Una's blog

Company foundation

by Mark Rowe

Time flies – next year it’s 20 years since the start of what became the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals (WCoSP).

The WCoSP is the 108th Livery Company in the City of London. In November 1999 at the City of London Chamberlain’s Office, the Guild of Professional Security was registered. We immediately set to work to identify industry characters who at the time would be able to help drive our vision to become a Worshipful Company and be recognised as the charitable arm of the profession one day. The people at the beginning are now well known and would become the ‘Principal Founder’ members. Each was charged with identifying and introducing other industry like-minded security professionals helping to promote our quest for full livery. One of the early founder members was John Cully the publisher of this magazine. John Cully dedicated himself and his marketing expertise to help us promote the Guild. John Cully is an Honorary Court Assistant and without his help in the beginning with publicity and the creation of the original website it would not have been as easy to get the word out to the wider world of security.

We originally hoped to have Lord Peter Imbert as our first Master, however, due to ill health he was unable to take up the office. Once Lord Imbert had recovered enough he went on to support the company. In addition, his son Simon (Past Master, 2008-2009) has been an integral part of our development from the outset. To progress our cause, John Purnell and I met with Sir Neil Macfarlane at the Waterside Inn at Bray for a delightful lunch. Steve Neville met up with Deputy Philip Willoughby. Everything was then put in place for our initial meeting with the new founder members. The first meeting took place in March 2000, with Sir Neil Macfarlane being elected Founder Master with Sir David Brewer, KG, CMG, CVO, JP, and Deputy Philip Willoughby as Sponsors. From that magical moment the Livery journey began from a Guild to the Worshipful Company that we know today. However, although there was a testing process that had to be completed, progression to a Company without Livery occurred in January 2004 when the petition for recognition as a City Company without Livery was recognised by the Court of Aldermen. That coincided with my year as Master. I was Master of the Guild and the Company. We had achieved our first milestone in our history on the route to full Livery status.

In January 2008 the Court of Alderman was once again petitioned, and it declared that the Company of Security Professionals (CoSP) would became the WCoSP and the 108th Livery Company (part of the Modern Livery movement) from February 2008. We had achieved full livery status in record time. We designed our Coat of Arms and portcullis badge very early on as a Guild so when we achieved our full livery status everything was in place including our supporters, the left-hand side representing security personnel and the right-hand side representing the security technology market. Our Coat of Arms is symbolic, and we were far sighted enough to include cyber security with the www in the middle of the shield and the globe at the top representing the ‘wider world of security’. We wanted to send out the right message to the City to show that we were serious about our progression and by petitioning early for Arms gave a strong indicator that allowed us to stand out.

Fellowship

The Guild of Public Relations Practitioners (GPRP) were established a year before us and it looked like they would be the next full livery company. However, they encountered some unforeseen obstacles and were thwarted. Whilst I was Master of the CoSP I was attending the Mansion House and the Master and Clerk of the GPRP at that time invited me to become a member and help them work towards company status. After my Master’s year (CoSP) I went over to the GPRP as a member and became the Master of the Guild. My aim was to help them attain Company status as quickly as possible. On our journey as the Guild of Security Professionals we had created a ‘Guild in a Box’ concept which outlined all the roles and responsibilities along with City protocols, good practice and behaviour. We shared everything we had learnt on our journey…it was a prime example of how we envisaged the Guild behaving within the City. We willingly passed on our experience and knowledge in the spirit of extended fellowship. The Guild of Public Relations Practitioners subsequently went on to become the Company of Public Relations Practitioners.

Chartered status

In 2009 the Security Professionals’ Company petitioned the privy council for a royal charter and Queen Elizabeth II approved an Order instructing the Lord Chancellor to affix the great seal to the Worshipful Company’s charter, which was granted in February 2010. Another of our early aims was to include the development of an apprentices scheme. This came to fruition and Apprentices have successfully graduated and become Freemen of the Company. The Young Members section, with special Membership rates to encourage younger security professionals to join a London Livery Company is a great opportunity for younger people to be exposed to the City of London and the traditions that hopefully will be carried forward by their generation as those before them have done. Which brings me to the thrust of my story. Of all the milestones and experiences from the very start of the Guild of Security Professionals, the recent acknowledgement of the people who actually started the WCoSP is the most poignant recognition in its almost 20-year history.

