The South African Institute of Security (SAIS) hosted its first lunch seminar for 2013 at JP Morgan in Illovo in February. The event featured a presentation from Johan Du Plooy, an experienced security risk management professional, a founding group senior partner of the Gibraltar registered Temi Group, a former president of SASA, ex-chairman of the board of governors of SAIS and chairman of SASFED. He is currently the ASIS International senior regional vice president for southern Africa.
Du Plooy’s presentation focused on whether standards can improve a security risk management programme. In his presentation, he maintains that standards within a security risk management programme should serve as a compass. “A standard gives us a guideline. That standard helps us to prevent different types of risks. But first we need to understand the risks. These risks can be defined by simply looking at the ISO’s rules and guidelines,” he said.
ISO rules and regulations were established by International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). ISO9001 is the base standard. Du Plooy said company owners need to ask themselves two questions:
1. If they are really practicing these rules, guidelines and standards?
2. Are they excelling or improving in the standards?
The important factor is implementing all the accurate standards that come with the certification, a process that can take over a year. “And to achieve that, companies need to put much focus on training. But, this chain is normally preceded by a good investment in the company for it to be a success,” he adds.
Du Plooy’s presentation stresses that it is “significant that local companies adopt the ISO standard system because that will help them to compete internationally and improve their security risk management system. And the training will help to minimise the imminent pitfalls that may immerge in the near future.”
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programme
As a result of the new legislation passed by Parliament and facilitated by SAQA to professionalise the various industries in South Africa. The South African Institute of Security (SAIS) has decided to launch the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme. The programme will help establish a professional body for the security industry in the near future.
Errol Peace, chairman of The Board of Governors of SAIS, says, “To create and register a professional body, as a prerequisite, SAQA requires that you have an existing CPD programme. The planned professional body for the security industry will focus on the professional side of our security industry. It will be effective as it will be made up of qualified and efficient personnel that have been through the CPD programme,” he says.
The primary focus of the CPD’s seminar programme will be to expose members to thinking and experience of experts and technology, designed to expand their knowledge and skills through informing them of the latest developments and trends. Peace states that SAIS’s first lunch on standards was a good example of what is to come in terms of activities.
“The CPD programme will only be available to the members of the institute. For members to remain part of the CPD, they will have to accumulate a certain number of points through continuous participation in the institute’s planned activities, like coming with relevant topics/suggestions for some seminars etc. However, the most significant impact that the CPD is going to impart on the security industry is to encourage and maintain the level of professional development and service in the industry,” concluded Peace.
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