Sector specifics

With the move to SSC status very much in mind, Clarke also billed the event as "possibly the last SITO National Training Conference".

While that particular prophecy didn't come to fruition, the ensuing 12 months have indeed brought about major changes. Since last April, Government diktats have meant that SITO has no longer been able to badge itself as the industry's NTO. Chairman Bob Rowan – who used last year's conference as a platform for urging employers in the security sector to "push forward their training ideas upon which the security SSC might be founded" – retired from 'front line' duties and, only last month, Raymond Clarke himself left Security House after 14 years at the helm. A decision that was met with disbelief in many quarters.

No surprise, then, that a record number of delegates – something in the region of 400 – should pack themselves into Birmingham's National Motorcycle Museum on 5 November to see what the fall out from all these changes is likely to be, both in the short and longer terms.

Part-sponsored by Security Management Today (SMT), the conference programme began with a brief introduction from SITO general manager Stefan Hay. In a suitably upbeat delivery, Hay stressed that this is "a time of great opportunity". A time when SITO will build on its many successes to date – with Hay citing the fact that over 7,000 individuals have now passed through SITO/City & Guilds NVQ manned security courses here in the UK alone.

No mean achievement, it must be said, and testimony to the legacy of Clarke and Rowan.

Exponential growth and change
Recently appointed as the organisation's new chairman, former British Security Industry Association (BSIA) chair David Cowden opined that the private security sector is undergoing a fundamental metamorphosis. "The Private Security Industry Act 2001 is by far the most significant piece of legislation ever to impinge on the sector," stated Cowden. "With it, there's now much talk about an enhanced role for the private security industry in policing. The industry has experienced exponential growth since the late 1960s, to the extent that there is now a much greater engagement with members of the public. Change will be necessary if we are to take on a new role, and we must be seen to have the right training in place to make that change work."

In Cowden's view, the only way in which the private sector can hope to 'get it right' [in terms of training provision] will be on the basis of "solid research, and looking to the requirements of tomorrow".

Cowden added: "We cannot assume that any one training body will be tasked to deliver on every need. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) must be seen to drive through change, but will need the full support of everyone in the private sector if it's to be successful". A belief with which SMT wholeheartedly concurs.

Engaging with the customer base
It was really left to David Dickinson – SITO's recently-appointed acting chief executive and, of course, chief executive of the BSIA – to fill in some of the gaps as to where SITO and training provision might be heading. "Traditionally, we use events like this to look back," said Dickinson at the outset of his Annual Report. "Tradition is fine, but sometimes circumstances require that we break with it. Although SITO hasn't enjoyed the best of years, much has been achieved by some very dedicated people. That's why we should now look forward. A new future awaits us, and what a huge future that promises to be. At present, though, we don't quite know what shape that future will take."

In searching for a new role, Dickinson is mindful that SITO will have to change its focus slightly, and look to engage business partners (ie the organisation's customer base) to the fullest possible extent.

As far as Dickinson is concerned, SITO's future and that of the industry it serves is "inextricably linked" with the development of the SIA. To this end, SITO's 'Heads of State' have been in constant contact with the Home Office (indeed, the SIA's chair and chief executive, Molly Meacher and John Saunders, were in the Britannia Suite to listen to Dickinson's impassioned Keynote Address).

"We welcome the SIA's keen interest, not just in licensing and regulation but in the true raising of standards of competence and conduct right across this diverse industry of ours," added Dickinson.

On a hugely positive note, Dickinson is of the firm opinion that training is at last beginning to occupy the centre ground in the debate about where the industry can, should and will go in the immediate future.

"With change must come flexibility," he stated. "We have already begun the process of reinventing SITO as a forward-facing organisation. One that is customer-focused. In a bid to respond better to customer needs, we've recognised the difference between a: 'Guess what we have for you this morning?'-style mentality to one that says: 'Tell us what you want, what you really want, and we'll deliver on it'. We'll also be looking at the competitiveness of our training packages, both in terms of price and relevance."

Training standards: the SIA's view
SIA chair Molly Meacher's presentation (see 'Mark of Authority' on pages 26-29 of this month's SMT) was eagerly awaited – and didn't disappoint. Having expressed personal support for David Dickinson and Stefan Hay's vision of a new era at SITO, Meacher went on to stress the importance of improving security's image in the eyes of the public at large.

