The facilities management firm Incentive FM has become nationally accredited for the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS).
Andrew Robbins, Associate Director of Security and Risk at Incentive FM, said: “It’s a privilege to join the CSAS initiative and work with the police to prevent and deter crime and disorder. Our security teams are invaluable ambassadors to business and the wider community. There will now be a strict selection process for security officers who will then undergo training by a CSAS accredited provider, and in some cases, the police will deliver the training directly. When our security officers are trained, they will be given authority by the relevant chief constable to have specific powers to help the police tackle crime and disorder.”
About CSAS
As brief background, CSAS, a voluntary scheme, sees chief constables accredit employed people already working in community safety – whether for councils or housing associations, or contract security guards – with limited but targeted powers, typically to tackle low-level crime and disorder such as on-street drinking. The scheme was created under the Police Reform Act 2002 to develop a framework for public and private bodies to partner with the police to provide an extra uniformed presence. Specific security employees of Incentive FM will now be available for CSAS appointment, trained, vetted and badged by police besides their SIA badging.
Since starting in 2002, CSAS has incorporated the services of neighbourhood wardens, hospital security guards, park wardens, shopping mall security officers, and train guards. CSAS accredited persons within Incentive FM will carry the official identification badge (pictured) endorsed by the local police force on their uniform.
The FM firm adds that CSAS allows police officers to influence the training of Incentive FM to develop a two-way exchange of information and intelligence between both agencies. When a chief constable accredits a person with powers under paragraph 1 of schedule 5 of the 2002 Act, he or she may also choose whether to give the accredited person the power to issue fixed penalty notices.
Andrew Robbins added: “As a business we will look to have an incremental roll out of the scheme across key locations to further enhance the solutions we provide to our clients. All schemes are managed, monitored and assessed at a local level by the responsible police force.”
