From The Editor

Kia ora and welcome to the February-March 2022 issue of New Zealand Security Magazine! In this issue we kick the year off with our traditional Feb-Mar focus on the banking and finance sector as well as all the latest industry news.

Firstly, a big thanks to our wonderful advertisers (both print and online) who have already signed up for 2022. Quality journalism and expert commentary comes at a cost, and our advertisers play an important role by contributing to a vibrant and informed security sector through their sponsorship of the magazine.

Our gratitude for this first issue of NZSM for 2022 extends to our supporters and leading manufacturers and distributors Loktronic, Hikvision, Panasonic, Dahua and Dicker Data. We’d also like to recognise our association partners for this issue, the New Zealand Security Association, the New Zealand Institute of Private Investigators, ASIS International, Risk NZ, and the New Zealand Security Sector Network.

Inside this issue, there’s plenty of compelling reading to catch up on while you relax in the backyard, by the pool, or during a lunch break under the Summer sun. We suggest you start with our coverage of access control luminary Doug McCormick’s appointment as the NZSA’s newest life member. Congratulations to Doug on this rare accolade, and for a career of service to the security sector both in New Zealand and internationally.

In an extended article, I review the recently released report The Competence of Frontline Security Professionals and What They Say About Their Work published by the International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO) and undertaken by Perpetuity Research. The findings shed fresh light on security officer perceptions of their jobs, training, and the competence of their colleagues.

On matters of national security, counter terrorism specialist and regular NZSM contributor Dr John Battersby argues that a myopic focus on the pandemic’s impact, as well the growing social and economic fault-lines it is opening up, will generate risks in an environment in which we are less able to mitigate them.

Also among our feature articles is a great piece on the psychology of security and the challenge of navigating security as both a feeling and a reality, and understanding how the perception of the risk differs from the reality of the risk. A thought-provoking discussion that’s bound to elicit much debate.

All this, plus the latest industry and product news to get your year underway!

Lastly, from the team here at NZSM all the best for a happy, successful and rewarding 2022! Stay safe, and stay well.

Nicholas Dynon, Auckland