Officially launched on 21 January, the NSI has been some time in the making. At its core are two well-established bodies – the National Approval Council for Security Systems (NACOSS) and the Inspectorate of the Security Industry (ISI) – the latter designed to inspect and certify security personnel contractors.
Their union can be seen as the security industry's main response to the Government's stated desire to see a single, credible regulator for the entire security sector. It's a highly logical move, given the growing demand for manned security services to build-in more technological duties, coupled with louder client calls for IT-literate officers 'on the ground'.
Speaking about the new body Dr David Holt, the NSI's chief executive, told SMT: "The corporate governance arrangements are such that the NSI is independent, and will be seen to be independent. Instead of having one organisation running one or two inspection schemes in one sector, what we will now have is one body running several schemes across many sectors of the industry."
If it bolsters standards and does not go for a ‘lowest common denominator’ approach, then Government licensing is certainly a step in the right direction
dr David Holt, chief executive, National Security Inspectorate
The Inspectorate in context
How, then, is the new organisation structured? Although 'merged', both NACOSS and the ISI will continue to offer their own long-established approval schemes to the electronic security and manned services sectors under the NSI umbrella. NACOSS, of course, has had much success in improving technical standards in the industry since its formation in 1990, and has helped in reducing false alarms. For its part the ISI has, according to Dr David Holt, achieved "70% penetration across all activities to do with manned guarding services". A significant achievement for an organisation that provides a range of voluntary schemes.
In simple terms, then, the NSI is the overall umbrella body, with NACOSS (Security Systems), NACOSS (Fire Systems) and ISI (Manned Services) under its wing. "We're convinced that, if the industry is to be regulated in a way that will create and maintain true public confidence, services will need to be integrated across the entire security sector," added Sir Michael Bett, the NSI's new chairman.
With this in mind, ICON – a simplified Inspected Companies scheme – also forms part of the NSI's divisional structure, and is intended to mirror the well-established scheme for manned services run by the ISI.
The National Security Inspectorate’s official launch is an important milestone in the industry’s continuing process of adjustment to the new demands placed upon it
Charles Clarke, Minister of State, the home office
The divisional nature of the NSI's structure is immediately apparent and, crucially, provides an ideal basis for both expansion and diversification into other sectors related to the security industry – as well as the introduction of new [security and safety-related] schemes.
A scheme developed and run by the British Approvals for Fire Equipment organisation has already been submitted to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) – the NSI's accrediting body – for immediate development.
The scheme is welcomed by the fire industry due to its modular nature (ie each company will be able to select what part of design, installation, commissioning and handover or maintenance it will opt for when it comes to receiving approval).
The British Retail Consortium welcomes the NSI. A strong and united organisation is exactly what’s needed to face the challenges of the future
Mike Schuck, British Retail Consortium
Designated a 'not-for-profit' organisation, the probity of the NSI and the balance of its strategies have been taken into account in that its board members are drawn from a wide variety of organisations – including insurers, specifiers, trade associations, security professionals, Government departments and the police. Through its constituent divisions, the NSI is represented on – or is a member of – several national bodies, including the British Standards Institution, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Joint Security Industry Council and SITO.
Talking shop: what the industry thinks
Security Management Today has canvassed a broad spread of opinion on the new NSI, and the reaction from those within and immediately without the industry is extremely positive.
Dr James Hart, assistant commissioner of the City of London Police, suggests that the organisation will "help in raising standards right across the security profession. One significant step is the collaborative agreement already in place for the NSI to oversee the Accredited Fraud Investigators Scheme." This scheme involves not only the City of London Police but the Metropolitan Police and the CBI to boot. More commonly known as the 'Partners in Crime' initiative, the move should assist both companies that are working in this particular area of security as well as the police themselves, who use the intelligence gathered for investigation and prosecution purposes.
The creation of the NSI provides a welcome focal point for a wide range of inspectorate services within the security sector
Jackie Bennett, The Association of British Insurers
Hart added: "Part of the NSI's expanding responsibilities will be to play a vital role in helping to ensure that private sector investigations are conducted ethically, within the boundaries of the criminal and civil law. They must also be conducted with the support of the police services of London and, eventually, forces throughout the country." Ultimately, the NSI will also be responsible for reviewing selected investigations as part of the annual inspection process, thereby helping to ensure that cases are investigated both thoroughly and to an acceptable standard. A standard defined by the accreditation board.
Mike Schuck, assistant director of retail crime policy at the British Retail Consortium, is also excited by the new Inspectorate. He told SMT: "The manned guarding sector is changing, with the emergence of multi-skilled customer services officers who can provide a higher value range of services. On top of that, the new ACPO policy on alarm response also presents a challenge to the industry and its customers. In my case, that's the retailers. Its implementation will take time, and it will probably be a while before we can judge whether or not the expected benefits have materialised." The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is also broadly in favour of the new body. "The private security industry is assuming an increasingly prominent role in society," said Jackie Bennett, the ABI's deputy manager for property and household insurance.
The National Security Inspectorate: encouraging professionalism in the UK
The NSI’s central vision is really aimed at encouraging and developing professionalism within the security sector and, according to David Holt, “working in direct partnership with those who wish to raise standards and reduce problems in the community at large”. Holt adds: “If it bolsters standards, and does not go for a ‘lowest common denominator’ approach, then Government licensing is certainly a move in the right direction.” At the end of the day, the hope must surely be that fostering partnerships between the NSI, professional security specifiers and the police will enable all those involved to use their expertise in responding decisively to the Government-set agenda for partnerships across the whole of the security community. Creative synergy and a cohesive approach, then. Just what the security doctor ordered. For further details on the new National Security Inspectorate call 0870 205 0000.NACOSS and the ISI: a brief history
NACOSS was launched a little over ten years ago with Home Office backing, and was soon accredited by the predecessor of UKAS to certificate companies in quality management to what is now commonly known as ISO 9000. Quality management was then introduced to the security systems installations sector throughout the 1990’s. Since then, standards have been raised to a much higher level. What’s immediately apparent is that the quality of product delivered to the end user has certainly improved no end. At the outset, in excess of 90% of installations by NACOSS-recognised firms fully satisfied the installation criteria. “Today,” added Dr David Holt, “that figure is rapidly climbing towards 100%”. An excellent result. Certification at the ISI The ISI was also launched in the early 1990’s and, like NACOSS, quickly achieved accreditation by UKAS to award quality management certificates to companies in the manned services sector. At present, in excess of 150 firms are certificated and employ somewhere in the region of 100,000 staff. That accounts for three quarters of all companies in the UK security sector.Source
SMT
