During the meeting, the chairman of the South African Institute of Security (SAIS) was presented with his Fellowship certificate by the Institute. The SAIS also made presentations to Lord Carlile, founding member and former chairman Geoff Whitfield and current chairman Bill Wyllie. There was also a presentation made to The Security Institute on the occasion of its 10th Anniversary.
Two Awards were presented by Lord Carlile on behalf of The Security Institute. The John Aplin Award, for outstanding performance in the Institute’s professional examinations, was awarded to Emma Thomas of Mitchells and Butler for her work on the Certificate of Security Management. Thomas obtained the highest aggregate score that has ever been recorded in the Institute’s examinations.
John Aplin was a director of the former International Institute of Security and both highly-regarded and much-loved until his premature death. This award is made only in cases of exceptional performance.
The George van Schalkwyk Award
The George van Schalkwyk Award recognises security excellence in an individual, and it was no surprise to those present that this year’s recipient was retiring Institute chairman Bill Wyllie CPP FSyI FSAIS.
Bill was chosen for his distinguished contribution to the enhancement of security professionalism, in recognition of his personal commitment to the highest standards of security practice and professional development and of his key role in the ongoing development of The Security Institute. Bill received a standing ovation at this point [and rightly so… Ed].
Along with the usual business matters, the delegates also heard a presentation from Steve Collins on the dangers of disguised and clandestine weapons. Steve is a relatively new member of The Security Institute. As the CEO of PS5, he’s an internationally recognised specialist security consultancy and training provider to the law enforcement, defence and the security sectors.
Indeed, Steve has become a familiar face worldwide, delivering training and lecturing to Government bodies, law enforcement agencies and the corporate sector and writing on a regular basis for SMT Online.
Appointees to the Institute’s Board
Following a secret ballot, Nigel Churton MBE FSyI was re-elected to the Board of The Security Institute for a further three-year term. Also appointed to the Board of The Security Institute were Azeem Aleem FSyI (University of Portsmouth), Maria Cox MSyI (American Express) and Martin Smith FSyI (The Security Company International).
Outgoing chairman Bill Wyllie gave an excellent speech. Here’s what he said…
“You have all received a copy of this year’s Annual Report, which will tell you the story of another year of success and growth in your Institute. I do not intend to reiterate the details given there, other than to repeat the thanks of the Institute to all those who worked in any way towards this success, and also to thank you, the members, who are the Institute. I will return to those thanks shortly.
“Instead of talking about the year just passed, I intend to talk about the ten years just passed on this, the tenth anniversary – to the day – of the signing of our Memorandum and Articles of Association.
From humble beginnings great things grow
“In mid-1998, six Committee members belonging to UK Chapter 208 of ASIS International met to consider a new initiative to drive forward standards of security across the private and public sectors in the UK. Their initial discussions highlighted the fact that the discipline of security is often misunderstood by end users, with a frequent lack of awareness of the benefits that high standards of security can bring to business and society.
“The group’s first idea was to find a way to communicate better to chief executives, Human Resources professionals and end users of all types the true nature of security as a professional field of activity. However, it was rapidly realised there existed in the UK no objective system for measuring and accrediting the many high calibre security practitioners operating across the country, or to distinguish them from the “cowboys”.
“The result of these discussions was the creation of The Security Institute, a body formed to ‘enhance the professionalism and profile of the business of security’.
“By early 1999, the existence of the Institute was a fact of life, and on St Chad’s Day 1999, the 2nd of March, the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Institute were signed. St Chad, you will know, was a seventh century saint who practised saintliness in Mercia which, appropriately enough in my case, left him travelling regularly across an area that stretched from about Chester to London.
“The six founding members of the Institute were Ian Johnson, Chris Smith, Stewart Kidd, Stuart Lowden, Geoff Whitfield and myself, although John Smith has membership number 2 and John Almonds is number 5. Andrew Seymour was also one of the very earliest members, and has sent his congratulations.
“Now, as I look around this gathering, I see many of my dearest professional friends and some long-time allies, as well as some of my staunchest critics. All exactly as one would hope for in a vigorous professional body.
Key component of national professional security life
“Your Institute has long since passed enrolling its one thousandth member, but that’s only a number. What’s more important is that, ten years on from our formation, we are a key component of national professional security life. We have established a permanent office with its own staff, we’ve merged with the International Institute of Security to create a formidable training presence that sponsors security management training and qualification at Certificate and Diploma level and we form working parties to investigate Best Practice.
