These are challenging times that are being felt across the globe and Africa is suffering, including Kenya. Cyber crime is rife and for many there does not appear to be an adequate response. In some areas there is a fear of stigma, of quarantine, of social disorder in part because of increased unemployment, and as businesses and communities face new ways of working and new challenges so concerns about social cohesion and employee dissatisfaction are surfacing. So what are the emerging challenges that Kenyan security will face as we move forward? Is the view in Kenya that the security sector has been a success or has it failed to meet expectations? Will security be increased or downsized and what then are the implications? What role is there for the security regulator? In this webinar we will address:

Taking account of concerns such as unemployment, social cohesion and cyber crime what are the priorities for the security sector?
Has the security sector been a success or failure, and what is the role of the regulator?
What factors will most influence the development of security in Kenya and how can they be influenced?

Panellists:
Annette Kimitei – Deputy Secretary at WISE and Governing Council member of the Private Security Industry Association (PSIA)
Captain (Rtd) Augustine Lokwang Ekitela – Senior Advisory Council Member in ACISMP
Kenwilliams Nyakomitah, CFIP, Rcrim – Event and Security Director, Professional Criminologists Association of Kenya
Lt Col (Rtd) Mathews Waria – Council Member Association of Corporate and Industrial Security Management Professionals and Certified Fraud Examiner

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2020/07/28/how-is-the-kenya-security-sector-meeting-the-challenge-of-covid-19-what-are-the-lessons-learnt-and-where-does-it-and-the-regulator-go-from-here/

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In most countries the State does not proactively support private security. In many countries it does not even require the State buys regulated services, and even when it does it faces allegations it will often prioritise price over quality. While it is possible to point to specific areas where there are good practices there is no concerted effort made to harness the benefits of security. There are no official high-level meaningful strategies for example; most often collaboration is left to chance. How accurate is this? Why anyway is the state seemingly reluctant to engage private security, or is it more that the security sector make itself difficult to deal with?

- What should the state do in maximising the benefits of private security?
- Should it be a crime for companies not to prevent crime (say economic crimes)?
- How can the barriers to effective collaboration of ‘policing’ efforts be best achieved?

Panellists
Professor Mark Button, Director of Centre for Counter Fraud Studies at University of Portsmouth (UK)
Richard Franken, Director at Franken Security Solutions (Netherlands)
Pieter Leloup, Postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University, Faculty of Law and Criminology (Belgium)
Adrian Moore, Operations Director UK & Europe at Allied Universal (UK)

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2020/07/24/what-is-the-role-of-the-state-in-supporting-the-private-security-sector-an-active-supporter-or-neutral-independence/

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This session is sponsored by Bidvest Noonan https://www.bidvestnoonan.com/

Before Covid-19 the dominant social and political problem facing the world was widely acknowledged to be climate change; the planet is heating up and humans are responding, slowly. The issue impacts on all areas of policy, but what about crime prevention and security? This has largely operated under the radar. Yet the implications are serious. What does the carbon footprint of the security sector look like? Where are the largest emissions? Do emissions vary by crime type and how? And what about the security response? What should we expect from security responses and how can the sector best contribute, and will it? What does sustainable security look like? What if anything has been the impact of Covid-19?

How has the security sector been responding to climate change?
What are the implications of climate change and has this changed post Covid-19?
What do sustainable forms of security look like?

Panellists:
Michael Brooke, Head of Operational Services at Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (UK)
Mark Hobden, Business Continuity Manager at Bidvest Noonan (UK)
Amy Musanti, Business Development Director, Sustainability at ASSA ABLOY Group (US)
Dr Helen Skudder, Sustainability Manager at the Ministry of Justice, Former Researcher at University of Surrey

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2020/07/22/climate-change-and-security-unrest-the-carbon-footprint-and-the-security-response/

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Around the world the issues facing the security sector differ markedly. South Africa is characterised by extremes in terms of security expertise: from the highly skilled to those who operate under the radar of regulation, some using technology very effectively and some not at all. The lockdown has put pressure on businesses and it is far from clear clients will pay for the same types of security going forward. Crime patterns are changing and there is an undercurrent of discontent both in communities and in organisations where employees, anxious about home and working life, post different types of risks. We will debate these issues and where security in South Africa goes from here, specifically:

- What are the main challenges facing the security sector as it emerges from lockdown?
- To what extent will changes in public and business expectations influence the types of security that will need to be provided?
- What factors will govern whether security post Covid-19 is a success?

Panellists:
Andrew Kelly – Senior Security Manager: Global Operations at Coca Cola
Lizette Lancaster – Project Manager: Crime and Justice Information and Analysis Hub at Institute for Security Studies
Leonie Mangold – Vice Chairman of ESDA, Special Project Sales Consultant at Powelltronics
Jean-Pierre (JP) Smith – Councillor, City of Cape Town

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2020/07/17/covid-19-where-to-now-for-private-security-in-south-africa/

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Purchasers of security – of services and technologies – have sometimes lamented the lack of innovation of the security sector. Either purchasers are unrealistic, and/or the security sector is moribund of good ideas, and/or there are misconceptions about what it is realistic to expect from security innovation. Then there are claims that progress towards innovation is dogged by a lack of collaboration, and/or by a lack of investment. While others point to a range of impressive breakthrough in a diverse range of areas and invite us to look more carefully and be prepared to be impressed. How, if at all, has Covid-19 changed the focus and interest in innovation? This webinar will explore these issues in more detail. Topics to be discussed include:

What different approaches exist towards security innovation?
Where can we look to for the new ideas and the evolving good practices?
What are the prospects for innovation in a post Covid-19 world?

