Editorial

There was a fair amount of interest in the second of our free Euro advice sessions at the Security Roadshow in Edinburgh and I want to thank the presenter, Mark Bowers, Technical Officer of the British Security Industry Association. With so many strands this can be difficult legislation to grasp but Mark clearly explained the important points of EN50131-1 and PD6662 and emphasised that the BSIA is itself providing guidance to all installers with its own series of seminars. Unfortunately these seminars would have been held by the time this edition came out but I hope Security Installer readers were able to attend at the various UK locations.

We will be lining up another free advice session in conjunction with the BSIA at our Security Roadshow at Old Trafford on November 8 and although it is technically after the date you should have started working to EN50131, that fact should ensure not only a good attendance but a lively Q&A session. If you’re in that part of the country make sure you attend our show. It’s always one of our most popular events – and even though Man U comes in for a lot of stick, I’m always seeing our visitors and exhibitors in the club shop buying prezzies for their kids ... or so they say. Meanwhile, if any organisations are putting on EN50131 events/seminars in the next month or so, email me the dates and I’ll try to squeeze in details.

With all the recent emphasis on installer training, it was good to see young installers honoured by the industry at the BSIA Annual Luncheon this month. Apprentice installers have been getting an ever higher profile at this event and, having been one of the judges in these awards, I can vouch for the high quality of entries. I remember a few years back when the apprentice entries could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Now the number and quality of entries is of such a high calibre that judging is much more difficult. Some of the customer comments show that as well as high technical skills, these young people show high awareness of customer service and they are a great asset to their companies. If you’ve got an apprentice who deserves recognition, nominate them next year.

Finally, I would like to congratulate my colleague, Brian Sims, Editor of our sister magazine SMT, on winning this year’s BSIA award for promoting the security industry. Some people are cynical about industry awards, but having been closely involved in organising the Security Excellence Awards (and having accepted a BSIA award on behalf of Security Installer back in 2001) I can vouch that going up on stage in front of the industry is a humbling experience which you don’t forget, and I’m sure it will spur all this year’s BSIA winners on to even greater heights.