What to do about purse snatching #Like #Share #BeSafe

Steve Drake, the self-defence instructor and security training manager at Magpie Security in Nottingham, the SIA-approved guarding contractor, writes about purse snatching, and what to do about the risk.

One way to prevent purse snatching is not to carry a purse, or to carry it in a way that makes it quite inaccessible, such as wearing something over the top of it. Many women think that wearing a shoulder bag with the strap diagonally across their body is a good idea but, in fact, if someone grabs the purse in that position and tries to run with it, it can catch the strap around your neck. Keeping your purse close to your body and your arm over it makes it a little harder for someone to grab the purse.

Also, being aware of who is around you is very important. Some people think it’s better to just allow the snatcher to take your purse to protect their life. We can’t say yes or no to this state of mind. That’s a decision that you have to make on the spot, and that decision is influenced by a lot of factors. If the person is trying to injure you to get the purse, you have the right to defend yourself to protect against being harmed.

If you decide that you want to fight for your purse, you should know how to fight and you should make sure that your attacker is not armed. You might reduce your anxiety about this crime by taking advance steps to minimise its impact, such as not carrying much cash, making sure you have copies at home of the favourite photos you carry, and knowing the procedures for reporting stolen credit cards. If you have taken these precautions, it might be easier to give up the purse without a fight.

Street safety

Understand that you could be the victim of a violent crime anywhere at any time. Think about what you would do in a certain situation (answering your front door, driving home, taking money out of an ATM). Assess your surroundings. Understand that most sexual predators and street criminals plan their crimes (at least to some extent), most also look for certain characteristics that make for good targets. It is safe to assume that the assailant has been watching you for a while before he initiates the attack. Act confidently and be aware of your surroundings.

The bottom line is that you have to be proactive when deciding to take action against someone who wants to hurt you. Women are at risk more than men. Women don’t have to be the weaker sex. Women can be strong and effective. It just takes a changed mind-set as well as some easy defensive techniques to protect yourself against a person who wants to hurt you. Don’t be a victim. Learn now

BREAKING NEWS... The Magpie Security Ltd May 2018 Newsletter is OUT NOW

“New Research shows Private Security Workers outnumber Public Police Officers in the UK”                    

Today approximately half a million people are employed in security roles in the private security sector, and the security industry contributes approximately £6 billion to the economy of the UK.  Overall the manned security market showed resilience in maintaining growth over the past year despite the wider climate of uncertainty with the recent Carillion collapse.

The European Security Services (CoESS) reported that there were 232,000 private security guards in 2017. This also rivals the number of secondary school teachers (roughly 250,000), and far exceeds Britain’s levels of police: in March 2018, there were a total of 151,000 police officers operating within the UK (excluding police community support officers, special constables and support staff etc).

When retirements from the force are taken into account, this should bring the current total of 1,909 officers in the county to 1,950 by April next year.  It costs around £10,000 to train a police officer and £50,000 a year to pay for them once they are fully qualified. 

Magpie Security LTD can relate to what is being said, as the company has expanded the workforce outside of the East Midlands in the first quarter of this year and has increased guarding manpower by 20% with new sites added to current portfolio in Birmingham, Coventry, and West Bromwich.

Working closely with Job Centre Plus we have just successfully recruited several new guards for a site in Lincoln. Nottinghamshire Police wants to recruit more front-line bobbies over the next few years – with plans to bring on an extra 200, including 50 apprentices, in the next year.

“Introducing you to our New Head of Training & Development”

Stephen Drake spent a lot of years as a detective of success, always driven by the question: “Exactly what the key distinctions between people are who excel in their chosen fields as opposed to those that merely ‘try’ to succeed.?”

He became convinced that the key to success in any endeavour, is not what you know but how you feel – it doesn’t matter how good you are or what systems you have in place, if you feel bad you won’t get the results you want.

He spent 10 years working in the Middle East delivering the ‘Motivation in Business’ program and developing Miracle Team Building programme for 3,500 employees at ALBA (Aluminium Bahrain) now being offered to UK organisations.

His delivery has been described as a cross between an evangelist and a stand-up comedian but beneath his acerbic humour, lays a strong and unforgettable business message.

Stephen’s Training is results oriented, based upon respect for individual differences.

He believes that real learning is fun so the courses are highly participative and experiential utilising accelerated learning techniques.

His special talent is his humour and his ability to present complex information in a way that everyone can understand. Noted for his direct but relaxed teaching methods, he manages to break down the barriers with the people he is working with, so that a serious subject can be approached in an informative and enlightening way.

Intu Victoria Centre evacuated for training exercise.

A recent training exercise carried out in Nottingham resulted in scores of shoppers being evacuated from the Victoria Centre.

Nigel Wheatley, general manager at intu in Nottingham, confirmed that the centre was fully evacuated as part of a routine training exercise. He went on to say: "The safety of our visitors, our staff and our retailers’ employees are a number one priority and we review and test our procedures and policies continually to make sure high standards are always met.”

