Here’s a Q&A with Daren Blackwell, Yodel’s director of security. Briefly to introduce Daren, pictured, he has a background in logistics security, at DHL and TNT. And briefly to introduce Yodel, it’s a parcel delivery company that covers the UK, with an app that lets you track your parcel. On Mother’s Day on March 14 for example, it made some 298,000 flower deliveries; and on Valentine’s Day in February 2021, more than 220,000 flower deliveries. The parcel carrier with headquarters in Liverpool saw volumes in the six months to December 2020 rise by 26 per cent compared with the first half of the year. Its depots are around the country – Willenhall in the West Midlands, Llanelli, Oldham, to name a few. It delivers around 160 million parcels a year.
– First, covid: how has it been for you, your work, and the company?
The pandemic has obviously brought new challenges for security at Yodel, but overall, I’m proud of the way that we’ve adapted and been able to play a key role in ensuring the company can continue and thrive.
One of the new responsibilities was supporting the business with the introduction and maintenance of its social distancing policy. The security team, while on assignments, would ensure that social distancing measures were in place and that colleagues were adhering to the policy in order to reduce the risk of transmission at our sites.
One of the key areas was the access control into and out of our sort centres each day. Yodel acted fast to enforce the social distancing policy by installing new entry and exit points, new general security measures and regular compliance reviews, as well as taking swift action where necessary.
– Besides the extra work of Covid-safety am I right in guessing that the pandemic has brought if anything more work – a problem perhaps but a nice one to have?
Yes, Yodel was very fortunate to benefit from the extra volume of parcels due to the increase of online ordering but also the NHS test kit volume. For the business that’s very positive but it also brings additional challenges. For example, just before Christmas the company brought on 3,000 new colleagues to deal with the demand for our services, and these new colleagues need to be on-boarded from a security perspective in a short space of time, which we managed effectively.
One of the new pieces of work has been in relation to test kits. We are part of a consortium of carriers, coordinated by The Delivery Group, which has been picking up test kits to be analysed. It’s a study run on behalf of the Department of Health and is led by Ipsos Mori and Imperial College London. We’re pleased that we could adapt our network to help the national efforts during a difficult time.
– Readers will be nosey about your job – can you describe a typical day or week, if there is such a thing?
The world of parcel security is amazing as there is rarely a day or a week that is the same. The day kicks off with operational updates from across the company. Pre-defined security activities such as depot visits, and investigations are conducted, and any findings shared.
Vehicle theft has become one of the industry’s major threats and is something we take seriously in our preparation. Coordinating and delegating the security activities is extremely important to me as it keeps me in the heart of the action as well as deciding when a particular incident needs extra resources, escalating to senior management or raising the alarm to our internal communications team.
The department also receives new business requests where a security risk assessment is critical to ensure the parcel and its contents fits into Yodel’s criteria and does not put the business or our drivers at risk when transporting them. By actively working with our clients, over the past few years, the security team has developed exceptional knowledge within the area of fraud and our ability to assist our clients in minimising their risk is seen as a competitor advantage.
– What investments does Yodel make within security?
Yodel has been investing tirelessly over the past couple of years to increase our technical security capability around our service centres and sort centres. We have installed state-of-the-art CCTV systems, extended live monitoring feeds 24/7 to all depots and we have upgraded intruder alarms and access controls.
We took on a major project to bring our external security services into an internal team, including our security officers and security field investigations officers. Over a ten-month period, the security team has worked with our HR and procurement teams to reduce our external costs and re-invest savings into our regional security teams. In 2021, we will continue to invest further in our technical and physical security.
I know in retail and through the logistics cargo security association TAPA there is some sharing of ideas, is there any of that in parcels?
Yodel security is involved with the ORIS Forums, a non-profit organisation that has been facilitating risk forums for logistics and supply chain professionals for us to collaborate on the most important issues in our industry to reduce risk. All risks – whether it be opportunist, online and internal fraud, organised criminal gangs, malicious claims, or counterfeit products – have operational and financial consequences.
As heads of security we know that collaboration on issues such as loss prevention, risk, or brand protection is far more effective than working in isolation – knowledge is power. Yodel is also a member of the Institute of Couriers (IOC), which amongst other things aims to promote ‘professional and safe practices’ in serving the industry and its customers, and to enable the sector to agree and promote ethical policies for company behaviour. Yodel’s position as a recognised member of the IOC sends a powerful message of corporate responsibility and delivery excellence.
– Is there anything else you think is worth mentioning?
The security director role at Yodel reports into an executive member and is responsible for the day-to-day security of the business. The director certifies that the security policy and standards are up to date, in place and enforced by a team devoted to securing the business, people and the parcels entrusted to us. We ensure that security awareness is conducted at areas of high crime and that security related incidents are reported promptly, so that professional investigations can be conducted to establish the causes and prevent reoccurrence. Security statistics are provided to all management on a weekly basis during our operational call to ensure full transparency. For me, security’s role is to be in partnership with the business: we are not here to hamper operations but to move it forward by minimising the risks ahead.
Yodel is also a member of the Slave Free Alliance, which is a social enterprise that was launched by Hope for Justice. We feel we have a duty to help lead the industry’s efforts to prevent human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Our internal working group is made up of members from operations, security, HR, communications, and health and safety, and it’s led by the HR director and the director of security.
Lastly, the Yodel security team is the best in the business that I have had the pleasure of working with. Their dedication, experience, knowledge, and can-do attitude is exemplary, and we all work hard to secure our people, our property, and the parcels we deliver on behalf of our clients.
