Security in the public sector

19 May 09

Advance Security’s managing director Richard Bailey examines the essential elements needed for effective security provision in the public sector.

By Richard Bailey

There are long held assumptions of a shortage of commerciality in the public sector. Those assumptions run in tandem with accusations of a lack of dynamism.

Not to mention that tangle of red tape so often bandied about as if it’s ubiquitous, usually by organisations with little or no experience of working within this challenging and changing environment.

However, the economic downturn has pretty much silenced the critics of late. Indeed, the public sector currently stands as one of the only progressive – and spending – sections of the economy.

New ways of working and Best Practice

At Advance Security it’s fair to say we’ve never been afraid to tackle stereotypes and, as our public sector portfolio continues to grow, we’ve gradually identified a number of areas in which the public-private security worlds can learn from each other.

With the pressure to deliver ‘better’ public services showing no sign of abating, there’s a growing need for public sector managers to retain those service providers who can help them step up to the challenge. It’s all about introducing fresh ways of working and transferring Best Practice from across sectors (while at the same time keeping a careful eye on tightening budgets).

As such, the public sector presents security providers with a very specific set of challenges, particularly as security in this type of environment is often entirely outsourced.

Who manages public sector contracts?

With no dedicated in-house security presence, it customarily falls to procurement and Human Resources Departments – not security specialists – to manage public sector contracts. It’s essential, therefore, to adopt a robust managerial presence and become familiar with the issues and challenges that matter to public sector customers.

While the basic rules apply across the board when it comes to protecting people and property, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to security provision. The delivery of a comprehensive security service, though, requires more than simple acknowledgement of this fact.

Adopting a tailored attitude to each customer and contract is a good start. That said, the provision of a truly inclusive service requires a far more ‘savvy’ outlook.

How can we effectively implement a security strategy if we don’t understand our customers’ wider concerns (whether that be the threat of terrorism to public buildings, attacks on staff or the specific requirements for protecting children and the vulnerable)?

Sector specialists, security experts

We cannot simply match current needs. Instead, we must evaluate and develop our offering to proactively respond to any issues as they arise. It’s simply not acceptable to install a security team and think we’ve done enough. Across the board, the industry must become sector specialists as well as security experts.

When it comes to assessing risk, there are obvious differences between the public and private arenas. While the corporate arena so often struggles with the threat of theft, for example, conflict management is the priority when it comes to public sector security.

Officers in the public sector not only need to provide a welcoming first impression, they also need to be confidently assertive when necessary. Striking the right balance is absolutely crucial.

By its very nature, security in the ‘public’ sector often involves dealing with people in distress, which can lead to abusive or violent behaviour. Working on the front line, then, requires enhanced conflict resolution skills that enable officers to confidently manage disruption in a calm and rational manner, preventing incidents from escalating that little bit further.

Filling identified gaps in training

Training is key. As security professionals, we cannot simply rest on our laurels and, where there are identifiable training gaps, it’s paramount we fill them.

That’s easier said than done. When we first developed our hold and restraint qualification – the first such course in the industry to achieve national recognition – alongside our training partner, Senate, it took many months to satisfy the stringent requirements of our insurers.

We are currently developing a BTEC in conflict management, taking on board the lessons learned from our experiences in the public sector. This is proving to be a similarly complex exercise. The investment will be worthwhile – the resulting qualification will have been developed in direct response to our public sector customers’ needs.

Of course it doesn’t stop at security guarding. The technology needs of the public sector differ to those in the private realm. It’s not often, for example, that panic alarms are required in corporate office blocks, but they’re often found in housing association buildings.

Developing a partnership approach

What’s clear from working in the public sector is that adopting a partnership approach to security works. With the often outsourced nature of security provision, our teams enjoy first hand contact with external agencies and stakeholders (which can be limited to the in-house security manager in the private sector).

Indeed, working with allies such as the police, local businesses and the wider community not only delivers results, but also helps us to approach issues differently, challenging our perceptions and allowing our security managers direct access to first hand intelligence – thereby further enhancing our sector know-how.

It doesn’t stop at external partners. It’s also crucial that we work with customers to best meet their needs – inspiring confidence and becoming more than ‘just a service provider’.

The public sector, for example, leads the way when it comes to the principles of flexible working, with employees often enjoying more accommodating shift patters than their corporate counterparts. This in turn requires us to offer increased variety in coverage, starting earlier and finishing later in order to best meet our customers’ specific needs.

Responding to additional demands

Certainly flexibility is central to the delivery of security across the sector and, with annual budgets often operating on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis, we must be able to respond effectively to additional demands as and when required.

Of course, this strategy provides us with food for thought when considering our own approach to flexible working – something that’s particularly relevant as we strive to bring diversity to our workforce and make our industry more inclusive all round.

With public sector bodies facing increasing demands for better service quality and greater accountability, the ability to add value to security provision is essential. By bringing our private sector experience to the public table, Advance has helped customers to meet this challenge head on – using our commercial focus to deliver the type of security provision expected by big businesses.

We wouldn’t be so arrogant, however, as to suggest that the private sector naturally leads the way in progressing security provision. There are many lessons to be learned from sharing Best Practice across the two domains.