Designed to draw on the combined skills and expertise of the security community, the Total Security Summit returned once again this year bigger and better than ever. Taking place on March 14th & 15th at the outstanding Radisson Blu, London Stansted; the event brought the industry’s key figures together for two days of match made face-to-face meetings, interactive seminars and endless networking opportunities.

Unlike trade shows and exhibitions, attendance to the Total Security Summit is strictly limited to senior security professionals and the most innovative product and service providers in the industry ensuring no time is wasted. Maximising productivity, the Total Security Summit team uses a unique matchmaking formula to bring like-minded delegates and suppliers together for a series of face-to-face meetings. Allowing delegates and suppliers to get to know one another on a personal level, after all evidence confirms we are much more likely to do business with companies we have met face-to-face.

This year’s event was therefore unsurprising well-attended by some of our biggest household names including American Express, easyJet, the Post Office, Sainsbury’s, the University of Cambridge, amongst many others.

Product and service suppliers were carefully handpicked based on the security requirements of attending delegates. Hosting the likes of ATEC Security, Crimestoppers, Gallagher Security, Honeywell, Nedap, Sony Europe, TRAKA and many more; this year’s event covered all angles of security from CCTV and access control to education and training.

On top of this, here at the Total Security Summit, we welcome some of the most prominent industry influencers including ISMI, Security Institute, Loss Prevention Magazine, ASIS International, RISK UK, 1st Security News, Security Cleared Jobs, Copybook and HJA to share their skills, knowledge and expertise.

We kicked off this year’s event with an interactive group session with Sony Europe’s Marc Roth shedding his wisdom on camera systems of the future. Marc discussed the impact of the ever-increasing megapixels offered by cameras and what this can mean for security. Touching on concerns over bandwidth and frame rate limitations to higher megapixel cameras, the CCTV expert provided realistic solutions to problems faced by many security professionals today.

Marc did a great job at mentally preparing the crowd us for a busy two days. Over the course of day one, delegates and suppliers got together to discuss potential security threats and solutions through our face-to-face meetings, networking breaks and over a delicious lunch at the Radisson Blu’s Filini Restaurant.

To finish the day off, we had a choice of two seminars the first with ASIS International’s David Clark and the second with the National Security Screening Agency’s Paul Wallis. David joined us to discuss the challenges presented by securing a dedicated facility, highlighting the risks and threats involved. Next, Paul presented an introduction to security screening personnel; focusing on the screening process and the problems it may entail.

After a busy day and a short break, it was finally time for some fun! With a handful of relaxed networking opportunities over our gala dinner, drinks and some evening entertainment; we ensure attendees get to know each other that little bit better. We had a fun-filled evening in store for our guests; a Fun Money Casino, a Reaction Board and to top it all off an F1 Simulator Competition. Everyone had a great time and got stuck in battling to win a bottle of champagne!

The next day, we were all up bright and early – ready for another productive day. To start the day off, David Thorp from the Security Institute presented a group session on avoiding the spectre of skills extinction; touching on how the nature of CPD is rapidly changing and how security professionals can keep their skills up-to-date in an industry that is constantly changing.

After a thought-provoking seminar, it was time for another set of face-to-face meetings and some much-needed coffee breaks! A lot of positive interaction went on during the final business meetings of the day and everyone was pleased with the contacts they had made. We had a final networking lunch and before we knew it, it was time to go back to the office but this time armed with a handful of useful contacts.

Accurately described as the “best event in the industry” by long-serving attendees Nedap; the Total Security Summit has long established itself as the primary place for security professionals to get their fix on the latest industry trends, updates and innovations. After another positive two days, the Total Security Summit has firmly re-established its position as market leader.

Roger Holden, Director of Business Development at Crimestoppers comments on this year’s event;

“This has been an extremely productive use of our time with the opportunity of meeting potential buyers under one roof over a day and half, we made some very useful contacts. It was also a valuable opportunity to gauge our market, trends and our offerings.”

The next Total Security Summit will be taking place on October 17th & 18th 2016 at Whittlebury Hall Hotel, Northampton. For the next event, expect even more seminars covering a broad range of topics relevant to security professionals today. To book your place onto this event or to register your interest, please click here.

Follow @TSSummit on Twitter for the latest event updates.

Moves to substitute volunteers for fully trained police officers are “ill-thought out” and will make serving the public harder for the police, according to comments from a police body.

The Home Office plans to reform the powers and roles of police staff and volunteers — or special constables as they’re known. The Policing and Crime Bill will, for the first time, a give volunteers powers without becoming special constables and will also set out the core list of powers only available to a police constable.

