I was quite excited to meet the head of security for Eton College, writes Una Riley. For some of us it is one of those iconic English establishments that conjures up thoughts of privilege and tradition.
The school has a firm footprint in the history of this country, in the psyche whether you attended Eton or not. The distinguished men who entered as boys through those scholastic halls have included royals, prime ministers and other politicians, diplomats, martyrs and saints … and of course many other walks of life from science to the arts. Much has changed, but the essence of school life has retained the ethos that ‘arts and habits’ attained at Eton last for a lifetime. From those early days to now the aim has been to encourage each Etonian to be a self-confident, inquiring, tolerant, positive young man, a well-rounded character with an independent mind and individual who respects the differences of others.
By the time he leaves the school, it is hoped that each boy has a true sense of self-worth which will enable him to stand up for himself and for a purpose greater than himself, and, in doing so, be of value to society. Eton is not out of reach of ordinary boys in fact about 20 per cent of the pupils at the school receive financial support, and some of them are paying no fees at all. No parents with a talented boy should feel that Eton is necessarily beyond their means. It has long been recognised that many Etonians take up a military career and one such man was the Duke of Wellington who famously said: “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing-fields of Eton." The wider world of security has a link to Eton via Basil Thomson who in 1913 was appointed Assistant Commissioner "C" (Crime) of London’s Metropolitan Police, which made him the head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at New Scotland Yard.
Now it was time to catch up with a modern security professional at Eton, Mark Hardwick, Head of Security. I arrived at the security reception and was surprised to be asked for ID even though I had an appointment. I duly presented my NUJ card as photographic proof of who I was and only then did the officer ring through to Mark to let him know of my arrival. Mark came out to greet me; I immediately noticed his gleaming shoes that are always a trademark of a former military man. I wanted to know more about Mark and as we settled into his office for a quiet chat the first thing I asked was if he had a military background. Mark replied: “Yes I do. I was in the Army and it very much made who I am today. I joined the army when I was only 16 so you are very much at the development stage in life and is a strong indicator of how you are going to turn out as a person so I think my Army background prepared me for entry into the world of security because both are quite disciplined environments. I think a lot of the quality and procedures that I have employed for my security officers are related to the military style, such as uniform, smartness professionalism and looking the part. So the ability to make the transition from the military to industry was made easier having chosen the world of security as my preferred profession.”
We spoke at length about Mark’s passion for quality and getting it right first time. He explained that in the Army, prior to becoming an instructor, he was in an infantry unit were the formation of bonding and trust of your fellow officer came into play and how your life could literally depend on someone else. Mark talked about the interdependency and the intangibles relating to training such as loyalty, trust and integrity that can be measured on some levels but never totally defined … nonetheless an intrinsic and essential part of the mix. Mark went on to say: “Although as a unit you are dependent on each other when you leave that environment it affords you a 360 degree vision, you have the benefit of having bonded to such a level that it enables you to be confidently independent so that you can deal with wider world issues. It was at this stage that I really became interested in training and the benefits of training for the individual; it gave me a real buzz to observe the development of people.” I asked Mark if he agreed with National Service. He replied: “I think that it would be a great start for some young men and women. Generations are different, but there is one constant and that is that even today people learn at a different pace and there is no doubt that the Army educates you.”
We went on to talk about the benefits that this type of opportunity might bring for some young people. With all Mark’s expertise I asked what he had brought to Eton: “I have been here four years now and I have built on existing foundations and introduced procedures that have helped reduce crime in the area.” I reminded him that I had to produce ID which I had never had to do before. Mark smiled and said: “It is the little control factors such as that type of procedure that makes the difference. I go to London into high end premises and I can just walk in without having to prove who I am. I take security seriously and I expect my officers to do the same.”
I informed Mark how impressed I was at the standard of the officers on site. Mark said: “They are all in uniform and wear a pale blue pilot shirt, in-college tie, in-college jacket and a high visibility jacket and peaked cap. They are identifiable as college security officers and tourists can sometimes mistake them for police officers on occasions when they are on foot patrol.” Mark had a map of the college grounds behind his desk that showed the crawl and sprawl of the campus; a security challenge to say the least! He explained the various patrol methods and the different ways of approaching the protection of the area. His officers patrol in off road vehicles on bicycles and of course on foot. He also extolled the virtues of his control room staff. Mark supplements his team with a preferred external supplier – Sodexo. He explained that he had experienced several other external companies but none of them could offer what he required to his standard. Mark went on: “This is a special environment and you have to fit in. We have high standards and we require an external supplier that can fit in with our values.” I asked what the next step for Mark was regarding security at Eton. He explained that there were a number of things he would like to introduce. He outlined communication procedures that were in the pipeline and said: “At Eton we are always reviewing and revising security procedures and practice to enable us to on one hand be unobtrusive but on the other ensure that security is at the top of the agenda at all times. The safety of the boys is paramount.” I remarked that I had spoken to one of the boys to ask directions and was impressed by the courteous manner and polite response from him; a refreshing change in this day and age. I asked Mark how he felt about the college as someone who had not been able to attend such an establishment.
Mark replied:“Nurturing individuality and yet understanding and appreciating the differences of others is a central tenet of Eton’s philosophy … and as I explained that is how I felt my experience in the army was as a young man. So I can appreciate what is on offer at Eton and I can see the development in the boys. As we discussed earlier whether a young man has the opportunity to attend Eton or in fact join the Army the basic principle is the same, it is that understanding and appreciating the difference in each other, it is those intangible lessons that take you through life.” After our meeting Mark showed me around the control room and I met some of his men. He was obviously very proud of his officers and extolled the virtues of working within such a unique establishment. It is clear that he takes his role seriously and also loves his job.
Some background: In 1440 King Henry VI founded Eton College as a charity school to provide free education to 70 poor boys that would then go on to King’s College, Cambridge, which he also founded. Recent Old Etonians include Mayor of London Boris Johnson and PM David Cameron; and Princes William and Harry. Visit –
