SSAIB News

Following a day of SSAIB 25 celebrations on the second day of IFSEC, SSAIB are celebrating Surveillance Camera Day at IFSEC 2019.

SSAIB chief executive Alex Carmichael chairs one of the committees on behalf of the surveillance camera commissioner Tony Porter, so SSAIB were more than happy to commemorate Surveillance Camera Day 2019 throughtout the day at the SSAIB Lounge - on what was the conclusion of another successful IFSEC for the organisation.

With the surveillance camera code of practice in full focus at security's premier international event, SSAIB's lead auditor Stephen Grieve discusses the certification process for anyone wanting to become SSAIB approved for the scheme.

The Certification Journey

From the outset, we would encourage an applicant for certification against the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice to first complete the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) that is available to download as part of an online toolbox that is published on the Surveillance Camera Commissioner website, at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/launch-of-the-online-toolbox.

This will assist you greatly in establishing your level of preparedness for the certification process itself and help our auditor better understand your current approach.  Make certain that you specify what surveillance camera systems you are completing the SAT for – CCTV, Body Worn Video, Drone, ANPR or any combination of these.

The certification process is in two parts; an optional Step 1 Desktop Review, followed by a mandatory Step 2 on-site audit.  The focus of Step 1 is to establish the current level of conformance with the Code of Practice by a review of policies and procedures related to the surveillance camera system.

You will be asked to forward a copy of your SAT and any Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) or Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) that you may have previously completed, together with any policy documentation. The auditor may ask for additional information if clarification is required over the purpose and justification for the system or related matters.

You will be provided with a copy of the Desktop Review report that is submitted to the Surveillance Camera Commissioner. This will include any identified non-conformance, good practice or opportunities for improvement. If any non-conformance is identified, this will need to be corrected before a recommendation is made to the Surveillance Camera Commissioner to grant Initial Certification against the Code of Practice. Once this has been achieved, your initial certification is valid for 12 months.

Completion of the Step 1 Desktop Review is then followed by the Step 2 on-site audit of the system within those 12 months. If the Step 1 option has not previously been taken, then the applicant proceeds direct to Step 2 and will be asked to submit the same documentation that would have been asked for at Step 1.

The focus of Step 2 is to verify that policies and procedures relating to the surveillance camera system are being followed. This will include records in respect of the disclosure of images and day-to-day management of the scheme. Depending on the number of separate systems being included in the application - and their geographic spread - the Step 2 on-site audit may need to be conducted over two or more days. However, this will be discussed with the applicant and the Surveillance Camera Commissioner before agreeing an appropriate bespoke approach.

Again, you will be provided with a copy of the Step 2 audit report that is submitted to the Surveillance Camera Commissioner. Similarly, this will include any identified non-conformance, good practice or opportunities for improvement. As with the Step 1 Desktop Review, if any non-conformance is identified then this will require to be corrected before a recommendation is made to grant full certification.

Full certification is valid for a period of four years, subject to an annual Desktop Review or - for those more complex applications where a bespoke approach has previously been agreed - an annual on-site audit.

Full costings on the certification process can be obtained by calling our office on 0191 296 3242 or by emailing [email protected]. Should you prefer to have an informal discussion with our lead auditor, Stephen Grieve, please call him on 07870 336029.

SSAIB will be there for you during IFSEC International 2019 – as the leading security and fire certification body are celebrating SSAIB 25 with a Central Perk-themed lounge, based on the famous coffee shop in hit US sitcom Friends.

Having formed in the same year that Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe first graced our TV screens, SSAIB will be turning the clocks back to 1994 on stand IF2020 at the ExCel in London – between Tuesday June 18 and Thursday June 20 – as we look back at SSAIB maintaining the highest standards of certification for 25 years while paying homage to the iconic Central Perk coffee shop with this year’s SSAIB Lounge.

Following the fantastic success of the SSAIB Ice Bar 12 months ago, SSAIB sales and marketing manager Andrew Brown revealed that it was an easy decision to do something similar this year to celebrate a milestone anniversary for the certification body.

Andrew commented: “We had no doubt about having another SSAIB bar this year after the reaction we had to the SSAIB Ice Bar. We went back and forth with a few ideas in the office, before it was pointed out that SSAIB and Friends were both celebrating their 25th anniversaries this year.

