Extending the reach of CSSC in 2018
Many people in business are members of the Cross-sector Safety and Security Communications (CSSC) initiative so they will already be aware of the benefits of this excellent initiative.
CSSC was established in London during the Olympics, as part of a process to keep business better informed with security information and this voluntary organisation has continued to build on the success of the original project.
A national roll-out of CSSC is currently underway, in partnership with National Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters (NCTPHQ), with the aim of making its security messages available to all business sectors and members of the public in the UK. The implementation is integrated with the Step Change initiatives to counter the recent upsurge in terrorism. CSSC is an initiative where authoritative security information is cascaded from a central hub to regional hubs and then onward to businesses within the region. Regional information can also be sent locally.
Since its inception six and a half years ago for London 2012, CSSC has developed into the principal communications vehicle for security-related messages. The original proposition remains the same: to provide timely, accurate, authoritative messages.
In line with NCTPHQ, there are eleven identified regions, namely: Eastern, South East, South West, Wales, East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West, Scotland, Northern Ireland and London (The Hub).
The ultimate goal is for each region to be linked to The Hub for distribution of centralised messages, as well as having the autonomy to send regionalised messages.
Each area will adopt the same governance model and delivery structure: there is a region-specific management board, including a NCTPHQ Detective Chief Inspector together with a local chair. Many of these chairs are now in place: The Eastern Region is chaired by Mark Duffy, Chairman of Dardan Security, and the South East Region is chaired by David Ward, Chief Executive of Ward Security. South West is chaired by Karen Ramirez and East Midlands by Andrew Nicholls.
CSSC is a registered charity, with a Board of Trustees, supported by a Consultative Board co-chaired by Sir David Veness and Commander Simon Bray. During the national roll-out, we will revisit the senior management structure to ensure adequate regional and strategic representation at the centre.
The regional operational teams of each hub include members who are seconded from both the public and private sectors. Secondee Ollie Giles from Alchemmy is developing Standard Operating Procedures and Mark Seston from CBRE is supporting the day-to-day running of The Hub.
The CSSC website, thecssc.com, was recently refreshed and revised with updated information. You can join via the website and find out more about CSSC and its work. The website also contains all the latest CSSC alerts and news.
Going forward, we are keen to ensure that everyone within an organisation receives the CSSC messages, where appropriate, and the original recipient knows how and when to pass on the different types of message. If you have any ideas or feedback on CSSC, its website and national implementation, please send them to our administrator whose details are on the site.
Personal and financial support from a number of individuals and organisations is vital to the CSSC. Particular thanks go to our auditors Wilkins / Kennedy supported by Sarah Johnson for auditing our accounts and liaising with the Charity Commission.
If you can support the CSSC in any way, please get in touch.
Don Randall, MBE
Deputy Chair of Trustees and Chair of Senior Management Team.
