Una Riley our USA correspondent heads north of the border to celebrate what is happening in Scotland, to kick off 2017.
What better place to start the New Year than Scotland? I recently caught up with Baroness Ruth Henig prior to Christmas and discovered that she is very much involved with SecuriGroup, a Scottish-based company that also operates across the country and Northern Ireland. I wanted to know more and asked what made her choose this particular company to become involved with after leaving the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Baroness Henig replied: “I first heard about SecuriGroup when I was at the SIA and they (SecuriGroup) were chosen as the ACS company of the year at the Security Excellence Awards. Their vision of the importance of the work of security personnel in protecting the public, and operating to the highest possible standards struck a strong chord with me and I was further impressed when I met with the Managing Director, Russel Kerr, shortly afterwards. When I left the SIA in 2013 I wanted to continue my involvement with the private security sector and was delighted to join SecuriGroup as one of their non-executive directors, helping to expand the business south of the border and particularly in London. At the 2015 Security Excellence Awards, the company was voted the best events company of the year, having played a big role in securing both the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, and in April of this year I succeeded the former Scottish police chief, John Malcolm, as the non-executive chair of the company.”
We talked about the evolving role of a private security company and the expansion of duties once done by the police at huge events and crowd control. Baroness Henig said: “The private security sector is protecting increasingly more public spaces, such as big shopping centres and sports venues, as well as business parks and vulnerable premises. With policing numbers continuing to fall, the role of private security has never been more important for public safety, and therefore it is vital that buyers of security choose companies which provide a high-quality service, with well-trained and resourceful security staff and responsive managers. Of course, buyers want to drive down costs, but there is a balance to be struck between cost and quality. The public will not be well served by cheap security offers which are unable to secure their safety in a crisis.
“I know that SecuriGroup is valued by its customers for the high quality of its services and for its smart, resilient, and ever attentive staff. I really enjoy working within such an environment and witnessing the values that the SIA brought to bear being practically implemented.” She went on to talk about the industry heavyweights on the SecuriGroup board, such as Russel Kerr, a member of the Security Institute and chair of BSIA (British Security Industry Association) for Scotland; the former Assistant Chief Constable and National Head of Counter Terrorism, Allan Burnett QPM, playing a lead role as adviser on security and counter-terrorism strategies; and John LS Malcolm QPM as Director of Operations. Not forgetting Ruth Henig this forms quite an impressive line-up! Baroness Henig explained that their liaison with agency partners and connections within the sector benefits both the internal and external customer. I asked what have been the positive achievements in 2016 and what is the strategy for 2017. After a thoughtful pause she said: “The success of our commitment to sustainable growth, achieving a 20 per cent annual growth rate over the course of the past five years and a £30m turnover. Expanding our portfolio further and exploring new opportunities throughout the UK. We are fully prepared to continue this great success in 2017. In an increasingly competitive industry, there is a greater focus on the additional value and expertise that companies can offer. To ensure we present the most attractive offer, SecuriGroup provides clients with a fully tailored service, based on their specific requirements. For example, in 2016, we saw a gap in the market for a company that could truly reflect the expertise and talents of senior personnel through their front-line services, with delivery and support managed by a dedicated communications team. This department, consisting of talented graduates – with degrees from English to computer game design, was tasked with managing the way we build relationships between our staff and our clients. The team has now become an invaluable tool in how we train and communicate with our staff, and deliver ongoing updates, initiatives, and real-time information to our clients. This talented and innovative young team ensure that SecuriGroup remains at the forefront in terms of the services we market to clients.
“SecuriGroup recognises the invaluable skills that graduates bring to the company. Moving into 2017, we intend to expand our graduate scheme and focus on attracting new people into the security industry. We also have directors as we have discussed who are experts in areas such as counter-terrorism and big events security and who are able to work closely and effectively with the police and with local authorities and public bodies.”