Meacher feels that the areas of management and supervisory training must be high on SITO's 'hit list' (see box panel 'Management training in 2002: a year of progress', p25), such that all individuals employed in these roles are in line with the standards exhibited by "the very best in the business".

It's the desire to assist employers in deciding the direction in which they'd like to move which is the major driving force behind the SIA's establishment of a Sector Skills Strategy Group of opinion formers gathered from across the sector. At the moment, an active engagement is taking place with the industry courtesy of Professor Martin Gill and his research team at Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International. Gill has been tasked with reviewing current roles in the private sector, analysing existing qualifications and skills requirements and then producing an in-depth analysis of the new skills likely to arise from the main drivers for change. Not an easy task (see 'In Perpetuity', pp16-20).

It is likely to be in the Spring of 2003 when the SIA reveals its hand as to what shape training will take in the private sector. "That's the time," said Meacher, "when we'll have in place the foundations for a sustainable improvement in standards right across the sector that will meet the demands of tomorrow." The industry awaits...

An update on disclosure
Next on the podium in the morning session was Mark Favager, communications officer at the Criminal Records Bureau, who offered a timely update on the Bureau's work thus far.

Set up in 1997 as an executive agency of the Home Office, the Liverpool-based Bureau's main task in life is to help prevent people with an unsuitable background from joining companies operating in the private sector.

The Bureau's disclosure service has now been fully operational for the past six months and, according to Favager, is carrying out something in the region of 40,000 background checks on individuals each week. Over 500,000 disclosures have been issued to date, largely based on information garnered from the Police National Computer, the Department of Health, the Department of Education and Skills and local police forces.

The service is not cheap – it costs £300 to register with the Bureau – and many industry professionals have questioned the output so far. Although only 0.98% of those disclosures issued have been disputed by 'checked' individuals, turnaround times have not met the standards laid down. The Bureau's targets are to issue 90% of Enhanced disclosures within three weeks, 96% of Standard disclosures within one week and 95% of Basic disclosures within the same time frame. Current turnaround is in the region of six weeks.

"We're working hard to improve on our performance," stressed Favager. "It's really important to stress that we've been virtually 100% accurate on the information issued to employers in the past six months, which does bode very well for the future."

The task of closing the morning session was left to chief inspector Paul Wilson of the Metropolitan Police. Back in December 2000, Wilson was selected for a two-year secondment with the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit's Neighbourhood Wardens programme, with responsibility for improving police support and promoting minority ethnic involvement in warden schemes. Given that this year's SITO Conference was subtitled 'The Wider Police Family and Training for a Safe Environment', his overview of the training partnership that has developed between SITO and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit was nothing if not a perfect accompaniment.

"Wardens help allay the fear of crime, and reintroduce a certain level of reassurance for local communities," suggested Wilson. "In patrolling the streets and liaising with tenants, they foster social inclusion and provide additional eyes and ears for the police service. That said, they are not meant to replace the police, nor are they supposed to be the panacea for all ills in society."

With some 247 separate warden schemes now up-and-running across the country, and 1,500 registered wardens taking part in them, Wilson is keen that best practice is rigidly adhered to at all times. "We must share what works," said Wilson, who has already been to the Netherlands on several fact-finding missions with a view to gleaning the latest advice from the Dutch warden experience (and indeed those schemes that have been successful Stateside). "We're currently working on a database that will contain information on all the schemes in the UK. That way," stated Wilson, "managers can ask questions on the schemes and how they're run, and do so in a secure environment."

Warden induction programmes have recently been established, while training programmes for both team managers and the wardens themselves have been developed in conjunction with SITO. Wilson suggested that an NVQ Level 2 qualification for wardens should be in place by the end of this year, which represents a significant step forward for the warden movement.

The 'extended police family'
SITO's changing emphasis was mirrored by the conference itself in that, come the afternoon sessions, delegates were invited to divide into four groups for detailed seminars as opposed to the usual workshops (although the opportunity for questions and answers remained a central plank of each as always).

In the Britannia Suite, the focus lay squarely on the role of the wider police family – and training both members of the police service and the private security industry to operate within its boundaries.

Leading the session was Richard Winterton, chief executive of the Police Skills and Standards Organisation (PSSO) and the individual tasked with identifying the current and future skills needs of the police service, improving organisational competitiveness, building more effective education-business links and promoting lifelong learning.

