INDUSTRY
NZSA CEO Update New Zealand Security Association CEO Gary Morrison discusses the Christchurch mosque attacks, security licensing for monitoring operators and electricians, and the recent conviction of an individual for operating security services without a licence.
Christchurch Terrorist Attack On Friday 15 March, New Zealand came face-to-face with an act of terrorism that most had assumed would never occur in our own country. The reality for many security professionals, however, is there has always been a knowledge and fear that our renowned “she’ll be right” attitude towards security left us vulnerable to some form of attack, and that it was only a matter of time before terrorism found its way to New Zealand. In the days immediately following the Christchurch mosque attacks I received calls from a number of colleagues who just wanted to talk about their feelings, particularly with regards to the discussions we had previously about the likelihood of such an event occurring, and to speculate on the possible
Gary Morrison, New Zealand Security Association CEO
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NZSM
ramifications for New Zealand and the New Zealand security industry. From a national perspective, there was consensus that our National Terrorism Threat Level would be set at ‘medium’ following a short time at the ‘high’ rating, and would not return to the previous ‘low’ rating for the foreseeable future. In conjunction with this there would be substantial pressure placed on Police and government agency resourcing and the need to prioritise their activities both short and longer term. A further challenge, particularly for government agencies, will be how they can effectively monitor potential threats given the State Services Commission inquiry into the use of external security consultants and the legal and ethical issues around intrusive surveillance techniques. There was also a clear view that the terrorist attack would create an immediate increase in demand for security services, particularly for security officers, but that in many ways the reaction would be of a knee-jerk nature rather than informed decisions based around the risk profile of customers and the need for considered and integrated security plans and systems. Some five weeks after the event, I can look back at our discussions at the time and say that we were pretty much on the mark. The challenge for the industry now is how do we play our part in creating a more risk aware society where security becomes an important consideration across our every-day lives, but without significantly impeding on the social freedoms that New Zealand so much enjoys and values.
As an example of how we can add value, myself and members of our Risk Management Special Interest Group are working with Auckland Emergency Management (the old Civil Defence) to host a forum for all mosques in Auckland to discuss how they can effectively improve their internal security measures as police resourcing is gradually removed. We are also involved in positive discussions with the NZ Police as to how we can improve two-way intelligence sharing and in particular, how we can gain improved recognition and utilisation of private security staff in matters of national security. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) report Safety in Numbers: Australia’s private security guard force and counterterrorism published last year has direct correlations to New Zealand and provides a pathway for improved public/private security cooperation and ultimately, increased public safety. I hope that we will be able to expand on our discussions and tangible developments over the next few months. Licensing for Monitoring Operators The amendment to the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators (Minimum Training) Regulations 2018 originally scheduled for 01 April 2019, has now been delayed until 01 May 2019. The change will confirm that Monitoring Operators are required to be licensed under the Property Guard classification in the Act but will exempt them from being required to complete the Minimum Training Units as a requirement for obtaining their licence. As part of this process, there will be some changes to the Certificate of
June/July 2019
