National Security Strategy – Defining the role of the private sector? By David Taylor-Smith, MBE, CEO, G4S Security Services UK & Ireland.
The publication of the Government’s first National Security Strategy marks a significant milestone in the development of a co-ordinated public-private response to the multitude of evolving threats, from terrorism to climate change, faced by this nation.
It reviews lessons learned over recent years in Britain and overseas in dealing with civil emergencies and acts of terrorism. As Gordon Brown stated, "the nature of the threats and the risks we face have changed beyond recognition and confounds all assumptions about national defence and international security." This realisation has resulted in the recognition that the private sector has a role to play in protecting the UK, both domestically and overseas.
This new strategy could open up new markets and income streams for private security providers. It could also transform the way the industry is perceived not only by opinion formers and investors but by the man and woman on the street, the potential employees of tomorrow. The operation and protection of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) enables companies to build on core services, such as manned guarding and fire and safety, which have suffered from continued margin pressure for many years. It will allow providers to move into markets where analysis, design and the management of customer assets are critical. For many years the security industry has pursued this ‘Holy Grail’, moving on from the provision of services to becoming solutions providers.
The Government has turned its attention to CNI protection but much of the infrastructure is owned by the private sector or run on the Government’s behalf by a private sector operator. Consequently it is critical that the private sector plays a full role in the Government’s security strategy. The Government cannot expect to protect these CNI assets on its own, emergency service provision stretched as thinly as it is. The obvious place to look for additional resources is the private security industry which has the expertise and resources to make a significant contribution, both domestically and when necessary overseas.
What the industry can offer in practical terms to the Government is demonstrated by a natural disaster, such as a major flooding. Security providers can offer surge capability; a pool of trained, professional personnel experienced in working in pressurised environments and with the skills to operate effectively in a crisis situation. These personnel can assist with tasks such as evacuation of civilians and securing perimeters in affected areas to prevent looting.
Protracted operations in the Middle East mean the UK armed forces are no longer able to provide the levels of support to the civilian emergency services that they did in the past. Indeed Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt spoke out during the recent flooding about his concern that commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan had left too few soldiers to cope with unexpected events at home.
Sir Michael Pitt’s interim report, commissioned by the Government to examine the floods that caused widespread disruption and displacement in the summer of 2007 concluded they had served as a ‘wake-up call’ for the country. To ensure the UK is prepared and able to respond appropriately to future flooding and other emergencies, a new approach is needed. Logically, it has to involve the private sector recognising that the traditional reliance on the emergency services and the military to provide the surge of personnel and equipment needed is no longer viable. This is not to denigrate the role of the emergency services, which will clearly remain paramount, but private sector involvement under the leadership of the emergency services can only help to get the country back on its feet rapidly.
Some commentators have argued that the private security industry has little to offer the government beyond a critical mass of man power, a ‘surge capability’ that can be drawn upon in an emergency. However, this view takes too narrow a view of the breadth of expertise and knowledge that the private security can bring to the table. The private security industry can draw on its international pool of resources and global networks to provide intelligence at home and internationally. A good example of this is Project Griffin which started as a joint police-security industry initiative in the City of London and has now been rolled-out to 23 cities across the UK and internationally.
The Pitt report, Flanagan Report on Policing and now the National Security Strategy have all suggested that private-sector involvement and expertise be used to supplement police and emergency service efforts. We hope these recommendations will lead to a formalised structure and accepted practice for private and public sector security specialists to co-operate and share resources for the good of the country. The Cabinet Office has discussed the formation of an advisory body, a National Security Forum featuring approximately 30 experts, who could offer valuable insight and intelligence on policy formation and the development of implementation procedures for the National Security Strategy. It is vital that the private security industry has a voice and stake in this independent forum.
While the publication of the strategy is welcome, the challenge for the Government is how to implement it and to engage with all the stakeholders that can make a positive contribution to its success. The Government has sought to identify the threats facing the nation and develop a strategy to mitigate these risks, but we now need to witness the development of a detailed implementation plan. The private sector should embrace the opportunity to engage with the Government in the implementation to improve the protection of the CNI.
The importance of the contribution that the private security industry can make is brought starkly into relief if we consider the security challenges of bringing the Olympics to London in 2012. The Olympics has been recognised as part of the, albeit temporary, CNI by the Centre for Protection of Critical Infrastructure (CPNI). While we are waiting to hear how much the final security budget will be for London 2012, (the generally accepted figure is upwards of £600 million) we are led to believe that some 7,000 security officers will be required to work alongside the police and 70,000 volunteers to keep the Games safe and secure. The provision of such a large number of staff for a temporary assignment (six weeks in the summer of 2012) is clearly an example of ‘surge’ capability to augment public sector resources. The obvious question to ask is where will these security staff come from given that the private security industry already struggles to find enough quality recruits?
Given the potential threats posed to the Games it is not acceptable for the Government to assume that we will be able to provide such a large number of trained and licensed staff. It is not simply a matter of issuing tenders for the provision of manned security services. There must be meaningful engagement between the public and private sectors to understand the issues and find solutions. This relationship need to be open and frank so that the security industry understands the threats, and how they can be mitigated by working effectively with the security services and the large volunteer workforce. This will potentially require unprecedented levels of information and intelligence sharing, if we are not to be kept in the dark about the risks we will be exposing our staff and businesses to.
London 2012 will be a great showcase for the UK and its ability to stage the greatest show on Earth (hopefully Terminal 5 will be a distant memory by them). The private security industry has a key part to play in its success, but to date it has proved far too difficult to engage in a meaningful dialogue about our role. The Beijing Olympics is only weeks ago, then the spotlight will be well and truly on London. The establishment of a public-private partnership to focus on securing the Games cannot come soon enough and could become the model for how the private sector is involved in the protection of the CNI.
The publication of the National Security Strategy provides a valuable opportunity for the private security industry to ‘step up to the plate’ and convince the Government that is has the resources and expertise to play a significant role in CNI protection. It may also provide the impetus for the establishment of new communication channels between the public and private sector. It could help transform our industry by providing opportunities to secure long term revenue streams; build on our capabilities and attract more highly skilled and talented people to our companies.
