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The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has joined forces with the Security Institute and the Security Commonwealth to run an awareness campaign to highlight the role that security officers play in public life.
The campaign is designed to reset the public perception of the security professional – increasing recognition for their capabilities.
It will showcase security professionals as a respected, valued and professional service provider contributing to and creating a safe and secure environment – critical to protecting people, places, and property – an ever-present key worker.
The bodies point out that over the past few months, because of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, security officers have been operating in critical settings playing key roles while remaining unheralded. Many have been working at testing centres and the NHS Nightingale Hospitals, guaranteeing critical food deliveries from warehouses and managing queues and customers at supermarkets.
They have also been involved in safeguarding the homeless in new sheltered accommodation, physical security at factories and premises, protecting industrial estates from illegal fly-tipping during lockdown, as well as supporting police patrols in London.
These are just a few examples of roles the industry and their officers provide that the industry organisations believe are rarely acknowledged by the public.
Mike Reddington, chief executive of the BSIA, said: “The recognition of security officers as key workers is the start of a reappraisal of what service they provide to the community in keeping the public safe and secure.
“As we exit lockdown and have to navigate public spaces again, they will have a crucial role in supporting public confidence. We are working closely with the police and all other public bodies to find the best way to achieve this.”
Rick Mounfield, chief executive of the Security Institute, said: “The security sector is vast with specialisms from cyber and engineering to protective services including both technical measures and security officers. The latter engages with society more than the rest but is often overlooked and unappreciated. Great effort has been invested in the professional standards and capabilities of frontline officers and they have proven their worth during the coronavirus crisis in the UK. They, along with the wider security sector deserve to be recognised, respected and appreciated for the safety and security they provide across the UK."