Full disclosure. I’m a former Metropolitan Police Officer, and although I only carried a warrant card for a couple of years, the same drive to protect people and property, is the reason that I was subsequently drawn to the private security sector. Judging by the amount of former Police Officers I encounter in the industry, it seems that I am far from alone.
When I left the Police Service, a considerable time ago, Police experience was almost seen as a badge of quality and doors opened within the security sector, that would have taken years for somebody without that experience, to unlock. Rightly or wrongly, Police experience was viewed with a level of respect and indeed even admiration.
Back then however, in the early 1990s, society and indeed the Police Force were very different things. Police Officers were still required to be over a certain height, and were pretty much selected on their desire to catch criminals and enforce the law. An Officer would be sent out to investigate every call made to the Police by the public and to enable this, they often worked alone. If they encountered violence whilst on duty, they were expected to be robust and well trained enough to deal with it. If a violent criminal got away from you after arrest for example, you wouldn’t get counselling or sympathy, you would be fined a week’s pay for failing in your duty. Like I said, very different times. The highly capable individuals that this atmosphere created however, made highly desirable security professionals.
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Times have changed rapidly. Behaviour, once deemed necessary to enforce the law and protect the public, would now probably see a Police Officer sacked and possibly prosecuted. Much emphasis is now placed on an Officer’s ability to understand and empathise with everybody they encounter. The Law, which once had to be learned and memorised, no longer gets enforced due to lack of resources. Investigations only ever take place for the most serious of crimes. In an age of YouTube and video capable smart phones in everyone’s pocket, Police leadership are far more concerned with image and the potential damage caused by trial by social media after clips, showing a small segment of an incident, are edited and narrated to portray Officers in the worst possible light.
Sadly, and largely due to this change in role of the Police Service, former Police Officers are to an alarming extent, no longer viewed as the Gold Standard of private security sector hires. To a lesser degree, this also goes for those that have left the military, with a whole plethora of valuable skills and experience, but find themselves having to start at the bottom, and work their way up again.
The rise in academic importance, and the increase in the range and availability of quality training courses, engineered to cover every aspect of every sector of the security industry, has been astronomical over the last few years. Combine this with a widely stated aim of “professionalisation of the security industry”, and again, academic achievement has largely overtaken relevant experience, as the most desired attributes from a new recruit.
At a strategic level, the standardisation of thinking that this creates, may be massively beneficial. From a front line perspective this may not be quite so useful. The basic knowledge required for effective front line security officers may now be covered by the new improved SIA mandatory training, but success in the role demands much more than this.
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It used to be called “common sense” until people realised that it wasn’t actually as common as everybody thought. But it is still a security industry necessity. Observation skills and a keen eye for detail help spot issues before they become huge problems. Top notch communication skills and the ability to talk to people of varied backgrounds, and be clearly understood, is essential. Appearance, self-discipline and reliability are valuable qualities. Problem solving and the need to keep a calm head in stressful situations, are key attributes.
All of the attributes and skills mentioned above tend to be found in abundance among former Police Officers, making them, in my opinion, outstanding professionals in the security guarding sector. Very often their skills and abilities are rapidly identified, and elevation from front line roles in to operations management positions is a speedy process.
Although, most former Police Officers may be lacking in the academic qualifications that are currently prized so highly in our industry, their other innate skills and abilities tend to shine through making them popular with clients and obvious prospects for promotion.
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In summary.
Former Police Officers by and large, still make excellent security professionals. The drive that took them into the Police Service originally is still a valid and valuable motivator for their new roles in the security industry. If they are happy to initially take a front line officer or supervisory role, then promotion can still be a rapid affair with the right attitude and application.
Security management roles are extremely competitively fought over. Lots of experienced security industry professionals armed with a handful of relevant qualifications, end up on every shortlist. Police experience, whilst still valued by some, tends to fall short of the requirements for sometimes quite specific qualifications.
My advice? Get a couple of valuable security related qualifications under your belt before you enter the industry. A level 5 certificate in say Corporate Risk and Disaster Planning, and a level 5 qualification in something like Security Management or Counter Terrorism, would take a few weeks to achieve, but would put you on a strong footing to apply for those better paid security management roles, straight away.
My top tip however? Join a security membership organisation and network, network, network. The right conversation with the right person at the right time can be more productive than 100 job applications with a professionally written CV! Maybe I’ll see you at an event soon?
Whatever path within the private security sector you choose to follow, just remember that the role is still all about the protection of people and property, probably not too far from the reasons you became a Police Officer, so bring that satisfaction and pride in your work with you, and let it rub off on others.
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