Steve White, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “We and our members understand the need for further police reform. However, the British public deserves and expects a properly resourced, professional and fully accountable police service to keep them safe in these dangerous times. We have seen no convincing arguments on the need to provide powers above or beyond those that already exist to police staff and volunteers.”

Home Secretary Theresa May retorted: “Police officers across the country carry out a wide range of duties, keeping the public safe and ensuring justice for the most vulnerable members of society. We value the essential role they play, but they cannot do this on their own. We want to help forces to create a more flexible workforce, bring in new skills and free up officers’ time to focus on the jobs only they can carry out.”

The number of deaths on the UK’s railways reached an all-time high of 332 last year despite a record-breaking eighth consecutive year without a fatal accident involving trains, according to safety figures. The shocking statistic points to the perpetual problem of rail trespassing, something National Rail says it is tackling through awareness programmes.

Not including the tragic human cost, the stats also reveal trespassing costs the rail networks millions of pounds a year due to graffiti, litter, fly-tipping and vandalism to fences, signs and tracks. Clearly, the issue is a constant thorn in the side of the UK’s rail industry. The problem is further exacerbated by the notoriously ineffective communication between network cameras, analytics software and network recorders.

Companies like Panasonic are innovating to help the rail industry, using fixed visual cameras as well as thermal cameras. Equipped with a ‘visual zone intrusion’ detection and loitering recognition, the cameras are able to create a picture of a trespasser’s behaviour and can also provide a recorded audible warning to those pinpointed as trespassing. Alerts are raised so that station staff can take appropriate action.

It is hoped with further cooperation between the rail and security technology industries, the staggering number of lives lost on British railways will begin to decline in the very near future.

For all the pros associated with the commercial and practical uses of drones – or UAVs – there have been a lot of cons to weigh up in recent months in terms of public perception. Drones have offered a huge technological leap in surveillance for security personnel but without adhering to the correct guidelines and regulations, organisations could be getting themselves into hot water.

Examples just last year – including unrest during a Serbia v. Albania football match involving a drone and unidentified UAVs flying over seven French nuclear plants – highlight how unfettered usage can damage the reputation of an otherwise extremely useful tool. And considering strict restrictions on drone usage, to which security firms are bound do exist, questions have to be asked if not all of them stick to the rules.

That being said, with the correct enforcement of these regulations and a better public image, the use of drones could and should become an integral part of security operations. Indeed, more than £14 million was allocated by the government earlier this year to create a new drone police force across the UK. Clearly, with the right ‘PR’ campaign, there is no reason why the number of operational drones in the UK and across Europe cannot continue to rise exponentially.

They’re renowned as the most prolific jewellery thieves of all time. Having pulled off some of the most daring heists in criminal history in cities the world over – including London, Tokyo and Dubai — the Pink Panthers are thought to be behind diamond thefts worth nearly £350 million. Needless to say, the gang has now become a high-profile target for law enforcement agencies across the globe and the capture and charging of any Pink Panther member is regularly headline news.

This month, INTERPOL hosted its latest gathering of international law enforcement agents in Montenegro as part of its ‘Project Pink Panthers’, which was launched back in 2007. The combining of international police forces and building a database of DNA, fingerprints and photos has enabled law enforcement agencies to successfully identify, locate and arrest hundreds of suspected Pink Panthers members.

Of course, not all gangs are as sophisticated as the Panthers but the onus is still on all jewellery stores to protect themselves as best they can; security is something which costs the UK jewellery industry an estimated £210 million a year. From forensic gel to smoke screen technology, from indestructible doors to intensive staff training — introducing security systems and procedures goes a long way to enabling jewellers to reduce the number of violent crimes currently affecting the industry.

Business leaders have called for urgent action to tackle cyber-crime after an attack on Talk Talk, which saw millions of its customers’ accounts and personal details compromised.  Despite a number of the company’s customers reporting their bank accounts targeting, currently it is understood no losses have so far deemed directly attributable to the attack on the phone and broadband services provider.
UK security officials suggest the attack on TalkTalk was likely to have been perpetrated by a criminal organisation using techniques that were readily available among hackers, raising questions about the sophistication of TalkTalk’s digital defences.
Consumers attention soon turned to the public handling of the event, following the company’s refusal to waive early-exit charges for those who wished to end contacts early following the attack. Former home office minister Hazel Blears said the TalkTalk data breach was “a wake-up call”. She said it should prompt a debate about whether further regulation was needed “because this is probably the biggest threat to our economy”.
This incident is the third time this year that Talk Talk has been targeted by hackers. Google and McAfee estimate there are 2,000 cyber attacks every day around the world, costing the global economy about £300bn a year.