“In addition, we publish guides to Best Practice, we have a mentoring service for members, we take the message of the professionalisation of security to seminars, exhibitions and conferences all over the country – some 30 events were organised last year alone. We unashamedly network with fellow professionals – sometimes, let it be said, over a glass or two of wine!
“Of key importance in our activities is how we work with Government, national skills bodies, trade associations and fellow professional organisations. Our key strategic partners are perhaps the BSIA and Skills for Security, and we seek to work closely with the Security Industry Authority, but we are also inextricably-linked with the other professional bodies in the security constellation – more of that in a moment.
“On the partnership front, I am delighted to be able to announce today that The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals has established a bursary to pay the costs for a student to undertake the Institute’s Diploma course – information about this will be announced soon.
“In summary, we are working solidly towards our founding vision – the enhancement of the professionalism and profile of the business of security in the UK. However, this is only the beginning: we are a young organisation, and our real achievements all lie in the future.
What of The Security Institute’s future?
“This is my last AGM from this side of the Boardroom table, as I’m standing down as chairman and from the Board. It’s time to make room for the many talented individuals who are ready to take the Institute forward to let them do just that. From a personal dimension, my real day job requires more attention. I have spent almost all of the past six months out of the country, and that is not a situation that works well for the Institute.
“On that note, I must thank our general manager Di Thomas, who has had to work with a chairman she rarely sees (a bonus, perhaps!) and who communicates with her by e-mail from a distant time zone.
“Where will the new Board take us? That is not for me to either know or command, but I would like to suggest to them that they look in three directions – and this, perhaps, is my vision for the Institute’s immediate future.
“First, Chartered status. I think you all know that the attainment of Chartered status for the Institute is our principal medium-term goal. If security is to be treated seriously as a profession, then its practitioners must be recognised as the key players that they are.
“At a corporate level, the head of risk or head of security is as vital to corporate survival as is the corporate accountant or the corporate lawyer, and there must be a route by which that level of value can be acknowledged. The granting of Chartered status will not be an achievement in itself – it will be the recognition of the many achievements that we have to make to gain it.
Relationship with other security associations
“Second, we need to be clear about where we stand in relation to the many other security associations that individuals can join. We are not seeking to compete – we’re not seeking to take them over or put them out of business. That said, we are a large organisation that is going to continue to grow.
I say to them, let us work with you. Let us bring to the table our size and our resources, while you bring your specialist expertise in your individual areas, whether you be consultants, locksmiths, installers, investigators, trainers, bankers or whatever. Together, we can work to raise standards, to bring an understanding of Best Practice security into the public domain and to persuade and influence Government. We can do this from the position of strength and authority given by a constellation of professional bodies.
Third, a plea from me for inclusiveness. It was never intended that this Institute should be a private club for the good ol’ boys at the top end of the security salary spectrum. We have certainly not moved in that direction to date. I suggest only that, if we are to fulfil our self-imposed remit of professionalising the business of security, then we must work, not only with all specialist sectors, but also with all levels of security input.
“How that will work in practice we do not yet know, but my personal hope is that, one day, there will be a body known as The Security Institute which is recognised as a lifetime ‘home’ for anyone going into the business of security, from joining it as a security officer through to taking a seat on the Board as Chief Security Officer 30 years later.
Word of warning for the new chairman and Board
“I would give the new chairman and the new Board one word of warning. Everyone wants someone else to do it. You will receive many suggestions for new initiatives, but you will find your interlocutors somewhat reserved when you greet their proposals with enthusiasm and invite them to help you run with their new ideas. As ever, it’s often those who talk the least that do the most – though where that leaves me, I’m not entirely sure!
“It’s always hazardous to try to pay tribute to key individuals – it is never possible to mention everyone. I cannot let today pass without speaking briefly of the seminal roles played by such people as Doug Cook, Patricia Knight, Stewart Kidd, John Rose and John Allan, Chris Brogan, Fred Wood and also people who have not necessarily served in the public eye, but who have been outstanding supporters in the background. Lynne Davies at BP springs to mind.”
Each retiring director was then presented with a personalised bottle of Scotch, before Bill spoke in some detail of the lifetime dedication to the security profession of retiring directors Peter Jones and Bruce Woodcock, whose security careers spanned a large part of the latter half of the 20th Century.
Finally, presentations were made to Di Thomas and Paula Stanbridge, as Bill spoke of their immense contribution to the life and success of the Institute.
Wyllie concluded: “On behalf of the founding six, I echo the words of W B Yeats in saying to the new Board: “Tread softly, because you tread on (our) dreams”.