“SSAIB are proud to be a helpful, friendly certification body that still maintains professional standards, so the penny dropped at that moment – as not only is it a popular show that has enjoyed a comeback of sorts recently on Netflix, Friends was synonymous with the characters sitting relaxing in their favourite coffee shop and we thought we could replicate that with a subtle nod to our shared birthday with this year’s theme.

“We have plenty of celebrations planned to mark our 25 years of excellence, so it would be great if we could enjoy the same amount of success as last year with the SSAIB Lounge, if not more.”

The SSAIB Lounge will not only be the setting for the organisation’s 25th birthday celebrations across all three days of the showpiece security event but – due to SSAIB being the hosts of the 2019 awards ceremony in September – it will also play host to the unveiling of this year’s Women in Security Awards on Wednesday June 19 at 4:30pm, which recognises the achievements of females working within the security sector.

With past and present both covered, SSAIB will also look to the future with our continued backing of the Engineers of Tomorrow competition at IFSEC. As one of the EoT stakeholders, SSAIB has cemented our support for the national apprentice competition – now in its 21st year – once again by assigning training manager Trevor Jenks, technical manager David Roscoe and Security Systems scheme manager Frank Smith to help with the organisation and judging of the three-day contest.

Having become effective on June 1, 2019, David Roscoe will also be on hand to discuss PD6662:2017 - and all of the changes that alarm installers need to be aware of – during his presentation in the The Future of Security Theatre at 3:50pm on the first day of the show.

Registered firms can also visit the SSAIB team at the SSAIB Lounge, have a drink and take the weight off their feet. Of course, SSAIB representatives will be on hand to speak to any interested parties who are looking to gain third-party certification, share industry updates and best practice guidance and answer any other questions that visitors to the stand might have regarding the SSAIB and the role it occupies in the security industry.

Should you wish to visit the Friends-inspired SSAIB Lounge, sponsored by RISCO Group, please register your place at IFSEC International 2019 at https://registration.n200.com/survey/1ssiw4dpq4ltz?actioncode=EXH280

SSAIB are once again celebrating a successful Installers Forum event – after our registered firms continued their fantastic support for annual meeting in the capital.

Demand was high for the BT Redcare-sponsored event – as the prestigious guest list was filled in just a few hours after registration opened, meaning that the auditorium at the prestigious BT Tower in London was packed out for the company’s 2019 showpiece occasion.

Those in attendance heard from SSAIB chief executive Alex Carmichael, who discussed the progress that had been made in the last 12 months – as well as looking back over the course of SSAIB’s 25 years, in celebration of our silver anniversary.

There was also an interesting panel session on IP transformation and its effect on the industry, where Alex was joined by BT Group’s senior product manager Phil Cain, BT Redcare general manager John Ware and a representative from the IASME Consortium. The latter followed up with an overview on Cyber Essentials and how it can help secure registered firms and their businesses, before BT Redcare’s account director Baz Choudhury informed the audience of the event host’s latest developments.

Lunch then took place upstairs in the revolving restaurant, which stands at 189 metres high – allowing our guests to enjoy unparalleled views of London as they ate.

SSAIB sales and marketing manager Andrew Brown was delighted with the event and the support it had received from SSAIB firms.

Andrew commented: “It’s great to have held yet another successful Installers Forum at the BT Tower. The success of these events really does depend on our firms and the turnout for this year’s event was fantastic to see.

“I’d like to thank every single person that attended, all of our speakers and our brilliant hosts at BT Redcare. The BT Tower isn’t open to the public, so it’s great to be able to give our guests an almost exclusive visit to the revolving restaurant that has some magnificent views of London.

“We always try to give firms help and advice whenever we visit them, be it here or during our regional meetings throughout the year. So, we hope we’ve given them something to think about with regards to apprenticeships and cyber security – as they’re aspects of business that sometimes get overlooked.

“If we can continue to help and support our firms, then these events are more than worth it.”

The second issue of SSAIB magazine The Standard has been released, with a bumper special issue having been compiled to celebrate the leading UKAS-accredited fire and security certification body’s 25th anniversary.

Copies of the 34-page birthday edition are been sent out alongside April’s issue of FSM – created by producers of The Standard, Western Business Publishing (part of the Nineteen group) – which SSAIB-registered firms should receive through the post this week.

