Newsroom
04.02.2021
INDUSTRY NEWS

The International Security Ligue publishes its Blueprint for Building Successful Private Security Partnerships

Governmental agencies and municipalities can partner with private security companies to build safer societies and deliver public safety more efficiently, but they must take actions to ensure these outcomes. Such is the core message of the guide recently published by the International Security Ligue, which brings together the leading security companies of the world.

The Guide entitled “Procuring and Managing Contract Security for Municipalities and Public Authorities” is very much in line with the CoESS Guide on “Buying Security Private Security Services”, published for the first time in 1999 and updated in 2014. While the CoESS Guide is specifically designed for the EU and candidate EU Member States, The Ligue document applies to the 100 other countries worldwide covered by the Ligue.

Successful partnerships can be forged but are not guaranteed, according to the report, which provides checklists and best practices to assist public authorities as they procure and manage private security services.

“Governments around the world are leaning more heavily on private security partners so they can take advantage of their technology investments and expertise, but there is always a level of risk to outsourcing,” said Garett Seivold, content and communications manager at the Ligue. “Public authorities can’t just pick any security firm and they must not focus solely on price. If they do, the extraordinary benefits of a private security partnership will never be realized.”

While private security companies have become much more professional in recent years, the guide assists public authorities in identifying quality criteria and not just price.

The Ligue’s new guide acts as a roadmap for municipalities as they evolve to rely on private security partners, and provides advice on:

  • minimizing reputational risks through due diligence investigations of prospective security partners;
  • assessing a security firm’s personnel and training programs for insight into the level of officer engagement that can be expected;
  • strategically deploying security officers to extract maximum value and raise performance;
  • devising detailed service level agreements to drive excellence in security contracts; and
  • working with a security partner to create relevant, important, and measurable Key Performance Indicators.

About the International Security Ligue. Established in 1933, the International Security Ligue is represented in 120 countries by more than 2 million professionals. The Ligue provides a global voice for security profession and actively works to elevate ethical and professional standards in the private security industry and to shape global codes of conduct. As a resource for members, the Ligue provides an active forum to understand global trends, share best practices, and explore new ideas.