Working to CSAS guidelines

Four years ago, the concept of an extended police family taking a proactive role in combating crime and anti-social behaviour was viewed very much as a political impossibility. Since then, the debate has moved on considerably. In many parts of the country, police officers are now supported by a plethora of Police Community Support Officers, Neighbourhood Wardens and City Guardians, etc.

Community Safety Accreditation Schemes (CSAS) were first introduced under the Police Reform Act 2002 with the aim of adopting an holistic approach to the extended police family, bringing the various law enforcement agents and projects together under one umbrella. Any employer that works in the community safety sector can now apply for their staff to be accredited to a local scheme.

Organisations seeking such accreditation must satisfy the local chief constable that their members of staff are sufficiently trained and vetted to the highest standards of integrity. Relevant internal procedures must exist, and a badge should be displayed by operatives at all times to show their ‘degree of qualification’.

Once accredited, a security officer (for example) may be afforded a number of additional powers in order to deal with community safety issues. While not bestowing the power of arrest or detention, some CSAS allow individuals to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for anti-social behaviour (such as littering).

Accredited security officers are recognisable by their badges, and customers and staff will be assured that those officers have attained certain approved standards of competence, training, management, supervision and accountability. In other words, they can provide additional reassurance.

Degrees of accreditation

In total, 12 police forces across England and Wales have already accredited 250 individuals. Others are expected to establish schemes in the coming months. Meantime, Hampshire, Surrey, Lancashire, North Wales, Nottinghamshire, West Yorkshire and Gwent Constabularies have all created dedicated schemes to accredit Neighbourhood Wardens.

To date, Reliance Security Services is believed to be the only private sector security company to have had any of its personnel accredited under a CSAS. Working in partnership with the Lancashire Constabulary, two Reliance officers were recently accredited to work in the retail environment across two major stores in a vulnerable area of Preston. They were given two specific additional powers to deal with community safety (including the power to request an individual’s name and address for the purposes of a Fixed Penalty Notice and for offences that cause injury, alarm and distress to another person or damage or loss of another property).

In addition, the officers were granted the power to request the name and address of any person acting in an anti-social manner.

The granting of these powers to accredited staff had a significant impact on prolific shop theft within the stores in question. What was a unique partnership approach to crime and disorder also ensured that intelligence and information on the whereabouts and activities of offenders was shared. It enhanced police intelligence, and provided Reliance Security Services with an opportunity to prevent any further offences from occurring.

In our opinion, this CSAS worked extremely well and tackled a specific problem head-on, both promptly and efficiently. Other companies operating in the retail environment should actively consider adopting this approach to security in the longer term

Rebecca Eckersley, CSAS officer, Lancashire Constabulary

Rebecca Eckersley – Lancashire Constabulary’s nominated CSAS officer – has this to say on the matter: “Community Safety Accreditation Schemes are still fairly new to many areas of the country, but the unique partnership work between Lancashire Constabulary and Reliance Security has made a huge impact in the local retail environment. The regular sharing of information and intelligence between the two partners ensured that the retail stores concerned were well-equipped to deal with anti-social behaviour and any incidents of shop theft.”

Eckersley adds: “In our opinion, this CSAS worked extremely well and tackled a specific problem head-on, both promptly and efficiently. Other companies operating in the retail environment should actively consider adopting this approach to security in the longer term.”

The benefits for retailers

The partnership approach to accreditation schemes adopted in Preston is an ideal model which could yield huge benefits in the retail sector. As CSAS have been developed, the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers have continued to pursue the formation of a national framework for them, and also to learn from Best Practice adopted right across the country.

Historically, personnel employed as security staff in the retail environment have been forced to rely upon the police to deal with shop theft and anti-social behaviour. Security professionals may be highly experienced, but they have not had the benefit of the additional powers granted under accreditation schemes.

We are delighted that Reliance Security Services is believed to be the first private sector organisation where personnel have attained accredited status. CSAS can add much value for customers in the retail arena (with that additional value being one of the areas clients examine carefully post-licensing). Importantly, the schemes also offer an opportunity for all concerned to recognise the demanding and difficult work undertaken by security officers.

What of the future?

CSAS remain a relatively new concept in many parts of the country. As the partnership work in Preston shows, however, there are significant benefits for retail sector clients in terms of dealing with theft and anti-social behaviour.

At a time when the training of security personnel is in the public spotlight, due – in no small part – to the Security Industry Authority’s licensing regime, CSAS could well be the next step in the creation of a highly-skilled security workforce the length and breadth of the UK.