In March 2001, the PSSO was recognised as the NTO for the policing sector, but from 1 April 2003 Winterton is keen that it transforms into the Justice Sector Skills Council. There may well be a linking up with SITO and the training fraternity in the process, which would be both a logical and sensible step to take. "The procedures involved in becoming a Sector Skills Council are pretty tortuous," said Winterton, "so in reality the proposed formation of this particular body is likely to take place sometime between next June and September."

The work of the PSSO covers the 43 Home Office forces in England and Wales, eight Scottish forces, and the police services of Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Mann. Quite a challenge, and a huge responsibility. If the Criminal Justice Sector Skills Council comes to fruition, its new partners would include the Crown Prosecution Service, the Judiciary, the Inland Revenue and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

In any event, Winterton is adamant that training the police to work with its newly-extended family will require national occupational standards.

"These standards must be seen to have UK-wide applicability," he said. "The assessment strategy is vital, and that's what's really taxing our minds just now."

Phase One of the occupational standards development adopts a unit-based approach, encompassing operational patrolling and community safety training, management and investigative techniques and instruction in criminal justice procedures. Phase Two (due to start this month) looks at firearms training, communications and IT and surveillance (plus intelligence) gathering.

Winterton is keen to make sure that constant reassessment of training takes place. "The NTO movement often failed to recognise the importance of this," added Winterton. "Of course, whenever you reassess things it means that all of those individuals with an 'old' qualification must be re-skilled. That can lead to a critical situation, but it's not one that's in any way insurmountable."

To help the PSSO in its endeavours here, Winterton is spearheading the launch of the Police Licensing and Accreditation Board with a view to verifying all training providers.

In terms of working with the private sector, Winterton is unequivocal that the police service must "become smarter and far more savvy at team-based approaches to working". A corpus of knowledge has to be developed.

"All-too-often, policemen and women are walking out of the door after 20 or 30 years' service, and all that experience is being lost," he said. "They could work with the training providers to make sure course delivery is targeted. We're not being anything like clever enough at getting people to join the force, either. The average age of new recruits is 27 so, if that's their second or third job, is the police service actually taking on the individuals that it really wants or needs?"

Training in the private sector
Grabbing the audience's attention from the outset, Richard Childs – chief constable of Lincolnshire Police – offered an overview of the training regimens that will need to be in place in order that the private sector security companies might work with and alongside the police service.

"Above all else," stated Childs, "there must be a willingness to make the provision of the private security function a profession. We must make relationships seamless, and bring real accountability to the whole process."

In Childs' eyes, there has to be the highest levels of training and skills in the private sector. "Integrity and openness must be demonstrable," he added. "The security industry simply must be open to self-examination and self-criticism, and be staffed by individuals who do what they do in a certain way because that way is the right way."

While Childs recognises that the path to true professionalism is a long one, without it there will continue to be invisible barriers between the police and the security companies. A commonality of standards is what's needed.

"Maintaining the confidentiality of information and applying the principles of reasonable suspicion or belief are akin to both the police and the private sector, so that's as good a place to start as any when it comes to common standards formation" (Richard's views on the matter are debated in full in one of this month's Opinion articles – see page 11). The BSIA's stance on this sometimes thorny subject was elicited by David Dickinson. "What's the BSIA's view on the role of a wider police family? I'm not sure we have one as yet," he stated. "How wide should this family be? Is 'police family' the right phrase to use? Ultimately, it's all about providing a safe environment for the public at large. The policing of our communities is key."

Dickinson believes that the private sector must improve on a poor record of being able to recognise its own limitations. "We need to hold an open discussion on what the private security companies can do to help the police," urged Dickinson. "This is not about creating a new marketplace where the realisation of extra profits is the objective. It's about working in true partnership. The central issue is whether or not the police service can trust the private sector to deliver the goods. We need to put an end to this private versus public sector debate, though, and instead ask which party is best equipped to do the given job at hand. There's a misconception among the police service that 80% of police work can only be carried out by those holding a warrant card. Not true."

Both the police and the security companies are competing to attract a scarce resource – good quality people. "If those companies operating in the private sector are to entice a better calibre of applicant, security contractors have little option but to demand more money from their clients for an improved service," said Dickinson. "The BSIA will fully support its member companies in providing the right environment for this to become the norm."

The BSIA chief executive is looking forward to the time when his own organisation can sit down with ACPO, SITO and the National Security Inspectorate and work up a set of protocols that, once adhered to, will allow the private sector to really work in harmony with the police service. "We don't have to wait for regulation and licensing to kick in before we start that process," added Dickinson.