Read more online at www.securitymattersmagazine.com Editorial Comment
From The Editor
Collaboration Breeds Education
For over three decades, the
International Foundation for
Protection Officers (IFPO) has been
fashioning and promoting
educational programmes designed
to support front line security
personnel in enhancing their skills
and career opportunities.
In conjunction with new education
partner Nuology, IFPO’s UK and
Ireland branch has been able to
identify some specific skills-focused
areas where current training has
either been somewhat difficult to
access or is otherwise unavailable.
Mike Hurst CPP MSyI FREC, director
of IFPO UK and Ireland, has noted:
“We know that it’s important for us
to support our members and,
indeed, the sector as a whole. We’re
determined to help fill the gaps in
knowledge and capability and
commit to a programme of ongoing
development. Equally important is
that the learning made available is of
a high quality and engaging for all
those individuals involved.”
Interactive e-Learning
In the wake of COVID-19, we’ve all
learned that change is constant.
Standing still in the security business
sector simply isn’t an option if
protection regimes are to be
successfully maintained.
Pre-pandemic, it can be argued that,
at least to some extent, a degree of
inertia may have crept into some
business environments. Traditional
approaches adopted across many
years may no longer ‘cut it’. Going
forward, security has to be about
modernisation for colleagues on the
front line and, in tandem, the
organisations employing them.
With that fundamental premise in
mind, the all-new ‘IFPO Powered by
Nuology’ e-Learning platform (which
is sponsored by ABM) has been
bespoke-designed by security
professionals to provide engaging,
interactive and Continuing
Professional Development-accredited
educational programmes.
Among those practitioners who’ve
assisted with background research
are Chris Middleton MSyI, Mike Lees
CSyP, Dr Peter Stiernstedt CPP, Garry
Bergin MSc CPP FSyI F.ISRM and
Nicholas Reed FSyI F.ISRM.
Offered in bite-size format, the initial
courses available include ‘An
Introduction to the Security Sector’,
‘Law and Legislation’, ‘Crime Scene
Preservation’, ‘Conflict Management’
and ‘An Introduction to Radio Use’.
All are specifically designed to fit in
with available budgets and often
tight working schedules.
Nuology director and course
instructor Claire Humble MSyI (a
former senior police officer and
assistant director of security, safety
and facilities in the Higher Education
sector) boasts an in-depth expertise
in security operations, systems and
risk management, not to mention a
reputation for delivering sector-leading
(and award-winning)
transformational change.
Speaking about the new venture,
Humble informed Security Matters:
“The reason Nuology exists is to
assist in raising standards across the
industry by supporting security
personnel to be the best they can
be and also help to enhance the
businesses for whom they work.”
Altruism clearly frames this venture.
Modernising the sector
There’s a need to step away from
outdated definitions of security. In
2021, security is no longer solely
about locking doors, patrolling
territorial boundaries and checking
that CCTV cameras are operational.
Today, the provision of holistic
security for a discerning client base
should be concentrated on a blend
of new technology and skilled
personnel, with the former applied
by the latter in the smartest of ways.
The outcome? Service delivery will
then work in perfect harmony with
the people, property and assets it’s
purposefully designed to protect.
COVID-19 has shown that the focus
must also be trained on the well-being
and progression of security’s
practitioners. IFPO UK and Ireland
and Nuology merit high praise for
addressing this ‘Brave New World’.
Brian Sims BA (Hons) Hon FSyI
Editor
In the wake of COVID-19, we’ve all learned that change is constant. Standing
still in the security business sector simply isn’t an option if protection
regimes are to be successfully maintained
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