Panellists:
Louis Chavez – Principal Engineer, Security and Life Safety at UL (US)
Nicolas Garcia – Sales Director MEA Biometric Devices at IDEMIA (UAE)
Steven Kenny – Industry Liaison, Architecture and Engineering Program, Axis Communications (UK)
Teemu Santonen – Principal lecturer at Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland)

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2020/07/15/thinking-about-innovation-in-security-and-crime-prevention-where-can-we-look-and-what-can-we-find/

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This session is sponsored by Skills for Security https://skillsforsecurity.org.uk/

In previous webinars we have witnessed discussions about the need for the security sector to upskill; a crucial step to earning more respect from its stakeholders. Some have noted that as security is a global activity there is merit in countries understanding the competencies needed at different levels and sectors and then uniting behind an agreed approach which could be understood by all. So far though attempts have been piecemeal. There have been more attempts to define security competencies – and there are a lot of them – than to build on them in any meaningful way. This webinar will discuss:

How important is an industry/national approach to skills development? To what extent is this a prerequisite for offering a meaningful career development program for recruits?
What are the best ways of developing skills across the security sector? Where are there opportunities?
What are the roles, if any, of a Skills Body, trainers and professional development programs?

Panellists:
David Scott – Managing Director at Skills for Security (UK)
Simon Banks – Founder and Director at CSL Group (UK)
Olivier Hassid – Partner and Director at PwC France
Jason Brown – National Security Director at Thales (Australia)

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2020/07/10/developing-skillsets-in-the-security-sector-do-security-professionals-know-how-competent-they-need-to-be/

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A video and summary of this session is available here.

Common themes running through past webinars has been the extent to which the security sector has failed to achieve proper recognition for all it has achieved; that it is consistently under-appreciated for its efforts and achievements; and that it has been poor at broadcasting its benefits. Such a consistent message would suggest that security has been poorly guided by its leaders. Yet, enormous progress has been made in recent years and there have been some quite outstanding achievements (as signified by winners of the OSPAs). Moreover, some say the security sector is structured in such a way that impedes progress, it is fragmented and fails to speak with a unified voice. Given this, this webinar puts the role of security leaders under the spotlight, how are they doing and where can they do better? Topics to be discussed include:

How have leaders in the security sector performed? How much potential is there for more and better collaboration?
What are the ways in which security leadership could be enhanced?
What has been the experience of Covid-19 and how might leaders be expected to adapt post the crisis?

Panellists:
Godfried Hendriks – 2020 Global President at ASIS International (Netherlands)
Donna Kobzaruk – Executive Director, Regional Manager at a Major Financial Institution
Juan Muñoz – CEO at Associated Projects International (Spain)
Don Randall - Independent Advisor (UK)


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A video and summary of this session is available here.

Previous webinars have painted a mixed picture on relationships between the private security sector and the police. Corporate security teams and private security suppliers can often point to examples of good practices, but there are many that are not so good. In any event, it begs the question, what would the ideal partnership look like? In what ways can and does and should private security support different types of law enforcement? Should private security contribute to funding public policing? Are there any offence types or areas of activity that can best be left to private security? If not, why not? If so, what does this then say about the role of the police? Can private security ever be properly impartial? What difference has Covid-19 made?

What does the optimal relationship between the police and private security look like?
Can and should private security (corporate teams and suppliers) ever replace public law enforcement?
What needs to change, post Covid-19, to optimise the public benefits of collaboration?

Panellists:
Dave Dodge – Enterprise Security Risk Management, Business Continuity and Resilience Specialist (South Africa)
Steven Gardner – Head of Security at OCS Group (UK)
Chris Phillips – Managing Director at IPPSO (UK)
Prof. Philip Stenning – Adjunct Professor at Griffith Criminology Institute Griffith University (Australia)

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A video and summary of this session is available here.

This session is sponsored by Zenitel https://www.zenitel.com/

We have heard in previous webinars about the ways in which technology is playing a crucial role in transforming the ways security is delivered. Also, we have heard about ways in which technologies are being under used or deployed badly. It seems some technologies are being mis sold in that the ways they can help tackle Covid-19 are being overstated. How can you identify the wood from the trees in this area? In this webinar we look critically at how technologies are helping and hindering security in this pandemic.

What types of technologies (rather than specific brands/models) are making a difference and how?
What are we learning about the ways in which technologies are being used/misused?
In what ways are our understanding of the interaction between humans and technologies being enhanced?

Panellists:
Mark Schreiber CPP CPD – President, Principal Consultant at Safeguards Consulting (US)
Dan Rothrock – President of Security & Safety, Americas at Zenitel (US)
Tommy Hansen – Security Advisor, Board Member at ASIS Norway
Leonard Ong – Group CISO at Fullerton Health (Singapore)

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A video and summary of this session is available here.

Previous webinars have discussed the new (and many) opportunities that Covid-19 has created for criminals. In this webinar we hear from two former criminals about their take. Tony is a former armed robber, burglar, and shop thief (amongst others things) and Andy was a prolific burglar with a specialism in ‘smash and grab’ offences (amongst others things). They describe crime as ‘easy’. In this webinar you can hear them talk about how they have confronted different security measures in the past and how they think others will in the future. You will find their views striking; and they are ready to answer your questions. In this webinar we will discuss:

What are offenders saying are the easy opportunities post Covid-19?
How Tony and Andy have overcome security measures in the past (as you will see it is sometimes startling)
What are the lessons for private security, what will scare offenders?

Panellists:
Tony and Andy (Ex-Offenders)

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