Founders

John Purnell – GM QPM DL served for 35 years with the Metropolitan Police in numerous posts across the Greater London area and worked on secondment to the Home Office (HM Inspectorate of Constabulary). He retired in 1998 as Deputy Assistant Commissioner commanding north-west London. After his police career he spent eight years until 2006 as the Global Security Director of Tesco plc. While he was at Tesco and a year after retiring from the police the registration of the Guild of Security Professionals ensued. Steve Neville OBE was a well-known security professional who was Sales Director of Sensormatic and Managing Director of Aritech UK at the time but had worked with the legendry Dennis Smith, founder of Modern Alarms (now ADT) in his early days in the security industry. Past Masters Emeriti John Purnell and Steve Neville, who first registered the Guild at Guildhall in 1999, were honoured as the two Co-Founders and made Honorary Liverymen at the Annual Founders’ Service and Supper. The service was held at the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula at HM Tower of London, in February, and supper afterwards was at Watermen’s Hall. This recognition was the quest of one man – Richard Monk CMG OBE QPM, former UN Police Commissioner, Principal Founder Member of the WCoSP and former Chairman for the Charitable Trust.

I caught up with John Purnell and Steve Neville after this special occasion to get their thoughts. John Purnell said: ‘I feel greatly honoured that the Company should have recognised us in this way and sincerely thank all those who supported the nominations and made it happen, especially Richard Monk. The wonderful service at the Tower, followed by an excellent meal at Watermen’s Hall was a memorable occasion. It was arranged to perfection by the Clerk and overseen with distinction by The Master. The Company has come such a long way since we founded it and I feel proud of what all its members have achieved. Through their efforts the Company has become recognised as one of the most dynamic and respected Livery Companies in the City. Long may it continue to thrive.’

I then turned to Steve Neville who said: “The ceremony at The Tower of London was not just a great honour for John and I. It was a symbolic return to our roots and the place that we always intended to be the very heart of our Worshipful Company. There is no greater symbol of what represents the core of our country and our profession and that is exactly what we intended when we first applied to the Governor of The Tower of London for the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula to become our spiritual home. Dinner at Watermen’s Hall was also a poignant reminder to me of our beginnings. The Company of Watermen and Lightermen is my Mother Company and it is from here that the idea of a Livery Company for our profession was conceived. Without the drive and enthusiasm of John it would have remained just an idea. Through John’s efforts and many other senior security professionals whom he inspired with the idea of creating own piece of history, his inspiration and strategy plan enabled us to convince the City to recognise the worth and value of the wider world of security as a profession and an equal to that of the many other Livery professions. It was from Watermen’s Hall that we also launched our fund-raising initiative dinners and introduced our early members to the world of Livery. To see the hall filled with so many members with their partners celebrating dinner with us, was another touching moment and I thank The Master and our Clerk for organising the evening.”

Steve is right; we used to always celebrate our Christmas at Watermans in the early years and it was so special. It was like a Georgian assembly straight off an old-fashioned Christmas card with the carollers singing and the fine wine, good food and excellent company. It always signalled the start of Christmas. Steve went on to say: “Like John, I would like to thank Richard Monk who has been with us on our journey since the very first Court meeting and who was so influential in ensuring that only capable and self-driven early Court Officers were appointed. Nineteen years on and Richard is still attending Court and is respected and admired by all who know him as one of our Worshipful Company elders and mentors. Our Worshipful Company is still in its infancy and having achieved so much, is destined to achieve so much more. The current Court reflects the diversity of our profession with a solid mixture of senior, successful people from manufacturing, installers, heads of security, the police and the services – all working together for the greater good of our profession and for the welfare of those who are less able to look after themselves. The foundations have been laid and are solid and I am proud and honoured to have been part of the process.”

The final word goes to Richard Monk: ‘Twenty years ago, seasoned security experts all thought a closer association with one another would be of benefit and particularly one that would distinguish their proud purpose. I was one of those people, but it was John Purnell and Stephen Neville, quickly joined by Una Riley, soon to be honoured as ‘First Lady of the Company’, who turned the aspiration into a reality and attracted the commitment of contemporary professionals who have thereupon created one of the most respected City of London Livery Companies.”

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