What is an Independent Security Consultant?
Essentially, this person is an expert in the Security field who has gained vast amounts of knowledge about security, risk, and crime over the years. He keeps up to date with the latest security-related developments to be able to consult, assess, explain, and give advice. This person is not affiliated with anyone in the security field, such as service providers, installers, sales, etc.
This means that the Consultant will not sell or install any security hardware or software. He will also not provide any security-related services such as guarding or patrolling.
In short, this individual is independent and ONLY consults and advises on security matters.
An Independent Security Consultant is not the buddy that you play golf with on a Sunday, or braai with on a Saturday evening. It is not someone you know in the police force, and it is not the friendly guy from the Security Company.
To classify oneself as an Independent Security Consultant, you should have a consultancy and at least 20 years of experience in the security field. Furthermore, this individual will also have experience in actual crime scenes. He would have interviewed victims as well as criminals to understand them better.
A deep understanding of the law, experience in policing, as well as knowledge about security hardware: form the foundation of such a consultant. The most important aspect is that this individual will have experience conducting Security Risk Assessments.
An Independent Security Consultant will conduct an Independent Security Risk Assessment. When it comes to a Security Risk Assessment, this person will conduct a thorough and in-depth investigation into your security status. He will advise and recommend solutions based on the identified risks.
Important: The Consultant does not form part of the solution.
It is vital to be able to distinguish between an Independent Consultant and a Consultant that is affiliated with another company. Nowadays, every Tom, Dick, and Harry refers to themselves as a ‘Consultant’.
An Independent Consultant is unbiased. He does not gain anything from selling or installing a specific product. His advice is professional and honest. He does not have to fear that he will lose a contract or get bullied for identifying something as a security risk, even if management does not like to hear it.
An Independent Consultant will also have written and published several articles voicing his independence, the importance thereof, educating people about security, as well as sharing his opinions and beliefs regarding security.
It is easy to say something to a client who does not understand security. However, it is an entirely different ballgame when the same information is published in magazines where thousands of people, including security experts, all over the world have access to it.
Security is much more than just hardware, and an Independent Security Consultant will know that. He will also know when security needs to turn into safety.
Read more about: Andre Mundell, Independent security risk assessor
Written by Andre Mundell