Security “Guard” or Security “Officer”

The professionalisation of the UK security industry

We all know that the general public’s perception of security guards is that, without sugar coating it, we are all a load of poorly trained, ignorant, lazy, minimum wage slobs. Media portrayals over the last 40 years or more have reinforced this idea with on screen security workers either bumbling idiots, asleep when the trouble happens, or if we’re lucky, just arrogant jobsworths. The Security Industry Authority was supposed to go some way towards improving things, with a super-duper new training regime and tough licensing requirements. Alas, everyone and his dog was able to get an SIA licence, and the entire industry slid just a bit further down in the estimation of the public.

Over the last few years however, there have been genuine steps to change this and finally professionalise the front line of the industry.

In 2020 the BSIA got together with the Security Institute and the Security Commonwealth and launched the Hidden Workforce (changing perceptions) initiative. https://www.bsia.co.uk/blogs/131/perception-of-security-officers-as-an-es

Meant to celebrate and publicise the great responsibilities and extensive training of today’s front-line security “Officers”, it never reached beyond the security industry itself, and hence simply preached to the choir. It did however get some important issues on security leadership’s agenda.

Get rid of the “Guard”!

Although somewhat hampered by the fact that the Private Security Industry Act, refers to front line security workers as “guards”, throughout the legislation, the vast majority of industry leaders agreed that the term carries with it all those negative public misconceptions. The term “Officer” says, professional, well trained, commands respect and creates distance from the old and tainted terminology.

Rapidly, the best security companies and all the associations and organisations that have any interest in the industry adopted “Security Officer” as the new de facto term, and urged everyone to move away from “guard”. Security guarding may be the job, but it is performed by professional Security Officers. I see their point, and indeed became quite a vocal advocate for the change, and the positive shift in thinking that it signified. The OSPAs even had me talking about the issue in a webinar in October 2020, and the entire panel agreed that Security Officer was the way ahead.  https://youtu.be/_zTNS2BUc3I

Too early to change perceptions?

There is however one huge problem that is preventing a change in public perceptions…… That sad fact that so many of the negative perceptions are still true! The whole attempt to change perceptions is worthy and essential, but there are things that need to happen first.

Cleaning the “shop window” of our industry.

With complete candour, there are a lot of sub-standard, front line security workers out there, so before we can properly professionalise the industry, a lot needs to change.

I wrote an article looking at this in some depth here https://www.get-licensed.co.uk/get-daily/how-can-we-improve-the-uk-security-industry/ so I wont repeat myself, but cowboy companies need to be dealt with, entry to the industry needs to be much more demanding and we all need to take responsibility for reporting sub-standard or incompetent security workers to the SIA.

Better future.

It has been a long time coming, but it looks like there are real changes happening right now, that just may signal that the professionalisation that we have all heard about for so long is finally on the way. The SIA have now implemented revised and upgraded training, and the feedback is excellent. The addition of mandatory First Aid is hugely welcome, and the SIA courses are by all accounts now more in-depth and tougher to pass. The SIA has also promised to look at improved enforcement, and target the rogue training providers that still seem to be getting away with issuing pass certificates to individuals that shouldn’t even have been allowed to take a course. Lastly, there is growing awareness of the need to report problems to the SIA and keep those reports coming until the SIA have the resources and time to investigate and act.

Small steps.

What we can all do right now however is to use the term “Security Officer” to describe ourselves, our colleagues, and our peers. Let’s all play a part in improving standards and justify the better title.