Celebrating excellence in the security industry

There exist a number of vehicles for celebrating excellence in the security industry, but to get the most out of these initiatives it’s important that we get behind them.

Nick has written for NZSM since 2013. He writes on all things security, but is particularly fascinated with the fault lines between security and privacy, and between individual, enterprise and national security.

Prior to NZSM he clocked up over 20 years experience in various border security and military roles.

The security industry is, arguably, the unsung hero of public safety, law enforcement and emergency response. It is perhaps the ultimately incalculable and under-the-radar nature of the contribution that our industry makes to the safety and security of New Zealand that makes us the more frequent subject of bad press rather than good news.

In October last year I wrote a research paper for the National Security Journal in which I argued that New Zealand’s private security industry constitutes a potential national security enabler.

“The sector contributes to the security of New Zealanders in the various roles it performs for public and private sector clients, and it does so successfully despite issues around pay, skills and standards,” I wrote. “Security guards are more voluminous and ubiquitous than beat police and they effect surveillance and public order functions in most of the places where members of the public choose to congregate.”

Much maligned and relegated to the near bottom of the pay grade food chain, security officers in particular receive wide plaudits for the critical service they perform in waves of deafening silence.

In the ‘new normal’ of the postCovid era, however, it appears that the traditionally shunned security guard is receiving a little more attention than usual.

In his May report, the Chair of the New Zealand Security Association’s (NZSA) Training and Professional Development Special Interest Group Andy Gollings wrote that the security industry “has stepped up to protect critical infrastructure and provide screening and access control for retirement villages, hospitals and even supermarkets. In doing so a large number of them have worn their heart on their sleeve and made a real difference to the people they serve.”

“In an industry that at times struggles to be valued by the public, a number of staff have demonstrated real value and this has been appreciated by the public.”

In recent weeks, the NZSA has looked to harness these new levels of appreciation by instituting its weekly Covid-19 Guardian Awards that recognise the efforts of security personnel during the pandemic response period.

With some positive light being shone on the industry, it’s an opportune time to identify what vehicles exist to celebrate professionalism, excellence, and people going above and beyond to do good things in security.

New Zealand Security Awards This is New Zealand’s premier annual awards event for practitioners and providers within the physical security sector. As the NZSA website says, these awards “recognise excellence and outstanding service delivery provided by those who work within the security industry.”

Nominations are now open for this year’s awards, and there’s plenty of coverage on this important industry event throughout this issue of NZSM.

ASIAL Awards for Excellence Organised by the Australian Security Industry Association Limited (ASIAL), the Australian Security Industry Awards for Excellence are Australia’s premier security awards program.

Now in their 25th year, the Awards for Excellence are celebrated at an annual awards ceremony alongside the Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) and Australian Security Medals.

Any individual or company working in Australia’s security industry can be nominated in one of several categories, including Gender Diversity, Indigenous Employment, Individual Achievement - Technical Security, Integrated Security Solution <$100,000, Integrated Security Solution >$100,000, Electronic Security Installation <$100,000, Electronic Security Installation

>$100,000, Access Control Product of the Year, Alarm Product of the Year, CCTV Camera Product of the Year, CCTV IP System/Solution Product of the Year, Physical Security Product of the Year, and Security Equipment Manufacturer/ Distributor.

Nominations for this year’s awards opened on 2 March and close on 24 August with the winners announced at an Awards Dinner in Sydney on 22 October. To submit a nomination, visit the ASIAL website www.asial. com.au

Outstanding Security Performance Awards Less well known here than the NZSA and ASIAL hosted awards are the Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs).

In 2014, research outfit Perpetuity Research undertook a project to examine the factors that contribute to outstanding performance in the security field. Despite there being an abundance of research on business excellence, there existed a scarcity of research focusing specifically on the security sector.

Perpetuity’s research suggested that a key way of improving security performance is to change perceptions of security at the highest levels within organisations and amongst key stakeholders. From this and other findings, the idea for the OSPAs was born.

The first OSPAs were held in Norway in 2015, and since then they’ve spread to Germany, Australia, Romania, the USA, the UK, Ghana and Nigeria. Consequentially, the awards are fast becoming an international awards benchmark for security.

