Business Heroes!

After meeting with Gordon Brown PM we were proudly one of only 4 "Business Heroes" to be mentioned in the Daily Telegraph. It would seem our campaigns for change and reform are reaching the right people with position leverage to actually facilitate them! We will continue the our fight for a better industry and improved commercial sector. Click on the image to enlarge!

Finally a video of our Director's trip to 10 Downing Street to visit Prime Minister Gordon Brown

Interview during car journey

Stumbling in his excitement to enter 10 Downing Street - these are unedited and the commentator posed real questions without preparation. Our Director Wilson Chowdhry was hampered in his ability to respond to questions, by a need to watch traffic!

In line with our company Green Policy we used our diesel vehicle that has a CO2 offset for 45,000 miles. Although it was 4X4 it was full to capacity as Wilson's wife Juliet and the Children travelled in the rear (to attend a celebratory meal after the 10 Downing Street event). They also went shopping for 4 large marquees for Redbridge Carnival and would have been very cumbersome to carry on underground rail with a 5 and 1 year old. If you would like to learn more about A.A. Security's Green Practices please click here - not a lot of people know this, but, we were the first organisation in our industry and in Redbridge to install Solar Panels!

This year once again A. A. Security Ltd has now been included in the shortlist for The Security Excellence Awards. the categories that we have been nominated for are as follows:

ACS Champions

Green Initiative.

Last year we wer finalists in the ACS Champions, Customer Service and Security Contractor of the Year Categories. The previous yera we had a record number of shortlistings when we were nominated for Security Contractor of the year, Customer Service, Security Training initiative and Contrcat Security Manager of the Year.

The Winners will be announced on the 22nd of October and we will keep readers informed by a blog post.

Defence of the Realm

I am aware that many of you like to follow my exploits within the trade sector journals within which, I frequently have my articles published. If you follow the link you will see a full length version of themost recent editorial featured in SMT. I had published a segment of this feature in an earlier blog:

Baroness Ruth Henig

When Baroness Ruth Henig was selected for her post as Chairman of the SIA, she duly completed a tour of 50 Companies within the Security Guarding sector, cementing her image of grassroot concern and inward investment. She paid a visit to A.A. Security Ltd at our Head office September 2007 and we did not get a change to publicise the esteemed visit of such an influential and key player for change resolution within our industry. Baroness Henig has remained true to her word and continues to listen to the concerns of the organisations under her remit, having created extensive consultative opportunities for industry and wider stakeholder participation - with her strong focus on facilitating tangible change using her position leverage. A true hero for our industry and long may she continue to enjoy her role....!

On the right is our Operations Manager Muhammad Shoaib and the child in the picture is Hannah Chowdhry my daughter - as you can see she enjoyed Baroness Henig's visit as much as I!

SIA Approved Contractor Forum!

I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the SIA forum held yesterday on Thursday 30th July 2009. At the forum the SIA presented updates on progress with enforcements, potential changes to the training remit that will be phased in for the re-licensing programme in 2011, informed us of Business licensing for the Vehicle Immobilisation industry and delivered their recent in-house security review. I met with Alan Shepherd Director of the ACS standard and Nick Smith Assistant Director Government and Legal (inset picture). To be honest, I felt quit bewildered in the presence of such elevated, revered and esteemed company!

While talking to Andrew Shephard he informed me of ongoing review of the existing Strategy and Standards Group which could be termed a consultative, steering or scrutiny group for the ACS standard. This was an addition to the existing ACS process of engagement that I often clamoured for and remember many discussions with Andrew Shepherd in my ambition to have one set up. A member of the current group has left opening the door for a new entrant and a potential reassessment of membership.

Unfortunately, when the group was formed, even though I put my name forward and was one of only 48 companies to complete the In-house review questionnaire - I was absent when the invitations were distributed. However, I have persisted to stake my claim to a position on the panel in view of the regular insight I share with the industry via my articles in Trade sector Gazettes, commitment to attending SIA led meetings and the fact that I would be the only Asian member of a panel in which the number of Asian companies is significantly increasing. I was left out of the initial scheme due to proportionate representation during its initial phase, perhaps this very requirement will see my inclusion in this potential review...?

Meeting with Nick Smith was both pleasant and revealing. We discussed the differences between the South African and UK Security legislation in which he clarified that although the South African breed of SIA undertake In-house Security licensing, it is much driven by the need for criminality checks in an industry for which the use of guns is the norm. This was a very fair point, he also advised that in my recent article on the In-house review I made a few errors which I feel obliged to amend:

Firstly, the Secretary of State for the Home Office (the Home Secretary) ratified the In-house review and not the Secretary for Work and Pensions.

Secondly, section 7.1 of the RCC sets out the responsibilities on organisations such as the SIA to undertake analysis of the benefit of data requests with explicit consideration to “other sources”. This means that the SIA is required to ensure as far as is reasonably possible that it is not requiring regulated entities to provide information to them which those entities have already provided to other such similar regulatory bodies.

Thirdly section 24(6)b of the RRA places a responsibility on a Minister of the Crown (the Authority) to consult before making an Order in relation to the RCC, or those bodies who are subject to it (the RCC) - however I would like to add, if our Secretary of State Lord Mandellson is expected to undertake such research why should such impetus be overlooked by our Regulatory body the SIA...?

We were all a little tight lipped in the first photo, however, after a few chuckles and a joke or two - all three of us made merry before parting....

A Stake In National Security

A. A. Security now has a proud 3 year tradition of providing security to the Ministry of Defence at their Abingdon Barracks and North Luffenham Barracks. Contracts of this type are amongst the most difficult to secure within the Public Sector as the branch of the MOD responsible for the tender process "Commercial in Confidence" undertake a very stringent investigative analysis of the organisations approaching them for work. The mandatory Finance Audits, Quality Assurance testing and Health and Safety analysis required for most public sector contracts are only part of a process that is elongated by requirement and meticulous in detail. For instance when completing the tender documentation for these contracts in the initial phase and in the second phase the MOD made it compulsory that organisations tendering endorse a commitment to professionally develop all potential employees to be deployed on site to a full NVQ level 2 standard. Some might say this is no real landmark, however this learning stipulation places the MOD in excess of many other commercial and public sector organisations and sets a rather refreshing precedent - something many of you will be aware that I have been championing for our industry in its entirety - an opportunity in the re-licensing of officers has been overlooked/missed by our Industry regulators the SIA!

The contract also required organisations to demonstrate their Environmental, Innovation and Technology and Corporate social responsibility practices. This recognition of the need to reduce the collective Carbon Footprint is an element of the process that should be hailed and the very fact an organisation not conventionally expected to be concerned with miasma - they are taking a lead role is filtering out insouciant companies and cascading a message of responsibility. I can confirm that the SIA have improved their Approved Contractor scheme to incorporate a stronger focus on these items.