ADVICE & OPINION
COMMENT
SECURING THE FUTURE
For over 40 years, the National Security
Inspectorate (NSI) has helped protect
organisations by providing robust, high quality,
independent audits of security and fire safety
service providers. During that time, we have
witnessed the rapid advance of technology
delivering cost savings, improving reliability
and enhancing safety. Increasing sophistication
with features such as ANPR (automatic number
plate recognition) and video analytics delivering
far more value in security terms than was ever
imagined even a decade ago.
With ever-evolving technology solutions, a key
consideration for any purchaser is confidence in
companies chosen to deliver security and fire safety
services as working to the highest standards.
STANDARDS EXPLAINED
Standards provide a benchmark for sound working
practice. In the security and fire safety sectors
recognised UK standards govern a range of security
systems installation, alarm receiving centres - which
can monitor both fire and/or security alarms and
guarding services. The standards for the fire and
security services themselves are of course important,
as is the corporate management framework, i.e.
how the business itself is managed, including
its technology footprint. These include quality,
environmental, and health and safety management
systems which are all subject to standards; ISO 9001
being the most widely known. Working to these
standards is playing a fundamental role in raising
the levels of professionalism in the security sector,
particularly in the context of the evolving use of
technology.
Formally recognised standards are an integral part
14 FEBRUARY 2019
of raising the levels of professionalism - if e ectively
implemented. Ongoing verification of compliance
through independent, competent auditing
and assessment ensures service providers can
demonstrate their professionalism to both clients
and the community at large.
Certification bodies such as NSI, play a key role in
ensuring adherence to standards by providers, and
in feeding back to standards bodies to help ensure
adherence to standards and revisions is readily
demonstrable. When it comes to new technologies
those standards are equally important, not least
because of the risk of cyber breach and the use and
storage of data.
BODY WORN VIDEO: A CASE IN POINT
Body worn video cameras (BWV) have become an
everyday tool in protecting people who work in
public spaces. Although ambulance crews, train sta
teams and the Police have been the most high profile
examples, adoption by private security companies
has also been rapid. Their deployment to capture
evidence, increasing accountability for the benefit of
all parties, as well as being a deterrent for anti-social
and violent behaviour is widely understood. Some
devices feature a reverse screen that acts as a mirror.
Should a member of the public become aggressive,
o en seeing their actions projected on screen can be
su icient to di use a situation.
A Cambridge University study reviewed 1.5 million
beat hours across more than 4,000 shi s by Police
o icers in the UK and California. It concluded that
wearing BWV reduced complaints against o icers by
93 per cent.
In 2014 the Surveillance Camera Commissioner
stated that BWV should be used proportionately,
transparently and e ectively. In response to
increasing deployment in 2017 the British Standard
BS 8593 was published, a code of practice for the
deployment and use of BWV.
Uniquely the standard is applicable to BWV users
and system owners, as well as suppliers, taking in to
account how data, both visual and audio, is captured,
reviewed and stored.
NSI is currently piloting a new scheme with a public
sector organisation to ensure that the standards
for new technology, in this instance BWV, are
represented in the portfolio of approval schemes.
Best practice for BWV deployment
» Understand if the deployment of BWV is
appropriate. It is important to deploy BWV where it
is useful to gather surveillance footage as potential
evidence, or as a deterrent to aggression. It is not
su icient for higher risk roles where a lone worker
device would be more appropriate.
» Choose a camera that is approved to BS 8593. There
is a wide range of devices available both in terms
of functionality and price. As a minimum, selection
criteria should always include meeting the British
Standard.
» Consider storage and retrieval of footage and
network security. Deployment scenarios should
include an assessment of how the recording and
storage and use of data could occur. Levels of
sophistication range from local data transfer, to
local and remote, live and near live, transfer to alarm
receiving/monitoring centres.
» Provide adequate training for operatives on the
use of BWV for data capture. Key user understanding
should include ensuring members of the public are
aware they are being filmed, knowing when BWV is and
is not to be activated, and how to minimise erroneous
activations.
» In viewing and reviewing BWV recorded footage,
consider if individuals undertaking this activity require
an SIA license to perform the task in line with the
Private Security Act 2001.
WHY CHOOSE AN INDEPENDENTLY APPROVED
CONTRACTOR?
Independently assessed organisations awarded a
Certificate of Approval provide consumers with a
means of checking competence. In a demand-driven
market consumers seeking proof of competence as
part of their selection criteria, can shortlist suppliers
holding the appropriate Certificate of Approval, i.e.
meeting required standards.
The main reason for choosing an organisation
holding certification is the confidence of knowing
it has been audited by an independent third party
certification body and found to be compliant.
Here are two key aspects that should be considered
as part of the supplier selection process:
1) Check the suppliers’ Certificates of Approval.
Are they valid? Are they issued by a UKAS (UK
Accreditation Service) accredited body? You
can learn more about UKAS at www.youtube.
com/watch?v=gBQV2A-M45c. Certification
by an independent body is a much stronger
endorsement of competence than selfcertification
some organisations profess.
2) Check the Certificate of Approval is directly
relevant to the products and services being
sourced, and not insu icient or misleading. If
necessary check directly with the issuing Body
what the certificate is for.
To find NSI approved companies o ering a wide
range of security and fire safety services search “Find
a Company” at www.nsi.org.uk . Keep up to date with
the latest developments on the new body worn video
approval by following us on Twitter: @NSI_Approved.
Richard -enkins, Chief (xecutive at security certifi cation body
1SI explains why competence and good practice standards
will help safeguard the future of the security industry
/www.nsi.org.uk