Register of Chartered Security Professionals enjoys record year
James Thorpe
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For the Register of Chartered Security Professionals (CSyPs), 2020 was the year it broke all records for recruitment and engagement of CSyPs in their own Register, growing by nearly 40%.
Back in March 2020 CSyPs were fortunate to gather at Stationers Hall in the City of London for their annual formal dinner and certificate presentation to new CSyPs. Little did they think that this would be the last chance they would be meeting face to face that year and that all plans would become virtual and socially distanced activities. Fast forward to February 2021 and they can look back and see what a dynamic year the Register had despite everything and how adaptable it has become.
In July the Register welcomed Vicky Smith to support applications and the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals renewed their contract with the Security Institute for provision of agent services, including all admittances and finances in December for a further five-year period. A small Development Group led by Bob Martin CSyP, Professional Development Director for the Institute, was launched and through the Security Institute’s certification all RCSP processes achieved ISO 9001.
Worldwide interest in the gold standard
The popular pre-application CSyP workshops moved online and these interactive sessions were delivered to 199 potential CSyPs from across the world – including Australia and New Zealand, USA, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, UAE and India. Recruitment soared as a result, with the Register ending 2020 with a total of 201 Chartered Security Professionals admitted – an increase of 56 during the year. Each application has at least six individuals verifying the core competencies of security knowledge, practical application, communication, leadership skills and personal commitment.
200th Chartered Security Professional admitted
Mike Edgerton CSyP is Manager, Port Security with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Experienced in high profile maritime security project planning and implementation, the assessors had no hesitation in recommending him for admittance. When asked why he chose to apply, Mike said: “I pursued admission to the Register of Chartered Security Professionals for several reasons. Most importantly, I was drawn to the idea that the Register was intended for persons that had demonstrated strategic competence and contributed to the profession at a strategic level. I see this as being extremely important as this recognition provides an excellent platform to address big issues facing the security profession and to help drive the industry forward, globally.
“My specific industry (seaports) is inherently global by nature and I have worked internationally for much of my professional life, so I also wanted to be part of an organisation that is outwardly looking as leading practices are not necessarily the purview of any single country. Further, I was drawn to pursuing CSyP because I wanted to be critically evaluated by my peers, which has had both a humbling and reassuring effect. While I’m very proud of my other certifications (CPP and CISM) and believe they are excellent reflections of professional experience and knowledge, I wanted to be challenged by reflecting on my career as well as being critically interviewed and evaluated by other senior professionals in the field on issues affecting security management at high level.
“I intend to use my CSyP to participate in the appropriate venues that allow myself and my colleagues to address the several major challenges for the industry. Among these include the need to prepare security executives to deal with converged security challenges, where the lines between “traditional” security management and digital security are blurring, as well as the ongoing challenge of demonstrating the value of security, especially in a commercial context. This will require a new approach to security risk management at the enterprise level as well as the development of new skills for security professionals going forward and I believe that being a CSyP will position me to address these issues with my peers. Further, I am grateful to be in a group where I will be able to gain from the impressive experience and counsel of the women and men who make up the Register of Chartered Security Professionals.”
Registrar’s panel expanded
To meet the increased interest and applications the Register’s Regulatory Authority, chaired by Baroness Henig CBE DL decided to expand its Registrar’s Panel for 2021. Garry Evanson CSyP and Stuart Williams CSyP were selected and appointed to the new posts of Deputy Registrar, working alongside David Gill CSyP, the existing Registrar.
Garry is known to most members of the Security Institute as a recent Chairman and brings a wealth of experience to the Registrar’s role. He has been a CSyP interviewer since the Register was formed having been part of the original Working Group in 2010 which crafted the competencies and framework for CSyP assessment.
Garry is currently a member of the College of Westminster Abbey and is retained there as Risk and Resilience consultant, having recently retired as their Head of Emergency Planning, Risk and Security. Prior to the Abbey, Garry was Group Head of Security Operations at De La Rue plc which followed an Army career spanning 34 years.
On his appointment Garry said that he was greatly honoured to be selected and welcomed the opportunity to serve as a Registrar so that he could contribute to the professional journey of so many talented security executives, managers and practitioners whilst promoting standards and ensuring that the Register in the months and years to come would be acknowledged as the indisputable gold standard benchmark for security professionals not only in UK but worldwide.
Stuart has long been an advocate for professionalising the industry, joining the Security Institute in the early 2000s and the Register of Chartered Security Professionals soon after its inception. Stuart is also a member of the Institute’s Validation Board, a keen supporter of the Built Environment Special Interest Group and while living in Abu Dhabi, helped both organisations to grow their presence in the Middle East region.
Stuart has recently taken the opportunity to establish his own security risk consultancy company, with a focus on providing subject matter expertise to built environment projects. Prior to this new venture, Stuart enjoyed a commercial consultancy career spanning 16 years, working in senior roles for several renowned strategic security and engineering companies. This followed a 17-year career in the British Army, where he worked almost exclusively in the intelligence and security fields.
Stuart was delighted to be selected for the role as a Registrar, which will enable him to further contribute to the professionalism of the industry. He will greatly miss the role as an assessor but is looking forward to being at the heart of the diverse career journeys of our candidates and working alongside such highly respected industry professionals.
Thanks to David, Garry and Stuart and the growing team of document and interview assessors, the Register is in a strong position to manage the increased demand for certification in 2021.