The intu Victoria Centre also confirmed the evacuation on Twitter, reassuring customers that the decision to empty the shopping centre was for a planned training exercise. It said: "The centre was fully evacuated as part of a routine training exercise to make sure our health, safety and security procedures are the best they can be."

The exercise did not go down well with everyone, many people on social media were quick to broadcast they felt very inconvenienced by the whole activity while others could see the need to carry out some sort of training.

Here at Magpie Security these types of training exercises are part of the territory that comes with security. What the Victoria Centre did was put some procedure in place in an unlikely event.

Your children’s school will carry out a fire drill/evacuation in the unlikely event of a fire. Any one who has ever been on an aircraft will have heard and seen the safety brief by the cabin crew in the unlikely event of something not being the norm.

With the current security level being ‘SEVERE’ training exercises will become more common place in our everyday life.  If your interested in learning how to run a successful training exercise for emergency planning and preparedness, contact our Training Academy on 01159 600 000.

“Practice the emergency preparedness plan- before the crisis occurs”

Safety and Emergency Preparedness is seldom the priority. It is worth noting that the media do not report how good the risk mitigation or the emergency preparedness plans were. They write about the errors that were made and they report the most common situation - human beings making mistakes.

But what if we had spent some time thinking through what mistakes we might make and the disasters that could befall us? What if we had planned what actions to take if something happens? And what if we had rehearsed the emergency preparedness plan with our staff? Crises appear when least expected. Imagine the moment you realise that an incident might have serious consequences and that you were actually prepared this time - all the emergency drills, all the training using the crisis management tool, all the alerting and notification practise, all the revisions of the crisis management plan have finally come to fruition.

Put yourself in those time critical minutes from the first notification to the initial meeting of the crisis management organisation. You will have no time to reflect on this when the situation occurs, as the saying goes “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”

Dark Web Crackdown

The UK Government have announced that more cash will be made available to police cybercrime units and strengthen the current link with the National Cyber Security Centre.

Last month, THE NCSC and the National Crime Agency (NCA) reported that British businesses are suffering more cyber attacks than ever before with criminals having access to “nation-state grade capabilities.

New funding to crack down on the "dangerous" dark web was launched by Amber Rudd in a speech at the Government's flagship event for cybersecurity.

The National Cyber Security Centre's CYBERUK conference in Manchester was the backdrop for the launch of a £9m fund to increase cyber capabilities and tackle organised crime online, focusing on those who use anonymous and hidden online services for illegal activities such as hacking, people trafficking, selling weapons and drug dealing.

Ms Rudd said: "The world of cyber is fast-developing and we need a fast-developing response to match. One that recognises that it is the responsibility of everyone in the UK to fight the evolving threat.  It is now known that more than £5m will be used to support the police to establish dedicated cybercrime units in every police force.

Currently, only 30% of police forces have the minimum capability to pursue cybercrime.  Forty specialists regional cyber "protect" officers provide a link between local and national authorities across the UK, delivering security advice to people and businesses based on the latest National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) threat analysis.

The question is Does the government’s National Cyber Security Programme have what it takes to face up to a threat that keeps on evolving?  The modern world has a tricky relationship with technology. On the one hand, the rise of the internet creates new opportunities to drive efficiency and improve communication for businesses, private individuals and the public sector alike. On the other hand, reliance on electronic channels of communication creates new weaknesses in a country’s infrastructure, leaving it vulnerable to the risk of cyber-attack – which is currently ranked up there with international terrorism or a major disaster on the UK’s register of national security risks. 

A recent survey of more than 19,000 cyber security professionals found that the world is expected to face a shortfall of 1.8 million cyber security workers by 2022, a 20 percent increase from the projection made by a similar study in 2015.

“Congratulations to ANDRE CORBETTE & EDYSON SANCHEZ
our Employees of the Month”

Magpie Security Ltd would like to congratulate Andre & Edyson on their Employee of the Month Award.

The Magpie Management Team have received fantastic feedback from the client in regards to Andre’s & Edyson’s professionalism and attitude to work, making them the standout candidates for our first joint Employee of the Month award.

 “Very well done Gentlemen… Keep up the good work” –

Mr. Richard Bailey.
 Managing Director

Magpie Security Ltd

"Read All About It...Read All About It" The Magpie Security Ltd April 2018 Newsletter is OUT NOW #Read #Like #Share

“Magpie Security Ltd working in partnership with CTP"

MAGPIE SECURITY LTD IN CONJUNCTION WITH CTP LEARNING CENTRES CAN NOW OFFER FULLY FUNDED TRAINING FOR YOU TO WORK IN THE PRIVATE SECURITY SECTOR.

Career Transition Partnership known more commonly as CTP are based in Radford and has a training centre which aims to develop the skills of local residents to help them into employment or further education. CTP have helped over 200 people into real long-term jobs around the country and now want to help in Radford/Hyson Green through it’s local Centre’s.