This year, the 6th annual Australian OSPAs (which coincide with the ASIAL Awards), includes the following categories: Outstanding In-House Security Manager/Director, Outstanding Contract Security Manager/Director, Outstanding Security Team, Outstanding Guarding Company, Outstanding Security Consultant, Outstanding Security Training Initiative, Outstanding Security Partnership, Outstanding Female Security Professional.

Although yet to make its way to New Zealand, there have been discussions between OSPAs founder Professor Martin Gill and immediate past ASIS NZ Chair Andrew Thorburn, and a potential local iteration is the topic of ongoing consultation among participants of the New Zealand Security Sector Network (NZSSN). According to Andrew, “it’s about recognising the unrecognised.”

Australian Security Medals To recognise acts of valour and excellence in security professionalism and to change perceptions of the security industry across the Tasman, a group of senior security managers created the Australian Security Medal Foundation (ASMF).

Each year, the ASMF will award two categories of medal: the Australian Security Medal of Valour (ASMV), recognising acts of bravery and initiative; and the Australian Security Medal (ASM), recognising contribution to security professionalism and outstanding citizenship, positive leadership, insights or influence at a strategic management level.

The ASVM is awarded to recognise security operatives for an outstanding act or acts of valour, which is defined as “exceptional courage in the face of danger, i.e. usually involving real and impending threat to life that may be avoided by most others.”

The ASM is awarded to recognise those who have demonstrated a consistent, high-level contribution to the wider community, possibly via innovative non-core business activities and projects, or via extraordinary performance in their professional role(s).

Now in its 9th year, the awarding of the Australian Security Medals coincides with the ASIAL awards.

iSANZ Awards The iSANZ awards recognise excellence in New Zealand’s information security and cyber security industry. Nominations in relation to any New Zealanders or New Zealand-based individual or organisation doing interesting or innovative things with Infosec are encouraged by emailing nominations@isanz.org.nz, although information about this year’s awards is yet to be posted online.

Award categories in 2019 included Best Security Project/Initiative; Best Security Awareness Campaign; Best Security Company of the Year; Up-and-coming Cybersecurity Star; and Best Start-Up or New Business.

Each year the iSANZ Awards also honour a person, event or company that has made a significant contribution to the wider information security community in a special nominated Hall of Fame Award.

According to iSANZ Chair Kendra Ross, the awards “are a way of shining a light on these important and often silent but significant infoSec efforts, giving the work and people involved the thanks and recognition they deserve.”

IFSEC Global IFSEC Global Influencers Security & Fire 2020 nominations close on 3rd June, so unfortunately too late for readers of NZSM’s June print edition. Among the programme’s 24 member, 11-country judging panel is Aucklandbased Jason Cherrington, CEO of Optic Security Group.

Global Influencers recognises ‘influencers’ in the following categories: manufacturers, vendors, installers, and integrators; end users (such as security managers); association figures, academics and thought leaders; security executives; cyber security professionals and thought leaders; and a security “one to watch” category targeting industry up-and-comers.

International Security Officers’ Day In 2016 members of the security industry in Singapore established a national day of recognition for security officers who contribute to the security, welfare and safety of the people of Singapore and its businesses.

A multi-country project has subsequently been established to develop an annual United Nations endorsed international day of recognition for security officers with the rather apt date of 24th July, or 24/7.

Several national and international associations such as Security Professionals Australasia, NZSA, ASIAL, the Security Institute, ASIS International, ISACA and others have endorsed the idea.

In New Zealand, the NZSA is leading the charge and encouraging its members to get behind the initiative by making special International Security Officers’ Day (ISOD) celebratory badges available for purchase (refer to NZSA CEO update featured in this issue of NZSM). 24/7 is also the date the NZSA has chosen to announce the finalists of the New Zealand Security Industry Awards.

There’s no sign yet of the UN endorsing the idea, but it seems like a great initiative that is well worth getting behind and seeking acknowledgement of well beyond the security industry.

In conclusion, if we are to accept Perpetuity Research’s findings that a key way of improving security performance is to change perceptions of security at the highest levels within organisations and amongst key stakeholders, then getting behind the types of awards and recognition initiatives listed in this article makes plain good sense.

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