BAPSC Annual Conference - Preliminary Notification

The 2009 British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC) Annual Conference will focus on the operations and regulation of the industry and the current challenges it faces. The one day conference on 20th October 2009 will feature a mix of panel discussions and keynote speeches addressing issues such as the current status of regulation in the UK, the necessity for an International Code of Conduct, the legal implications involved in the provision of maritime security services and the interaction of the industry with other sectors.

The BAPSC's Annual Conference is the premier event of the private security industry and in particular of those that operate overseas. The Conference will also address the challenges the industry faces with the ever increasing demand for its services in countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Association will welcome attendance and participation from the private sector, the government and the military worldwide, international agencies and NGO's, those companies working in the development sector, the media and academia.

The Conference will take place at theRoyal Institute of British Architects, Portland Place, London, W1 on Tuesday, 20 th October 2009

Details of how to register will appear on the website in late August.

Private Security Companies are indeed essential partners in challenging environments

Thankfully, wars and violent conflicts are decreasing. But the environments in which businesses, nation-builders and humanitarians must operate grow ever more insecure. The tragic consequences of the bomb outside the UN offices in Baghdad are with us still. Those of the bombing of the UN offices in Algeria are now unfolding. Seen from the outside the obvious temptation is to give up.

From the inside that is simply not an option. It would condemn untold millions to hardship and suffering. And history has taught us that there are no long term advantages in policies of appeasement. Risk mitigation is the only option, and Private Security Companies are the partners who can help. The image may be of Rambo riding into town with his shotgun. The reality is of painstaking analysis and patient preparation – with the objective of permitting the client, whether a Government, an NGO, a media outlet or a corporation to achieve its objectives in harmony with the local community. The PSC industry is here to stay – and rightly so. But it is equally right that it should observe the highest possible standards, and that it should indeed be observed to do so.

That is why the British Association of Private Security Companies was created. It was the leading members of the industry coming together and saying “yes, we do want transparency; yes, we do want dialogue; and most importantly, yes, we do want standards – and we are ready to be held accountable.”

The British industry has a global outreach and is globally acclaimed for the quality of the services it offers. It is committed to operate responsibly, to obey all laws, and to work vigorously to eliminate abuses of any description. No industry can ever be exempt from problem incidents.

That is simply the consequence of human nature and human failings. What matters is that the industry recognises this, and is ready to work with anyone and everyone in their quest to meet the highest possible standards.

Andy Bearpark, Director General, BAPSC: Forward to BAPSC Yearbook

The British Association of Private Security Companies: A Year in Review

The British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC) have published their first "Yearbook", with an introduction by Sir Malcolm Rifkind KMCG, QC; Non-Executive Chairman, ArmorGroup International plc.

"I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to write the preface to the BAPSC’s first Yearbook. Its publication confirms the private security industry’s growing maturity and serves to remind all of us of the widespread benefits the industry can offer to organisations operating in difficult environments around the world and to essential reconstruction in post-conflict situations.

This was certainly a year of success for the UK-based industry, and it should also have been a year of significant change: following an excellent first BAPSC Annual Conference in October 2006, we hoped and believed that the BAPSC’s pressure on the UK Government for meaningful regulation was finally going to result in action. Following the second Annual Conference it now seems that we are moving closer to a sensible regulatory framework as this important initiative has finally received the focus that it deserves from the relevant Government departments. The BAPSC will continue to encourage the Government to take this issue seriously but it still behoves the members of the BAPSC to deliver, unilaterally, on their stated commitment to improving standards and transparency. I trust that BAPSC members will not use any final Government delays as an excuse to avoid improvement: if members are to protect their reputations and their businesses they must be able to prove to the outside world that unimpeachable standards are an integral part of their operations.

As the BAPSC associate membership continues to broaden, now incorporating medical and insurance specialists amongst other disciplines, and as the more established companies diversify their operational footprints the Association has had to address a wide range of new issues. Following the deeply sad and frustrating news from Iraq in September it has become even more important for the BAPSC to engage with interested parties, from NGOs to academia, to ensure they are aware that this is a reputable industry without which little reconstruction or commercial activity would be viable in the world’s more unstable states.

I congratulate Andy Bearpark and his team for the work they have done, and continue to do, in spreading that message.

The UK private security industry continues to grow primarily thanks to the continued professionalism and dedication of its employees who face daily challenges in often hostile conditions with bravery and fortitude. I would like to pay tribute to them and to those who work so hard to ensure that they receive the support they require while on operations and on their return home.

2007 may have been a frustrating year in some respects but it was heartening in others. I hope the articles included within this yearbook give you a better understanding of the spread of the services the BAPSC membership offers and give you an insight into the direction in which we believe the industry is moving."