Edward Macfarlane, Managing Director at Cordant Security discusses shrinkage in his first article for Infologue.com. Edward writes: "One of the key challenges for the security industry is to protect clients from “inside jobs” also known as “shrinkage”. While this is mostly petty theft, employee theft is a constant issue in our line of work and it costs the retail industry in particular, millions of pounds every year. "The reason why internal theft is such a challenge is because staff have knowledge of their workplace and gain familiarity with how security systems work including ...

David Ward of Ward Security looks at the advantages, and challenges, of a multicultural, non-gender specific workforce in the security industry. "The security industry has worked long and hard at shaking off long-held conceptions which, let’s be honest, have their basis in a historic reality of what the industry once was. However, many people still have yet to be educated as to the form and nature of the modern industry, and so our collective challenge is now to shake of the misconceptions that many people have. "We need to look back at our history and recognise how the industry once w...

Peter Webster, chief executive of Corps Security, a regular Infologue.com blogger, discusses public sector contracts. He writes: "As regular readers of my blogs will know, the way that central government contracts are allocated, awarded and serviced has, for a long time, been a cause of deep concern for me. The situation can be summed up quite simply – small contracts go to small organisations, while major contracts usually go to one single industry behemoth. The one thing that should have been learned from several well publicised major contract failures was that putting all the eggs in o...

Lynda Moore, a Partner in the Consultancy, FM Contract Watch writes for Infologue.com about selecting a security contractor. Lynda writes: “When it is time to choose your new Security Company to protect your premises, staff and members of the public, the choice of contractor is vast. It is estimated that there are approximately 2,000 contract security companies currently trading in the United Kingdom, so how do you know which one will be the best to fulfil your security needs? As of the 30th June 2015, there were 798 companies holding Security Industry Authority Approved Contractor Status...

Peter Webster, chief executive of Corps Security, a regular Infologue.com blogger, discusses the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme. He writes: "When the Police Reform Act 2002 came into effect, many of us focused on its creation of police community support officers (PCSOs). The fact that it also introduced the ability for chief constables to confer a limited range of police powers on other individuals as part of the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) often slipped under the radar. 13 years later this legislation is starting to affect the security industry and the pros and cons...

David Ward of Ward Security looks at the advantages of closer working between manned and cyber security. "In the never-ending search for potential areas of business growth, are we missing a clear opportunity within our own industry? "In the modern business world, the word ‘security’ tends to be viewed as a double-sided coin with physical security on one side, and cyber security on the other. Organisations will understand only too well that they need to take each side of the coin seriously, but are these two disciplines working closely enough to deliver best value for the marketplace?...

In his latest blog for Infologue.com, Chris Cully, Managing Director for Dilitas Ltd discusses modern Policing. Chris writes, "With the news that some police organisations are only going to investigate burglaries committed on the side of the street where the even numbers are located, the ever-increasing speed of demise of the UK police hit an all time low. "The scheme, which must rank as the most ridiculous idea in the history of policing world-wide, is now being considered by some five other counties, after it was said the even number scheme had no impact on crime rates or public satisfa...

Lynda Moore, a Partner in the Consultancy, FM Contract Watch writes for Infologue.com about personality profiling. Lynda writes: “What type of person do you think makes the ideal security officer? What is the personality of the person at the desk you say goodnight to as you leave your office block? Is he a similar type of person to the man patrolling the building site down the road at 2am with his guard dog? "We have carried out some extensive research with the aim to help recruitment in the security industry which has traditionally had a high staff turnover; the role of security officer...

David Ward of Ward Security looks at the (home grown) elephant in the room that is threatening the future health and development of the security industry. David Writes: "The security industry can – and should – be extremely proud of what it has achieved in recent decades. It has matured to become an industry that, on closer scrutiny, bears little resemblance to what it was only a few decades ago (even if clients and the general public don’t always recognise the full extent of the change). It has evolved according to changing market conditions to ensure it delivers a superior, all-enco...

Peter Webster, chief executive of Corps Security, a regular Infologue.com blogger, discusses the National Living Wage. He writes: "When the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, gave his budget to parliament on the 8th July, I’m sure I wasn't the only one to be caught off-guard by his announcement of a £7.20 an hour National Living Wage for those aged over 25 from next year, rising to £9 by 2020. Although much of the other content was pretty predictable, this pronouncement really did catch people by surprise – something highlighted by the Labour front bench’s collective expr...