Cyber threats, terrorism, safer cities and exporting British security expertise – as ever, Consec 2015, the annual exhibition of the Association of Security Consultants (ASC), had plenty to offer, writes Mark Rowe.
Pictured: some of the audience, at the Marriott Heathrow, on October 15, chaired by newly-retired chief executive of the Security Industry Authority Bill Butler.
Consec has always been a place for perspective – one time of the year to hear some strategic thinking. A morning speaker that impressed the audience was Rear Admiral John Kingwell, of the Ministry of Defence’s developments, concepts and doctrine centre, who gave a ‘global security forecast to 2045’. A return speaker to Consec was Prof Peter Neumann, speaking again on Islamic State ‘and the next wave of terrorism’. Andrew Sieradzki, director of security and communications at engineering consultancy Buro-Happold, went over Building Information Modelling (BIM).
Colin Rogers of sponsors Xtralis closed the morning by going through the company’s fire, smoke, gas and intrusion detection products. Major Donald MacIntyre was the Cranfield University finalist in the Imbert award for best MSc thesis; the Army intelligence man about that masters study, ‘Developing a robust and timely incident response to cyber insider events’.
The afternoon had an overseas feel thanks to two former Met Police men; first Richard Freeman, six years with UK Trade and Industry, on exports; and Andy Williams, senior partner at consultancy TEMI Group, who lives in Turkey and described work on a ‘safe city’ project in Abu Dhabi.
As featured in the November 2015 print issue of Professional Security magazine, Mike White was selected by the ASC for the Imbert award out of four nominated by industry associations. Dr Peter Speight was put forward by ASIS UK; Mike Tennent by the Security Institute; and Prof Martin Gill by the BSIA. Among other presentations, ASC chairman Joe Connell made John Thorpe, a civil engineer and founder member of the ASC, a honorary life member; and Consec was the occasion for David Gill as a committee member of the Chartered Security Professionals Registration Authority (CPSRA) to present ASC member Aidan Anderson and newly-qualified Chartered Security Professional with his CSyP certificate.
The ASC’s next event is the winter business group on Thursday morning, November 19, at London Chamber of Commerce.
More words and pictures in the December 2015 print issue.