CTP recently sat down with us to discuss how we could work together to help people start a career in the private security sector.  CTP offer Employability qualifications at entry level. You'll find out what employers are looking for, discover how to feel confident in interviews and make sure you know the best way to stay in work and keep a job.

Magpie Security’s in-house trainers have unparalleled knowledge and expertise on the requirements for security personnel and are therefore a great source of advice for security individuals looking at procuring a training provider.

After several successful meetings we a proud to announce our training partners CTP are now able to offer ‘FULLY FUNDED SECURITY PRACTITIONER’ training to 120 people who are unemployed in the East Midlands.

“A big thank-you to CTP Learn Direct and Magpie Security. I received my certification in Door Supervisory and Security and have now applied for my SIA badge [all fully paid for]. I am so lucky. If anybody else wishes to give it go, contact CTP Learn Direct, Magpie Security, or even your local Job Centre and speak to the DWP adviser dealing with Sector Base Work Academies” – Andrew Yusuf

“Help, Guidance & Proven Support”

“SELF DEFENSE FOR WOMEN – DON’T BE ANOTHER SATISTIC"

Have a plan. Understand that you could be the victim of a violent crime anywhere at anytime. Think about what you would do in a certain situation (i.e: answering your front door, driving home, taking money out of an ATM)

Assess your surroundings. Understand that most sexual predators and street criminals plan their crimes (at least to some extent), most also look for certain characteristics that make for good targets. It is safe to assume that the assailant has been watching you for a while before he initiates the attack. Act confident and be aware of your surroundings.

Do whatever it takes. If the aggressor wants material possessions like your brand new leather coat or the contents in your purse - give them up because they are not with risking a physical confrontation.

Understand that when you feel that you are in imminent threat of harm, you have the right by law to use as much force as necessary to defend yourself from that threat. We suggest that under these conditions you strike first. The assailant has chosen you as his victim because he views you as an easy target, your decision to strike first at him will not be expected.

Remember the street safety steps. When an stranger approaches you in an isolated area and your instincts tell you something isn't right about the situation - always act on your instincts. Maintain at least a 3 - 5 feet distance out of the reach of the aggressor.

Face the aggressor, running is only an option if you can get to a safe place before he catches up to you. Keep your hands free, look at his neck area (do not look down or turn away). If he asks a question, no matter how legitimate it may seem, respond negatively. For example, if he asks for directions to main street - respond with a "no, I can't help you" If he comes up with more questions tell him to leave you alone.  Women are faced with a disadvantage; traditional ways of educating our children are responsible for not allowing girls an opportunity to defend themselves in threatening situations. 

Getting Ahead of the Game at 

Notts County F.C.

Magpie Security Ltd were pleased to sponsor the recent Notts County F.C. match day programme against local rivals Mansfield Town on Saturday 17th March.  12,514 supporters braved the weather and the match itself finished all square at one goal each.

Sport is becoming the number one pick for leading brands and brand awareness. The Magpies are having a great season and are real contenders for promotion into division one next season. Magpie Security looked at the opportunity to tap in to the fan base of both Notts County & Mansfield Town.

We choose to advertise who we are and what we do in the programme and the advert was nicely placed next to the popular fans gallery page.

Our motivation was to build brand awareness, drive excitement around our brand, products and services and to simply be part of the event that was always going to attract a high volume of people in our local community.  Is it something we would do again in the future? ABSOLUTELY. 

Enclosed image of Liam Noble, Man of Match vs Mansfield presenting Programme Sponsor Award to James Loach (Security Training Specialist) of Magpie Security Ltd

“It profits to be ahead of the game”

Magpie Security to hand over duties to the Ministry of Defence

Construction of a £300m rehabilitation centre for injured military personnel is almost complete in the grounds of a stately home in the East midlands.

The Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC), at Stanford Hall on the Nottinghamshire-Leicestershire border, is due to open later this year. The centre, which will be able to accommodate up to 300 injured servicemen and women, has been funded by donors led by the Duke of Westminster, who bought the stately home in 2011. 

The Stanford Hall Estate has the capacity to support both the Defence establishment and future national facility in a single site which will be vital in promoting the transfer and sharing of knowledge. Most importantly the site is large enough to be able to accommodate all the planned development without diminishing the character of the open parkland landscape setting, which will play such an important role in supporting patient rehabilitation.

Magpie Security has enjoyed eight great years protecting the assets of the site throughout its development and wish the National Rehabilitation Centre the very best for the opening.

Eight scams you need to know about revealed by NatWest

From social media snooping to bogus Brexit investments - a high street bank is highlighting the eight areas it expects scammers to be operating in throughout 2018.  NatWest has looked to identify some of the key ways in which fraudsters could try to con people this year in a bid to help people avoid falling foul.  The bank has worked with research agency the Future Laboratory to analyse scams trends from the last 18 months and predict eight emerging frauds in 2018.

These are the danger areas it has highlighted:

1. Social media spying. People might not realise how much information they are giving away, but to a fraudster the posts can be very helpful in setting up a scam.

2. