Counterfeiting along with copyright infringements, is big business, it is extremely lucrative for criminals, the EU alone estimates an annual cost of €50 billion. It takes place across sectors, it is international and perhaps most worryingly it is driven by demand. Of course, it is illegal, more specifically it is used to fund organised crime; it supports child exploitation; it can create serious threats to heath for example by containing poisonous substitutes in drink and food or in say medicines lacking active ingredients; and it results in fraudulent product warranty claims. Moreover, it undermines legitimate business; generates the potential for considerable reputational damage and deprives Governments of tax revenues. This webinar will explore:

The dangers posed by counterfeiting (and copyright infringements)
The loopholes that make it attractive for offenders
The limits of current prevention approaches and what we do next

Panellists:
Euan Grant – Customs, Tax & Border Control Consultant at Grant & Gutsell Consultants
Sanjay Kaushik – Managing Director Netrika Consulting India Pvt ltd
Kieron Sharp – Chief Executive at FACT

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2021/05/21/the-phenomenal-challenge-posed-by-counterfeiting-what-are-we-going-to-do/

Sign up to the Security & Risk Thought Leadership Newsletter and Event Updates

We don’t always recognise the plight of victims; we rectify that in this webinar. We speak to two victims of duped into transferring money into a fraudster’s account. How did it happen? Victims of financial crimes are often looked upon differently in that they typically receive less post incident support. They have traditionally been viewed as less deserving because they are often seen to have contributed to their own victimisation, and anyway offences are seen as much less serious when they are non-violent. Yet research is changing that perception. Some victims who lose financially suffer emotional issues; it can impact seriously on their mental health. In the more extreme cases victims contemplate suicide. The sense of intrusion, fear of repeat offences, coping with the dent to finances suggest this is an area where more thought and action is needed. The panel will include a financial crime victim. The topics discussed will cover:

- What are the range of problems victims of financial crime face?
- What support is available and is it sufficient?
- What improvements need to be made and how?

Panellists:
Neil Postins – Service Delivery Manager at National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit (UK)
S – Fraud Victim
C – Fraud Victim

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2021/05/19/the-victims-story-what-is-it-like-to-be-a-victim-of-financial-crime-and-how-might-we-better-respond/

Sign up to the Security & Risk Thought Leadership Newsletter and Event Updates

There has long been a debate about the relative status of different personnel responsible for different parts of security. This is crystallised in discussions about the relative influence of cyber/information security leads against physical security leads. Put simply some argue that cyber risks are prominent on the corporate risk agenda and that places the CISO in a more elevated position, while others note that all physical measures are cyber now too and the human factor is central to all corporate security weaknesses and opportunities to improve resilience. So what type of skills set are more crucial in a post pandemic society? What would be good advice to an inspiring security careerist, aim to be a CISO or CSO? Perhaps both skill domains are les important than just being business savvy? How, if at all has the pandemic changed things? This webinar will discuss:

The diverging and converging role of the CISO and CSO
The best career path advice for an aspiring security leader
The preferred characteristics of a security leader in a post pandemic world

Panellists:
Mike Hughes – ISACA Central UK Chapter
Col Inderjeet Singh – Cyber Security Association of India (CSAI)
Dave Tyson – Apollo Information Systems

Cyber OSPAs: https://www.thecyberospas.com/

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2021/05/14/the-cso-or-the-ciso-which-is-best-placed-in-the-corporate-hierarchy/

Sign up to the Security & Risk Thought Leadership Newsletter and Event Updates

In the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, many countries operate mandatory reporting requirements for suspicious activity or transactions (known as SARs or STRs) which are identified by certain institutions in the regulated sector. The value of these reports is extensive, resulting in databases with a rich source of financial intelligence available to law enforcement. This intelligence may lead to the identification of serious offenders; provide an opportunity to stop current or potential criminal activities; uncover contact details and aliases; expose criminal methods; as well as providing intelligence that leads to a great understanding of criminality in countries. However, there is a cost to such compliance and some organisations feel they are already over- and heavily-regulated. This can lead to the overreporting to mitigate against risk, undermining the whole anti-money laundering scheme. Given the changing economic and financial climates and rise in new crime methods, is it time to revisit the reporting of suspicious activities?This webinar will discuss:

The potential benefits of SARs/STRs and what such intelligence could lead to
The practical reality of operating SARs/STRs and whether the cost outweighs these benefits
What changes could be made to these reporting requirements to make them more effective and applicable to current global economic circumstances

Panellists:
Amanda Peters – Government of Antigua and Barbuda
Professor Mike Levi – Professor of Criminology at Cardiff University (UK)

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2021/05/12/money-laundering-reporting-how-effective-is-it/

Sign up to the Security & Risk Thought Leadership Newsletter and Event Updates

Drone technology has come a long way and is still evolving, by 2025
It is anticipated the US drone industry will create more than a million jobs. The benefits are considerable: security surveillance; search and rescue missions; assisting in disaster management, especially in difficult to reach places. At the same time they can be used to breach people’s civil rights. Criminals are attaching cameras and weapons; terrorists use drones to plan attacks and to deploy bombs. They can be used to disrupt operations, for example at airports. Then there are those who use drones as a hobby who without any malignant intent still cause companies to rise their alert level until the source is identified. This webinar will discuss:

What are the implicit dangers of drones and how can they be managed?
What are the benefits of drones and how can these be maximised?
What factors will govern the use of drones as we move forward?

Panellists:
Steven Reinharz – Chief Executive Officer at Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc (US)
Geoff Moore – Security Consultant at Arup (Hong Kong)
Richard Gill – Founder & CEO at Drone Defence (UK)

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2021/05/06/drones-and-security-balancing-the-threat-with-the-opportunity/

Sign up to the Security & Risk Thought Leadership Newsletter and Event Updates

How competent are frontline security officers (in some countries referred to as guards)? It has long been noted that security officers are the face of the whole security sector and the reputation they garner has a knock-on effect and is directly linked to perception of the broader private and corporate security sector. We know they undertake many tasks, and are often the first to respond to incidents, but how effective are they at what they do? Is it right security officers should focus on exclusively security-related tasks, or should they focus on whatever the paying client wants be that watering the plants or cleaning the floors? How do we define the skillsets needed and can we have an international standard? How do we begin to judge the effectiveness of these frontline workers and how can we use that to manage or promote a better image of the broader security sector? This webinar will discuss:

To what extent are the tasks undertaken by security officers distinct from other workers and does it matter?
How do we judge the effectiveness of security officers?
Are the tasks undertaken by security officers complex/difficult or can they easily be done by non-skilled people?

Panellists:
Mario Doyle – President & Chief Operating Officer at Doyle Security Services (US)
Kevin Palacios – Ecuador Security and IFPO Latin America
Yolanda Hamblen – ISS UK and IFPO UK & Ireland

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2021/05/05/how-competent-are-security-officers-and-why-does-it-matter/

Sign up to the Security & Risk Thought Leadership Newsletter and Event Updates

Previous webinars have highlighted the benefits of a diverse workforce, these are a given, but strategies to achieving them have received less coverage. Most companies still lack representation from a wide range of ages, genders, races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. A primary reason is the difficulty of building a culture of true diversity and inclusion. In a recent benchmarking survey the vast majority of organizations said diversity and inclusion were top priorities yet just 10 percent of them had reached full maturity. This webinar will debate:

What makes for a truly diverse and inclusive security workforce?
How committed has the security sector been to achieving diversity?
Which areas present he most challenges and how are they being overcome? Where can we look to good practice?

Panellists:
Emma Shaw – Managing Director at Esoteric
Dr. Fidelma Ashe – Reader in politics at Ulster University
Amanda McCloskey – Sales & Marketing Director at CIS Security

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2021/04/30/what-does-a-diverse-workforce-look-like-how-is-the-security-sector-faring-up/

Sign up to the Security & Risk Thought Leadership Newsletter and Event Updates

We all understand the benefits which include: the elevation of security to a professional standing; providing a professional development journey; facilitating a measure of certainty to regulators; incentivising others to develop. But do current accreditations achieve these laudable aims? And what about the pitfalls? After all, not all certification programs are created equal, so how can interested stakeholders, and especially non security specialists, assess what is credible? Only some accreditations follow a standard and are periodically reviewed by an external standards organisation, how essential is that? What about costs, does that create inequalities and lead to disadvantage? Given the wide knowledge base of security, how can stakeholders be assured that the accreditation is based on the best, most comprehensive or relevant parts of it? Do we need them anyway, plenty of successful security professionals don’t bother, what does that tell us? This webinar will discuss:

The importance and relevance of security accreditations
The drawbacks to security accreditations and how they can be managed
What the future of security accreditations should look like

Panellists:
Greg Hurd – Director, Security Programmes (Canada)
Dana Adams – Director Security Services at TELUS International (Canada)
David Cresswell MSc – Director at International Security Management Institute (UK)

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2021/04/28/the-benefits-and-pitfalls-of-security-accreditations-do-they-serve-security-professionals-well/

Sign up to the Security & Risk Thought Leadership Newsletter and Event Updates

On previous webinars we have heard about the disruptions caused to supply chains, principally because of Covid-19 but also other events. The security implications have been highlighted not least because this is an area where security is intrinsically linked to business operations (a feature other areas seek to replicate) and so responding effectively and speedily is key. But what has the experience been of keeping supply chains secure? What have been the lessons learnt? Are there examples of good practice that can be transferred to other areas of security? This webinar will discuss:

What are the current security threats to supply chains? How if at all are they changing?
What are the examples and reference points for good practice?
What are the lessons learnt from Covid-19?

Panellists:
Paul Devassy – Security and Risk Head at OYO (India)
Deepayan Mohanty – Promoter and Managing Director at Hemera Interational Pte Limited (Singapore)
Vipul Mathur – Business Head at Udaan (India)

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2021/04/23/security-and-the-supply-chain-is-full-resilience-restored/

Sign up to the Security & Risk Thought Leadership Newsletter and Event Updates

Sexism, put simply, is prejudice or discrimination (typically) based on a person’s sex or gender. One United Nations report has noted that sexism is “widespread and prevalent in all sectors and all societies.” Research in the security sector has confirmed that women suffer from different forms of sexism, be that of behaviour, attitudes and language to give but three examples. It is a sector that is male dominated and has sometimes promoted ‘macho’ images as an attractive feature of recruits and that feeds stereotypes. There is much hope that it is changing, but is it, in what ways and how fast? In this webinar we will discuss:

Forms of sexism in the security sector and the extent to which they are being challenged
The key challenges and barriers to overcoming them
The routes to less sexism in security

Panellists:
Monicah Kimeu – Secretary General at Women in Safety Excellence (Kenya)
Angela Osborne – Associate Vice President, Risk and Emergency Management Solutions at Guidepost Solutions (US)
Susannah Fish OBE QPM – Governor at Nottingham Trent University and Director at Starfish Consulting (UK)