The UK-based association for university chiefs of security Aucso is once again offering two exchange visits to members, thanks to sponsors CriticalArc and DTS Solutions, the critical communications software and radio product company respectively.
Those who attended the 2019 Easter annual Aucso conference at Aston University, Birmingham, heard from the 2018 participants about their visits between Dundee and Melbourne (Australia), and Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh and Emory (Georgia, USA). Pictured during a break at Aston left to right are Rus Drew of Emory University in Atlanta; and from Heriot-Watt, Hannah Booth, safeguarding project officer and Ross Ferguson, security and resilience manager. Ross and Rus went on the exchange.
All four sides taking part – the Australian link was new – acknowledged the similar challenges that all face on campus but learned about different approaches and solutions; the North American campuses typically having uniformed (and armed) police besides security guard forces. For example, the mobile CCTV vehicle in use at Monash in Melbourne enthused about at the conference may be taken up by UK campuses.
Aucso COO Bernadette Duncan said that the goal of the exchange programme is to promote education and learning about campus public safety operations, foster understanding about international student challenges and furthering the relationship between international members who may have different cultures and lifestyles. The programme is aimed at those who are looking to further their career in campus security and safety and who currently hold a position as head of security, security manager, operations manager, or similar.
For further details and the application form Aucso members should see the ‘Exchange Programme 2019’ document in the ‘Members Area-Resources-International Exchange’ folder. Applications with line manager approval must be received by Friday, May 31.
More in the June 2019 print issue of Professional Security magazine.
The first pair taking part in an exchange, Malcolm Dawson, then Security Operations Manager at the University of Leeds; and Teresa Crocker, Chief of Police at Georgia Technical Institute, Atlanta, featured in Professional Security magazine in 2013.
