International Security Officers Day: Why Celebrating Our Frontline Matters

Our security officers are the backbone of what we do at ProFM.

That’s a statement we’ve echoed time and time again across what we do, and have aimed to champion with our own internal awards, as well as with every opportunity we have across the wider calendar to celebrate these incredible professionals.

Whether that’s as part of the Approved Contractor Scheme’s Pacesetters initiative (something we’ve long been advocates of) or under the wider Security Industry Authority (SIA) umbrella, officers across our sector deserve that recognition. They drive forward the standards of our sector, and play a crucial role in public safety and changing perceptions.

We’re proud to have a governing body in the SIA that shares those ideologies, and their recent commemoration of International Security Officers’ Day offered concrete reinforcement of what we’ve always sought to take forward.

They pose it with the tagline “Skilled For Safety” and for us, that’s the root of what a good security officer does – they’re trained and deployed to deliver protection, crime prevention and peace of mind.

It serves as a powerful reminder, too.

Security Isn’t Just A Job – It’s A Vocation

This is a crucial thing to remember. All security officers on the frontline undergo that same licensing process, and, while it equips them with all the necessary training to deliver a professional service, it’s a reminder that they’re choosing a career path that places them in a position where protection is part and parcel of the role.

For our Chief Executive Officer, John Melling, that’s where the core of the role lies – in delivering protection and delivering it with expertise, professionalism and passion.

“Our security officers are brought on for their commitment and their tenacity – it’s a key part of delivering continuous service excellence. I’ve been on the frontlines of security myself as a Door Supervisor, and I’ve seen firsthand the lengths security officers go to to ensure that our clients, customers and visitors stay secure, stay safe and, most importantly, feel safe.”

It comes back to the idea of celebrating our security officers, something we were honoured to be able to do quite recently as part of the International Professional Security Association (ISPA) Awards, with our officer Barry Higgins securing one of their prestigious Hall of Fame awards.

Barry’s win there represents so much that’s good about the frontlines of our sector, and it acts as a firm reminder why it’s important – especially in an industry that’s so often viewed as a background element of the places and premises we visit – to recognise, celebrate and reward those who take this vocation with the seriousness it deserves.

The Significance Of Recognition

Seeing what our officers do and rewarding them fairly has multiple, often-unrecognised benefits. Not only does recognition in our sector allow for our officers to grow and thrive in what can be a competitive job market, but it’s also a catalyst in bringing standards higher.

We talked earlier about how security is a vocation, and being recognised as part of that is essential in driving forward with personal growth. We’ve seen it firsthand in our Circle of Excellence Awards, 75% of which are given to frontline staff. That’s an initiative that’s been cascaded from the top down.

John puts it best. “Our Circle of Excellence Awards are, for me, one of our biggest successes. We know we have incredible people on our frontlines at ProFM, and while it’d be amazing to visit them all, it’s not always possible. That doesn’t mean they don’t do incredible things every day, and that we can’t do our very best to recognise that.”

It’s proven to be an effective way forward for the business, too. Our officers are equipped to do well and rewarded for doing so, and that’s meant leading scores across the ACS audit, as well as consistent retention of our key accreditations.

It all becomes cyclical. Security officers undertake crucial duties every single day, from protection at retail stores to overnight coverage at industrial parks, and by recognising the work that goes into what they do, we gain so much clarity on what can be achieved with the right management, direction, and focused leadership.

Ultimately, though, what it all boils down to is thanking the people who do all they can to protect us. Business benefits and better work rates aside, our security officers do an incredibly important job, and recognising that is just as important.