The magazine focuses heavily on SSAIB 25, with chief executive Alex Carmichael and his predecessor – chairman Geoff Tate – both looking back at the organisation’s various achievements over the last quarter of a century. A timeline documenting the history of SSAIB graces the centre pages as well, alongside a number of archive images from the previous 25 years.

Training manager Trevor Jenks - who started working for the Security Services Association (SSA) before it was incorporated into the SSAIB – also gives his insight into the early days of SSAIB and where he sees it going in future, while Mark Peretti of SSAIB-registered firm MRP Alarms talks in-depth about his own long-standing association with the organisation in this year’s Under the Spotlight feature.

That’s not the only focus for this year’s magazine though, with a number of other important topics for our registered firms and the general public to be aware of.

One year on from the first issue of The Standard, Phil Cain - senior product manager, digital voice special services at BT - provides a key update on the modernisation of BT’s phone network and how their plans for a fully digital IP-based phone service by the end of 2025 could affect the fire and security industries.

BAFE chief executive Stephen Adams also makes a return to SSAIB’s annual magazine – as he discusses the ever-growing requirement for third-party certification in the fire detection and alarm sector.

Technical manager Dave Roscoe not only looks at how remote control of intruder alarm systems and CCTV from smartphones is making the purchase of a security system a lot less of a grudge purchase, but he provides his usual Setting the Standard update that provides an insight into the revisions of standards in the industry.

The traditional scheme updates from relevant scheme managers are also included, alongside the latest SSAIB news and a focus on some of the exhibitions and events that SSAIB 25 will be celebrated at in 2019.

Glen Maxwell, editor of The Standard, commented: “The feedback we received from last year’s edition was unbelievable and far surpassed anything that I could have imagined, so I’d like to thank every single person that got in touch to give their thoughts.

“There’s been a lot of work put into this year’s edition of the magazine – as, not only did it have to stand up to last year’s, we felt that it was important to honour such an important milestone as SSAIB celebrating 25 years of excellence in the right way.

“I feel that we’ve been successful in doing that and that’s in no small part down to the efforts of everyone that has contributed towards The Standard this year, so I hope that comes across when people start to read it. ”

The magazine will also be available to pick up at SSAIB’s regional meetings and all of the exhibitions that the certification body will be attending in 2019. For a full list of all of SSAIB’s events, please visit https://ssaib.org/calendar/.

SSAIB are delighted to announce that we will be officially opening the celebrations for SSAIB 25 at The Fire Safety Event, which is taking place on April 9-11, 2019 at the NEC in Birmingham.

In addition to the 25th anniversary celebrations already announced, SSAIB will be holding a free drinks reception on the first day of this year’s The Fire Safety Event to toast SSAIB 25. All SSAIB-registered firms - and any other visitors to the NEC in Birmingham that day - are welcome to join us in the VIP area of The Fire Safety Event at 3pm on Tuesday April 9.

SSAIB will also be hosting a free seminar at 2pm on Wednesday April 10 in the Security in Practice Theatre, inside The Security Event. The session is CPD accredited and focuses on recent changes to industry standards, with technical manager Dave Roscoe discussing PD 6662:2017 and how it affects your business.

In addition, you can visit the SSAIB on stand FS31, situated on the boundary between The Fire Safety Event and The Security Event. Stop by our stand for information on third-party certification for security installations for intruder alarms, access control and CCTV, each of the BAFE schemes we certify (SP 203 – Fire Detection and Alarm Systems, SP 101 – Maintenance of Portable Fire Extinguishers and SP 205 - Fire Risk Assessment) our manned services portfolio or any of the other certification schemes we currently operate.

Registration for The Fire Safety Event and The Security Event is completely free and the events are co-located with The Health & Safety Event and The Facilities Event.

Registering for one event will give you free access to all four exhibitions and seminar programmes, enabling you to make the most of your visit to the NEC. However, if you register as a visitor for The Security Event, you will also receive free parking onsite at the NEC.

To register via The Fire Safety Event, click here.

Alternatively, to register via The Security Event, click here.

Finally, for more information on the Fire Safety Event, please visit https://www.firesafetyevents.com/event.