Electronic Services
Access & Asset Protection
The British Security Industry Association’s Access and Asset Protection Section brings together companies involved in areas of security which share a close affinity; i.e. those providing physical products to stop unwanted people from accessing property or valuables with the electronic measures that can, optionally, control them.
The section includes member companies involved in the manufacture, supply and installation of solutions that restrict, control and monitor the movement of people, assets or vehicles in, out and around a building or site. This includes physical protection methods, such as security doors, fencing, locks, barriers, safes and strong rooms, rising screens, etc and the electronic access control systems that control them and allow authorised persons in and keep undesired people out.
Alarm Receiving Centres
The BSIA Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) section was created in 2022 to bring together companies operating within the ARC value chain. This encompasses not only ARCs themselves, but also providers of ARC related services, such as software platform authors and signalling/connectivity providers.
The ARC marketplace is going through transition, for example with the migration to an All-IP telephone network and increased adoption of cloud technologies.
This section brings together a diverse range of viewpoints to help drive the ARC marketplace forwards, helping ensure best practice is adopted and end users appreciate the value of a monitored solution.
Lone Worker
The BSIA's Lone Worker Section consists of BSIA members who specialise in providing lone worker safety products and services to customers from a wide range of industry backgrounds.
More than six million people in the UK work either in isolation or without direct supervision, often in places or circumstances that put them at potential risk.
A wide variety of organisations and industry sectors employ people whose jobs require them to work or operate alone, either regularly or occasionally.
Almost by definition, lone working can be both intimidating and at times dangerous, so the protection of lone workers involves a twofold approach; not only to provide safeguards but also to offer reassurance to the people involved.
Security Equipment Manufacturers
BSIA manufacturers are at the forefront of developing technology, producing a wide variety of products for applications in commercial, residential and industrial environments. The function of these systems, which include intruder detection, CCTV and access control, is to deliver the benefits of effective security, which are to prevent, deter, detect and provide evidence.
A major focus of the Manufacturers Section is to ensure that appropriate standards are produced for the sector. A key challenge has been working to ensure that European standards for components such as detectors, sensors and control panels meet the requirements of UK customers and manufacturers.
Security Systems
BSIA Security Systems companies are involved in the installation and monitoring of intruder alarm systems.
The approach of the Police and insurers has a major impact on procedures that installers have to follow, and general public attitudes towards alarm systems. Consequently, the BSIA spends a great deal of time liaising with organisations such as the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Association of British Insurers and the Insurers Property Crime Research Group.
The BSIA also has a close involvement in standards development for intruder alarms systems, and works with inspection and accreditation bodies to ensure that the industry’s needs are met.
An important recent issue has been ensuring that European standards relating to installation are effectively introduced into the inspection process and communicated to the industry and its customers.
Specialist Services
The BSIA’s Specialist Services Section is the Association’s newest section of membership, officially launched in November 2013. The section consists of members that offer specialist services including Close Protection, Technical Surveillance Counter Measures, Surveillance, IT Forensics, Cyber Security and Security Consulting including Critical National Infrastructure.
The section was created in light of the growing international reputation of the UK security sector and its products and services, particularly within the area of specialist security. As well as operating as an overall section, the new section also hosts a number of specialist working groups, allowing smaller, but still important, niche areas of the UK security sector to thrive within the Association. These working groups will ensure that issues affecting particular areas of the section are dealt with in a timely manner, along with enhancing cross sector and cross section communication.
Video Surveillance Systems (VSS)
VSS have had a profound impact on crime prevention and detection, and are never out of the news for long. The UK leads the way in the application of VSS and its use is wide-ranging, encompassing facial-recognition technology, remote video monitoring, video smoke detection, mobile systems and Automatic Number Plate Recognition as well as many other functions.
In order to provide guidance and simplification in the complex area of VSS, the BSIA is very active in the European standards arena and also develops its own guides and codes of practice where currently standards do not exist. It is essential that satisfactory standards are in place to cover the installation, maintenance and operation of equipment. Rapid technological development renders this complex, with a need for standards work to be timely.