Once again, at this time of year it is the installation of the new Master of the Company of Security Professionals.
In the beautiful surroundings of Drapers Hall in the City of London, our regular interviewer Una Riley’s aim was to catch up with the new Master – Peter French – and discover what his vision was going to be for the coming year.
Many of you know Peter from the different roles he embraces, from Senior Regional Vice President in Europe for ASIS, Certified Protection Professional (CPP), and European member of the International Security Management Association (ISMA). Peter is a Director of Skills for Security and sits on the Verification Board of The Security Institute. As if this was not enough he is Deputy Chairman of the London Board of the Crimestoppers charity and has for a number of years has been involved at his local community level by way of charitable deeds. However, most of you will probably know him through business and the service delivery he offers as Chief Executive of SSR Personnel. With 60 staff in the UK, SSR is one of Europe’s leading consultancies engaged in the permanent recruitment, contract and interim hire of personnel in the security, fire health and safety sectors. The Department of Trade and Industry recognised SSR as being of ‘world class’. Peter is also a private sector ambassador appointed in one of London’s poorest boroughs to mentor start up businesses…and now Peter is Master of the Company of Security Professionals, which is the charitable arm of the profession. We celebrated over a glass of champagne and I asked Peter, what exactly does the term ‘Master’ (within the confines of the City) mean to you personally"? Peter replied: "I think that it gives you temporary leadership of a group of people in terms of Livery. It is not a time to be radical but is a time when you can give extra emphasis in the areas that really matter to you…that fit within the agreed parameters. You can’t change a business within a year, but you can manage it, improve it and you can do different things. I think that’s the fantastic thing about all the Masters that we’ve had. They’ve all come along with different issues that they have had to face. Of course mine is a magnificent issue…to become the Master of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals when we attain full Livery status. Therefore, whilst that will be the focus of the first part of my year, the emphasis on the second part of the year would be how we could look more at encouraging or establishing the designation of a Chartered Security Professional. I think that we (the Company) have a role to play as one of the participants. I think that we should be talking with all agencies and in particular supporting The Security Institute and discovering how we can work together to get this designation in place.” It is obviously going to be a very busy year for this Master. I went on to ask if he was going to adopt a personal Master’s charity appeal this year. Peter replied: "I have decided to adopt the ‘Hear4u’ foundation as my Master’s charity. I would like to see significant further money that will enable Hear4u to become viable over the next five years to support the security profession… that’s a definite aim. I think that with another year of fund raising we could establish the money necessary to get the job done." I asked Peter; what else would you like to see done in your year? Peter replied: "I would love to see that 108th shield bearing the arms of the Company of Security Professionals mounted on the ceiling of the Guild Hall. That would be the most amazing thing…unfortunately due to the cost of scaffolding ours would go up when there are several in number to make it cost-effective. Whenever it happens it will be will be a momentous occasion and a very proud one for all the members of the Company.” So how would you evoke interest in people within the profession who have not heard of the Company or who are not members of the Company at this stage? I asked. Peter went on to reply: "First and foremost I think that we have to congratulate the members of the Company, for a group of fewer than 300 people we have certainly outreached to as many people as is humanly possible. I have to say for a sector that employs over half a million people there are no obvious channels to readily influence them. The message of our existence has included the good work of Professional Security that has supported, promoted, and influenced people on our behalf from the start…and in turn, our members have spread the word. I now think that through the likes of the Hear4u Foundation that there will be a gradual awareness that we can slowly open up to people that there is something that can genuinely help them in times of trouble. That is what we are about….the Company’s aim is charity. It is essentially that one word that summarises what all Liveries are about…CHARITY. In essence trying to get other people to understand what we are about is always going to be our greatest challenge." I asked Peter to expand on Hear4u once again. "In the last year we have been able to first of all create a lifestyle website particularly aimed at the security sector which in itself is a high-stress environment and for some people a dangerous environment. Security personnel have to meet many challenges, which could include being held up with a knife to the throat, or threatened with a hypodermic needle…and then told that the person that stabbed you has AIDS. They can suffer blunt head trauma and many other physical attacks that result in all sorts of consequences that may need further treatment down the line from counselling to medical services. The Hear4u service provides medical and health related guidance and support. Access to web-based information and a confidential 24-hour help line which provides medical advice and counseling by qualified staff – irrespective of means or circumstances. There is also access to therapeutic and rehabilitation services in deserving cases, our objective is to enable individuals to return to good health and gainful work as soon as possible. Where Hear4u can go from here is only limited by money. I would like to think that eventually it can become the life-style work-style website that if you felt that you had an issue it would be one of your first ports of call. In the last year people have used it for bereavement counseling and we have had positive feedback on the service. We have had situations where a team member has been murdered and we have had people who have used it due to not being able to access NHS services for over nine months. We were able to return someone back in to a security work environment. Whilst the NHS and private hospitals are all well and good, this is a safety net; as I said we are only limited by money and our own imagination. I think that is the beauty of what we can do. I think that we are lucky to have had a dedicated team that has run this on behalf of the Company and we are hoping to extend this service to the wider world of Security." I asked the Master about the Whittington Course. "We have over the last five years taken over 150 students from our supported school the Bexley Business Academy into the City of London. We have had students running up and down the Thames, taking them on the 32nd floor of buildings in Canary Wharf, taking them in to the trading halls and the Lord Mayor’s home, the Mansion House. Showing them Guild Hall and this last year we had over one hundred people involved in making 30 students enthused enough to consider the City as somewhere that they could see themselves fitting in and seeking a career. We went back to the Academy with 30 highly-inspired students…that’s what it’s all about. This is not about job experience…this is about life experience. To me it is the inspiration that we have to expose in what ever means we can. We are looking at other ways to deliver this message. We have started talking to Schools-Link and someone said, why don’t we inspire the teachers? So if we can inspire the teachers so they can in turn inspire the students then we have to consider all aspects. We carried out a survey asking the students who inspired them most, and at the top of the list was their mum and dad…which is good to know that we are still inspiring our children. Interestingly the other role models that inspire them are business people like Bill Gates and Richard Branson. They would like to ask questions of these captains of industry and discover how they made their fortune? They want to know how they started their business…and they need to know they could do it too." One thing is for sure this is going to be one of the busiest years for this Master…I have no doubt that the Masters own inspiration will see us all through.
