Securing the future

Over the summer months, Dubai Police Academy has been preparing for the start of the newly implemented security training.

All companies employing security guards and managers, control operators and installers are now required, by law, to have their staff trained to a minimum standard.

For facilities managers and facility management service providers, there are two sides of the fence. If security staff are employed directly, FMs have to ensure they are put through the relevant training. If the service is outsourced, FMs should look to outsource the contract to an approved security company.

Dubai Police Academy has approved three companies to conduct the training: First Security Group, Shield and Transguard.

All courses were set by the Academy with the help of Edith Cowan University in Australia and the three approved training companies. Currently, the law is currently implemented within Dubai alone, however, there is talk of it being enforced throughout the GCC.

"The police sat down with every organisation and had meetings with each of the three companies offering training. We had to each compile a document that was then handed back to the police and adapted. We then had to present the courses to the police so they could tell us what we did and didn't have to improve on. They dictated what the basic criteria was," explained Craig Stanbridge, group managing director, First Security Group.

At the time of writing this, all three companies have started the training courses and around 2,100 security professionals have been trained. Training is mainly conducted in English and Arabic, however, they do have trained people on hand to assist with language barriers.

Failure to comply with the law could result in a financial implication. "The police have called in every single security company and they have a list of them.

"They informed all the general managers of the training and timelines. There are going to be fines," states Stanbridge.

However, there is still a lot of speculation and questions to be answered. For example, will there be a refresher course? How long will the certification last? How will the law be regulated and monitored?

What is clear, is that even though companies are paying for the training, the certification will belong to the trained security professional. If FMs and security companies are to ensure they are getting what they have paid for, it is advisable to include a contractual agreement in the employees contract as to how long the security professional should stay with the company before moving on.

There has also been talk of the certification being renewed automatically providing professionals can supply evidence showing they have worked towards continued professional development (CPD) points. It is not yet known how far up the management hierarchy this will start.

"The Department of Protective System (DPS) are working on it. People may earn points per year and those points could be attending a seminar, writing an article or getting involved in some form of security exercise. Once earned, these credits will hopefully renew their licence.

"If there is drastic changes in security trends, crime and industry, what we might have is a supplementary course," confirms Adil Abdel-Hadi, managing director of Shield Security Services.

From basic guard to management training, all approved courses can act as the starting point towards a diploma or degree.

The industry has welcomed the start of some form of standardisation for the sector, but a problem most companies will face is the lack of motivation and enthusiasm from the guards.

"A security guard can only perform if he is well looked after. They need to be treated like human beings. Show them respect, dignity and decency and they will show it back to you.
"What everyone in the industry should focus on in the future, is paying people for the work they are doing and ensure their food and accommodation is all right," advises Stanbridge.

Another area he thinks the UAE should focus on is enforcing a minimum standard of spoken and written English. "I think it's important that the UAE in the future focuses on English speaking being a prerequisite because it's so much easier."

Guard training

There are two companies offering the security guard training: First Security Group and Transguard.

The first phase of the guard training was to evaluate and access the current level of knowledge each guard had. If the guard passed, they and the company, have been given a grace period of a year or until their visa expires, before having to take the training course.

"The majority of them didn't know. When the evaluations started, most of the companies we evaluated failed miserably," says Nadine Cottman, training manager, Transguard.

There are numerous barriers both First Security Group and Transguard face.

Traditionally, security guards were called watchmen and they were employed to watch. This mind-set is still embedded into some of the guards and the courses are a way of modernising the guards understanding of security.

Another barrier, is language. "One of the biggest hurdles we face is that of language. It is a big issue because you have many people who have been recruited by many organisations who cannot speak a word of English.

The courses cover areas like how to conduct a search, guarding, what information they need to write and when, what they should ask people who want to enter a secure building, how to recognise police, basic first aid and fire training and there's also information on what to do win case of an emergency.

Both companies believe the training is a huge step towards raising the standards of the industry and empowering the guards with motivation to ensure they do their jobs effectively and knowledgably.

"A lot of the time, these guards are brought in and as soon as their visa comes through, they start work without any training.

"At least now they get the basic training. They are happy about that and now have more confidence when they go back on the job," explains Cottman.

The guards are also advised on identifying police ranks, uniform and badges.

Although concentrating on the management training, Bill Wyllie, security consultant, Shield Security Services, explains that the region needs to do more to ensure these guards do their job correctly.

"Security guards are tasked with a huge, impressive range of things to do.

"Some of the guys, they are paid and regarded at the level of cleaners and drivers but when you look at the skills they have to require, you really should explain how important their job is," he states.
‘For example, it's 4am on a Friday morning and who's entitled to be in the CEO's office? The CEO and the security guard, no body else can wander anywhere they want, 24 hours a day and have total control of the place. They have a massive amount of responsibility, including calling for help if there's an emergency, putting out a fire and yet these guys are regarded and regard themselves, as someone very junior. They should be motivated at the start of the training."

Managers, operators and installers

Shield Security Services is the only company to currently offer courses to security managers, operators and installers.

With security falling under different remits and job titles, the question here is who should attend the managers training course?

"I think it's that old phrase of people in responsible charge. You don't want to get too tied up with the words, it's a question of whether they manage security or not. For example, one of the guys we've had on the course is a health and safety manager but he manages the security," confirms Wyllie.

While the operators and installers are categorised according to Abdel-Hadi. "Operators are people who man the control room, monitor the CCTV, access control - all the equipment in the control room. The installer is the person supplying, installing and maintain the system.

For the managers, the training course lasts five days. Security management, electronic systems, Act 13 2005, policies and procedures, crisis managements, manpower and prevention awareness are just some of the topics included.

Operators and installers can both expect a three-day course. Each one may cover areas like: CCTV (closed circuit television); legislation; access control; system configuration; camera and DVR specifications; sensing principles and sensor types; IP and integration.

The courses take place at Dubai Police Academy and are taught in English. However, there is a real-time Arabic translation.

Wyllie explains that the challenges he faces during training are different to the language barriers.

"Meeting the expectations of people at both ends of the spectrum is the main challenge. We are seeing people coming through here who might have been security managers for over 30 years.

"They have expectations but they still have things to learn and equally as important, they have a lot to contribute to the course.

"At the other end of the spectrum you've got the guy who has been a security manager for three months, struggling with all sorts of linguistic concepts etc.

"Even though the people with a lot of knowledge are telling us they are learning things, it's going to transform the people with little knowledge," he explains.

Shield's courses are permanent ones at the Academy and will be reviewed along the way. According to Abdel-Hadi, even though the need for the courses will slow down once the initial bulk of the profession has been trained, it won't grind to a halt due to market growth and new people entering the industry on a regular basis.

City and Guilds have targeted the courses and Wyllie hopes they will gain accreditation is the near future.

As part of the course fee, a US $400 (AED 1,470) sponsorship package to the Security institute in the United Kingdom is on offer to those passing the course, although it won't guarantee membership.