Talking of events, I was due to attend a charity event in Dunoon, on the beautiful Cowal Peninsula. I asked her if the company got involved in charitable endeavours. Baroness Henig said: “Through our partnerships with several local authorities and charities, we help to create a safer environment for all. Recognising the difference, we can make as a large employer to people’s lives is important. We collaborate with several back-to-work schemes including former veterans’ organisations and Job Centres, as well as providing training for people through our in-house training company, helping prepare them for the world of work. SecuriGroup was the sole stewarding and security provider to the 2016 Homeless World Cup (HWC), held in Glasgow’s George Square in July 2016. The HWC strives to change lives through football, bringing together homeless people from over 70 countries. Our contribution was to provide management time free and only charge at cost. We are also a Barnardo’s stakeholder, and we are proud to work with the charity to provide effective and useful training to staff to inform policies. Both Allan Burnett QPM and I sit on the board of Business Emergency Resilience Group (BERG), a Prince’s Trust charity which shares best practice to businesses and communities.”
Baroness Henig went on to discuss other areas of charity that SecuriGroup are involved in via their collaboration with universities, sponsorship of initiatives by the police, sponsoring industry schemes such as Best Bar None and their active online presence, sharing and distributing best practice, and supporting the values of the SIA. Whilst talking about charity I explained about the event I was attending and the story of four ladies of Dunoon who had organised the charity ‘red-carpet’ viewing of the film – Scottish Mussel. The money raised was in support of the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The film had been shot in Dunoon and Glasgow and was about the threat to Scottish wildlife. I mentioned to Baroness Henig that we required a guard to help the night run smoothly and SecuriGroup offered to provide us with just the right person. On the night, we met with Florence Witherow who joined SecuriGroup in May 2015. Witherow is a member of the operations team and a project manager. I took the opportunity to have a quick word and discovered that she was from Dunoon and knew it well although she no longer lives there. Her life as a project manager is amazingly varied. There is no such thing as a normal day; for example she can spend a week organising, planning, and working at a major event in Liverpool, then contacting staff to support the recruitment process the next. However, it is not only her management experience but her ability on the front line, that enables her to fully appreciate the challenges security staff may face daily from a huge event to much smaller events such as the Scottish Mussel screening. It was evident that she was used to taking control and organising because after our little chat she excused herself and was on top of dealing with the people arriving, greeting them, checking their tickets, directing them to their seats and providing a huge welcoming smile; we just left it all to Florence and the event ran as smooth as silk. At the end of the night we had managed to raise hundreds of pounds to donate to the Scottish Wildlife Trust, thanks to the contributions from Bulldog Films, The Cedars Guest House, and the Studio Cinema in Dunoon and of course SecuriGroup.
Happy Hogmanay to everyone.
Una’s also been speaking to a past Women in Security winner, to get an update from her; Bonnie Butlin, pictured.
She works as Program Officer for Public Safety Canada. She won her Professional Security Women in Security (WiS) category in 2015 because of her involvement within the wider world of security. Butlin is one of the ever-growing international recipients of this award. Her spectrum of unpaid activities within the world of security enabled her to be considered for the award and it hasn’t stopped there. Butlin has led creative initiatives to develop trusted networks for practitioners and organisations in Canada and worldwide for women, covering the private and public sectors of the security profession. Butlin’s attributes are being recognised outside the security profession including most recently an entry in the Canadian ‘Who’s Who’. I caught up with her to congratulate her and ask how she felt about this latest accolade. She said: “It is a tremendous honour to have been named to the Canadian Who’s Who List for 2017. Not only does this honour provide me with a sense of deep personal pride and accomplishment, but it also marks a very important milestone for me in terms of my career development. Having been named to the Canadian Who’s Who List (based on merit-based accomplishments from a variety of sectors across Canada including business, academia, politics, sports, the arts, and sciences), is for me a strong affirmation that my efforts and those of my colleagues have not been without success or effect. This valued recognition, building on previous awards and accolades such as the highly prestigious Professional Security – Women in Security award, is evidence of the dedication of and progress made by the security professionals whom I have been deeply inspired by within a rapidly changing and increasingly challenging global landscape. I look forward to our future growth and successes within the security field in the months and years to come.” People in the Canadian Who’s Who are chosen on merit. Often people are included when they have won major awards from their business or arts community, or hold a high position in government, charity, commerce, or another area of endeavour.
For entering the 2017 awards, keep and eye on the https://professionalsecurity.co.uk/wis/ website.
