What it means to be a Chartered Security Professional (CSyP)

Most Chartered Security Professionals (CSyPs) will consider the benefits of becoming a CSyP before they even begin to start the application process. ‘What’s in it for me?’ is a fair question. Carl Dakin highlights the value to the registrant, their professional contacts and the wider security industry.

Experience is important, but having done something for 30 years is not necessarily a sure mark of quality. Likewise, a newly gained qualification does not confirm a deeply embedded competence.

However, a security professional that has a balance of theoretical knowledge gained through formal training and academic study combined with experience that has been developed over time, has become known as a ‘pracademic’, which is a good way to describe someone that understands what they do and why.

Understanding the theory that underpins much of what a security professional does in their role will enable them to understand ‘why’ they do something. The application of security in practice is ‘what’ they do, and so it is easy to see that someone can be familiar with either the ‘why’ or the ‘what’ and still be able to function, but a fully rounded security professional has a solid grasp of both. Thinking critically is woven into everything a ‘pracademic’ does and should be underpinned by industry best practice and evidence. The result is a security professional that should be using, promoting and developing industry best practice, and providing the very best of third-party assurance.

Becoming a CSyP is the ‘gold standard’ in security professional endorsement in the UK. Having been peer assessed to ensure the requisite standards are fulfilled across five separate assessment criteria requires effort for all that apply.

However, a professional register that currently has 318 registrants, with 84% operating in the UK and the remainder spread across much of the world, demonstrates a growing international community of like-minded professionals that is gaining international recognition and worthy of the effort required to gain admission.

The CSyP application process is relatively straightforward, though scrutiny from a group of one’s peers can be daunting. Security professionals with the relevant academic qualifications are invited to apply via the ‘standard pathway’ and those without academic qualifications can apply via the ‘individual pathway’, where they will have the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and experience by writing three essays – 6,000 – 8,000 words in total. The individual pathway is offered in the spirit of ‘access to all’, though the applicant will need to fully exploit the process if they are to demonstrate critical thinking and professional writing standards expected at CSyP level.

All applicants are required to submit a written application that is assessed by three independent CSyP document assessors. A successful submission leads to an interview with a panel of three CSyP; at least one interviewer will have first-hand knowledge of the applicant’s working sector. Interviews are conducted as a professional discussion following a 10-minute presentation by the applicant.

A professional endorsement at Chartered level comes with an element of rigour, so applicants should expect to discuss a wide range of common topics, such as risk, threat, and vulnerability. The whole process is monitored and invigilated by a Registrar and two deputy Registrars, to ensure quality of assessment and equity.

The CSyP register provides a high level of professional endorsement, something for all security professionals to aspire to, and complements the security industry ,professional pathway, irrespective of the specific sector or security specialism. CSyPs represent a broad church and so the register is open to anyone operating within the industry at CSyP level.

CSyP endorsement is becoming more widely known within the international security community, but also beyond the industry. For example, some insurers are requesting clients to commission Chartered professionals to undertake specific tasks, and so the third-party assurance is beginning to add significant value to what it means to be a CSyP.

For more information about CSyPs and the ,assessment process, visit our website at: www.charteredsecurityprofessional.org

Carl Dakin QGM MSc. CSyP FSyI

Deputy Registrar, Register of Chartered Security Professionals