Background

The security profession (defined as those security professionals who provide advice to senior managers either as in-house security advisors, security managers or external security consultants) is a critical group which supports the protection of businesses, government agencies and the community.

Unfortunately it is a group which has not been able to contribute its full potential to the nation’s security and safety primarily due to the fact that there is no clear understanding of the security profession, and there is no common voice, partly because of the disparate origins of members of the profession. This problem is compounded by the fragmentation within the security profession, lack of relevant qualifications and accreditation, and regulatory confusion between it and the much broader security industry (which includes providers of guards, equipment installers and vendors).

Over the last few years there has been increased discussion at meetings, conferences and seminars on the need to define and promote the professional end of the security services continuum. To assist this discussion, a Security Professionals’ Congress was held in Melbourne in May 2007 and 2008. The Congress was attended by approximately 150 and 80 delegates representing all aspects of the security profession including: in-house security managers (from the public and private sectors), consultants, ITC specialists, physical security consultants, security engineers, procedural specialists, facility managers, risk managers, emergency managers, business continuity consultants, academics and educationalists.

Organisations participating in the Congress were:

• ASIS International -  ACT, Victoria, NSW & New Zealand Chapters
• Australian Homeland Security Research Centre
• Australian Information Security Association
• Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers
• Engineers Australia
• Information Systems Security Australia
• Institute of Security Executives
• International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators - Australian Chapter
• Risk Management Institution of Australia
• SECIA
• Victorian Security Institute

The Congress was based on a series of presentations by senior security professionals and six workshops where delegates were required to review specific topics related to defining and promoting the security profession and to make recommendations on the way ahead.   The main concerns identified during the Congress were:

1. Professional standards for practice
2. Qualifications and training
3. Registration system based on competence
4. Status and recognition
5. Accountability based on a code of ethics
6. Commonality and standards across security professional specialisations

It was of interest to note that three common themes emerged from all workshops:

• A requirement to formalise qualifications, certifications and professional recognition.
• The need to alter the perception of the security profession.  This was portrayed as differentiating between the security profession and the security industry which provides important services and products, and contains very professional members, but is not the security profession.
• The need to establish a peak body for the security profession.  It was recognised that a peak body should provide the forum to address the other two key issues.

On the day prior to the Congress there was a meeting of Professional Associations representing security professionals.  Twelve Associations attended.  The Associations represented Australian-based and international organisations and there were representatives from New Zealand.  This was the first such meeting. The Australian Homeland Security Research Centre (AHSRC) partially funded the attendance of these groups to the meeting.

The key topic of the Professional Association’s meeting was the ability to work together to promote the security profession.  It was recognised that no one body represented the needs of all security professionals or speaks on behalf of the broader profession.  A recommendation from the meeting was the investigation of the feasibility of establishing a peak body.

The Australian Homeland Security Research Centre (AHSRC) organised, coordinated and hosted the 2007 and 2008 Congreses and the meeting of Associations in May. It paid for the accommodation of key representatives of the security professionals to engage them in the activity. The AHSRC has stated that it is not interested in becoming the peak group; however, it strongly supports enhancing the security profession to ensure it makes a greater contribution to national security and community safety.  D. S. Williams CPP coordinated the Congress program and mediated the Congress; he is a very active security professional and member of a number of security associations who has volunteered to lead this project as he is committed to maintaining the momentum to develop the security profession.

In May 2008, the members of the Security Professionals' Taskforce were elected.