It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Reshma Sheikh, chairperson at Octavian Security UK.
My key concerns (like many others) for the UK economy next year are: rising inflation, high interest rates and the threat of global recession.
Like many other sectors, the security industry is also dealing with a post-Brexit recruitment crisis. According to latest research more than 20,000 officers have been lost due to retirement and departures following Brexit and Covid-19.
The British Security Industry Association reports the security industry will need to recruit, train and license more than 62,000 new security officers in the next 12 months to meet the growing demand for security services.
That said, I’m hopeful that the industry will survive these challenging times.
Security services are sometimes considered a necessary evil, required by insurance companies. However, the risks posed have increased due to opportunists, as well as sophisticated networks of criminals gangs targeting assets on sites and high value personal goods. We have seen a growing demand for our services. The need to keep assets and people safe has grown.
I believe that, in 2023, the industry will evolve and the historic perception of security guards will change. There will also be greater diversity – which can only be welcomed.
