Richard Jenkins, Chief Executive, National Security Inspectorate (NSI) on priorities for security in 2022
We asked Richard Jenkins, Chief Executive, National Security Inspectorate (NSI): What are your priorities for security, for individuals, organisations and public sector organisations, for 2022 and the next five to ten years?
Reducing false alarms and ensuring effective protection of people and property from unwanted intruders go hand in hand. We’ve come a long way from the days of insurers viewing burglary as their single biggest cost item and the police responding more often than not to false rather than genuine alarms. It’s a great success story, but one still ripe for further improvements in deterrence and police effectiveness in apprehending perpetrators.
A newly revised BS 8418:2021 ‘Design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of detector-activated video surveillance systems (VSS) – Code of practice’ is the fresh catalyst. Introducing fundamental change, this new standard will appeal to many by putting properties protected by a Remote Video Response Centre (RVRC) onto police response, where previously it was not an option.
In addition to previously police-recognised systems, now known as ‘Type A+’ (those well suited to higher risk commercial, industrial, military and similar sites), a new ‘Type A’ classification in BS 8418:2021 is set to attract premises managers as well as owner/occupiers with simpler installation technology requirements.
Allocations of police URNs to third-party surveillance monitored sites will increase significantly, as buyers and operators of sites on 24/7 detector-activated CCTV monitored systems understand the attractive cost/benefit BS 8418:2021 ‘Type A’ represents in summoning police response.
