Security Journal UK speaks exclusively with Peter Lavery FSyI, the new Chair of The Security Institute.
For security professionals across the UK, 2020 will be remembered as a year like no other. As well as personal routines and social lives being disrupted, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the day-to-day work commitments of almost everybody in the UK security industry.
One of the most noticeable changes has been the number of employees now working from home as many offices still remain closed. This has made some work functions more challenging but one undoubted positive to come from the transition is that it has encouraged more security professionals to continue to develop their careers.
The proliferation of online learning courses and educational webinars have provided ample opportunities for knowledge to be shared and new strategies to be implemented. At the forefront of this within the UK has been The Security Institute, which has been delivering regular webinars and online training courses throughout the pandemic.
Security Journal UK caught up with Peter Lavery FSyI, recently elected as the new Chair of The Security Institute, to find out his aims and objectives in the new role and what the organisation is planning for 2021 and beyond.
Time to give back
Following a distinguished 22-year career in the Royal Military Police, Peter Lavery transitioned to the private security industry where he has held a number of senior positions, including Security & Business Continuity Manager at De La Rue, Regional Security Manager (UK/EMEA) at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group, Director Country Risk & Governance (Global) at Colt Technology Services (A Fidelity company) and his current role as EMEA Head of Security & Business Continuity for Cushman & Wakefield.
In addition to the above, Lavery has also been a prominent and influential member of The Security Institute for many years now, culminating in him being elected to replace Professor Alison Wakefield PhD CSyP FSyI as Chair from January 2021.
He is extremely proud of the achievement: “I’m truly honoured to take on this role. It’s a real honour to be involved with a group of fellow professional leaders who have given their time freely, to contribute to the industry for the betterment of our members, to give back to society and contribute to protecting the public.”
The Security Institute has done a fantastic job in recent years for its members and the wider industry, consequently, Lavery views his job to be more akin to evolution than revolution. He stated: “We do revise our aims and objectives from time to time but they haven’t changed too much. One of the key focuses over the next 12 months will be the introduction of Martyn’s Law, or Protect Duty as it will come to be known.
“We expect the government to release the consultation over the coming months after it was delayed in October last year. We look forward to working with the government on that and providing our input because it will be driving new legislation specifically for counter terrorism.
“Another initiative we are working on is the creation of a physical security penetration testing register, which we have been working on alongside the Cabinet Office. The register will operate in a similar manner to the Cyber penetration testing register operated by CREST and we thank them for their assistance, as I also do to the members of our working group, namely Hayley Elvins and Mike O’Neil from our membership and Steph Roberts and Carl Dakin who are fellow Directors of the Institute.”
Lavery also pointed to The Security Institute’s ongoing work in the field of cybersecurity as another priority in 2021: “We have also been heavily involved in contributing, together with 15 different organisations, as a ‘Cyber Security Alliance’ (Alliance) to form the UK Cyber Security Council. The Security Institute leads on Workstream 5: Developing the Profession, encouraging the professionalisation of the industry and we have an active role in several other workstreams as well. The hope is that the Council will launch in the next few months.”
Developing the next generation
An ageing workforce has been a serious concern in the security industry for many years now and so The Security Institute is leading the way in encouraging young people to take up careers within the sector.
The Secure Futures programme was launched by the Institute in late 2020 in collaboration with the EY Foundation and expands upon its #NextGen initiative. The Secure Futures programme will support 27 16-18-year-olds from low-income backgrounds to access invaluable experience within the security industry, empowering them to consider pursuing careers working within the sector.
Lavery continued: “Beginning this month (February), thanks to sponsors from across the sector, we will be giving these young people the opportunity to participate in a two week digital work experience programme along with ten months of professional mentoring. We want this programme to have a long-term impact on the sector, when the participants turn 18, each will also receive a year of free membership of The Security Institute to support their continued professional development.”
Not settling there, the Institute has also been named as a Gateway Partner for the government’s Kickstart Scheme. Through the Kickstart Scheme, the Government will provide funding for employers to offer work to young people on Universal Credit.
Ordinarily, to apply for the funding available through the Government’s Kickstart Scheme a single employer must be able to provide a minimum of 30 job placements. However, as a not for profit, the Security Institute has stepped up to become a Gateway Provider for the security industry. This allows many more employers within the security industry, that are looking to create 29 or fewer job placements for young people, to apply for funding through the Kickstart Scheme.
The government funding available through the Kickstart Scheme will finance six-month work placements for young people. Employers will be paid 100% of the National Minimum Wage for 25 hours of work a week, plus National Insurance and Auto Enrolment Pension contributions. There is the option for employers to pay for additional hours, helping the scheme best benefit the needs of a specific organisation. In addition, employers will receive a £1,500 grant per placement to help cover the induction and training costs.
Lavery added: “We’ve already had a number of organisations approach us in regard to participating in the Kickstart Scheme which is fantastic. Any organisation that is interested in taking part, please email us at [email protected].”
Raising the standard
The fantastic work carried out by The Security Institute on a day-to-day basis is done with one simple aim in mind; to continue to raise the standards within the security industry. This is especially required at the moment as the sector faces up to a number of significant challenges.
Lavery explained: “I think security as a sector is reflective of more general business and of course, the pandemic has created some challenges for the majority of businesses. These challenges have reduced the security posture of some businesses as a response to lowering costs which needs to be carefully considered.
“I also think working from home has made us realise that we have further vulnerabilities around cybersecurity as well as the wellbeing of the workforce. We still need to try and look after our people, whatever organisation you are, so there has been a lot of emphasis on this recently.
“That being said, I believe COVID has been a great opportunity for those working on the frontline to support the NHS and showcase the agility of their businesses. It’s one of the reasons why security officers have been classified as ‘Essential Workers’, which is fantastic.”
The classification of security officers as ‘Essential Workers’ was a pivotal moment in raising the awareness of the crucial role of security in wider society, although Lavery believes there is still much more work to do.
“Frontline security officers can often be first responders to numerous incidents until the emergency services arrive. I don’t think they get the recognition they deserve for the roles they do. We will continue to do more to raise that awareness with the public, our Hidden Workforce campaign, delivered in conjunction with the BSIA, the Security Commonwealth and other partners, is a great example of that.”
Looking ahead to how the security landscape may evolve over the coming year, Lavery re-emphasised the importance of the proposed Protect Duty legislation: “I would see it as an opportunity to demonstrate our security capabilities and enhance the protection of publicly accessible locations.
“The latest UK National Risk Register highlights the most likely risk to manifest itself in the next 12 months as a high impact, low tech terrorist attack, similar to what we saw on London Bridge. Sadly, this is still a very prevalent risk and won’t be going away anytime soon so we have to properly prepare ourselves.”
As we head into another period of uncertainty in the UK, one thing can be guaranteed, Peter Lavery and his team at The Security Institute will continue to do their utmost to drive improvement in the UK security industry and in turn, UK citizens and businesses will have a much better chance of remaining safe and secure.
To find out more information about Peter Lavery and the The Security Institute, visit: https://security-institute.org/
This article was originally published in the February 2021 edition of Security Journal UK. To pick up your FREE digital copy click here.