Isn’t it time this industry grew up?!

While I thoroughly enjoyed the event, I must state that I was somewhat disappointed to find a small number of exhibitors continuing to use scantily-clad young women in various states of provocative dress to advertise their stands and products in what I feel is a misguided belief that this kind of ‘marketing’ will attract business.

While the old adage ‘sex sells’ remains something of a byword in some areas of marketing, is it a ‘maxim’ that we in the security profession should still be living by in this day and age?

Once people have read my initial comments here, I have little doubt that you will be deluged with Letters To The Editor from those who will say that this is all harmless fun, and should be viewed in that light. However, this reaction merely serves to reinforce the stereotypical view that some people have of the security profession. In other words, that it is managed exclusively by heterosexual males of a certain age and attitude. Well, I have some news for those who believe this… It is not. The profession is changing, and for the better.

That said, we desperately need more women to join our ranks. This kind of blatantly sexual advertising does little to engender the view that we are a modern-thinking profession.

The security industry has changed since I joined some 27 years ago. Now, there are many more qualified, professional men and women looking for a career in the sector rather than it continuing to be seen as a ‘retirement job’ for ex-police and ex-forces personnel. We must continue to attract the right calibre of individual, and to my mind scantily-dressed women do not have a role to play in doing so.

The truly worrying issue is that, at some stage, directors or senior managers within given companies have taken the decision to ‘advertise’ themselves in this way, but who were they trying to attract? What signal does it send out to potential buyers of their products and services? For me, it gives the impression of companies who would be happy to see Page 3-style calendars on the wall in their offices, and would probably view any inappropriate sexist behaviour by male members of staff as mere ‘boyish pranks’.

While some companies continue to adopt such an approach to selling their products and services, will we ever be seen to be evolving? Or might it be the case that the security profession continues to be viewed as an ageing dinosaur?

As a freelance security trainer I love the job that I do, teaching both men and women in our profession, and at the same time motivating and encouraging them. Showing them that they have made the right choice of career, that the profession is modern and the old ways of doing things have been abandoned.

I am hugely passionate about the job that I do. In line with this I want the security profession to continue to grow and change in order to meet new demands. It must also make a genuine effort to show women that there is a place for them in the ranks.

So come on all you Ladies and Gentlemen in marketing departments all over the UK… It’s high time to grow up.

Michael Jasper MIPSA DipSM, Principal Consultant, Michael Jasper Training Consultancy