On Tuesday 11 September 2001, what had been a growing awareness of the influence of the entire globe – as a market place – upon national economies and the competitiveness of national organisations became blatantly obvious to all.
Unlike many of the industries adversely affected by the acts of terrorism in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, the security sector has been handed a raft of new opportunities. Rather than pondering on what went wrong, we can now look to the future and identify the role we need to play in working alongside public sector security services to safeguard our environment.
Regardless of subsequent responses by leaders of the Western World, security – and the effective training of security personnel – is more important than ever before. The consequences of ineffective security are now etched in our minds forever.
As an industry, we have been offered the chance to take advantage of the high esteem in which British security activities and services are held around the world. Only recently, some research conducted on behalf of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and the Joint Security Industry Council showed an export total for security services and products to the tune of GB pound 500 million. A total that is split almost equally between commercial, public sector and other concerns.
In terms of hardware, exports are primarily to global markets. The Commonwealth, the Middle East and the Pacific have been the focus for all other services. These ‘other’ services cover an eclectic mix of activities, including close protection, investigation, security consultancy and training.
Although some companies may feel that there is little worth in becoming an exporter of such services, they are nonetheless areas exhibiting high growth rates.
Degrees of professionalism
The growing concern over ‘all matters security’ among the global business community inevitably means that more finance is – and will be – made available from commercial and private sources to reduce criminal activity and terrorist threats. Security training and qualifications must now be at the forefront when end user purchasing decisions are made.
Increasingly, decision makers are recognising that – as all aspects of business and society can be subjected to chaos as a result of actions such as those that occurred in the US – individuals who work to provide a more secure environment must have a broad range of skills and a clear understanding of their role in what has the potential to become a global security network. And as the scope and importance of security work inevitably begins to grow, so will the degree of professionalism expected of its employees.
The desire for learning is there. SITO is frequently inundated with international requests for training across a plethora of security disciplines. Research carried out by the KnowledgePool in 2000 showed that 75% of employees in the UK believe training and qualifications are every bit as important as salary and health insurance. Without doubt, training is an integral part of the global society.
It’s for these reasons that SITO became involved in exporting training and qualifications in 1992. Our approach since then has been centred on:
Passing on intelligence
SITO sees the exporting of knowledge as not only a way of increasing revenues but – more importantly – as a way of improving the understanding of security concepts and passing on intelligence on a global basis. As such, we applaud any organisations or individuals who wish to participate.
That said, companies who are new to the business of international trade have to develop a steep learning curve if they are to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes that can be extremely costly for the unwary. Local customs, legislation, language barriers and work ethics – not to mention ‘unique’ security requirements – must be taken into consideration.
There are a number of organisations that can help companies in their endeavours. The BSIA boasts a very pro-active Export Council, while Trade Partners (UK) provides an excellent service to those companies who wish to introduce their training and development services or systems to overseas markets.
Seeking new markets is part of any successful business’ evolution. As security inevitably becomes more and more of a global issue, increasing numbers of UK concerns will surely reach out and embrace the opportunities on offer.
The companies that succeed will be those that find the right approach, open themselves to the ideas and values of their overseas clients and recognise that a great deal of time, effort and resources will be needed if tangible success is to be ensured.
