meaningful way.
Choosing the right education
How should the manager source training for his or her staff? In most cases, cost seems to be the overriding factor. If so, shop around. Speak to as many different training providers as possible, see what courses they have to offer and ask them about the content.
Most importantly, perhaps, find out who accredits the courses. If a course isn’t properly accredited, the pass certificate will not be worth the paper it’s written on.
In essence, you should be looking for courses accredited by SITO, City & Guilds, the National Open College Network, Edexcel and other recognised awarding bodies. Steer clear of those who cannot provide assurances.
Which type of training is best suited to your officers? Short classroom courses? Distance learning? A combination of the two, perhaps?
In terms of cost, charge rates could be per capita or based on a negotiated day rate depending upon your requirements and the number of officers to be trained. Some companies can offer funding towards education. When making your enquiries ask if funding is available. It may only be a few pounds per candidate, but ask anyway.
When judging price, look out for the ‘added extras’ – registration fees, examination fees, invigilation fees and so on. A price that looks good at first glance can soon double if you don’t read the small print.
Several of you might feel that it’s more cost-effective to have your own, in-house trainer. Before you go down this route, calculate the real cost of training. Is anyone within your organisation capable of fulfilling the training role, or will you have to employ a trainer full time? Will that trainer be capable of training at different skills levels? How many candidates need training each year, and how often would the courses run? If training is not a weekly event, what will your trainer do in the ‘downtime’?
The bottom line is that, if the training provider meets the criteria we’ve spoken about, is well known and very well respected within the industry, you can’t really go wrong.
Dr John Berry is director of training at Surrey Security Training (www.securityhelp.co.uk/sst)
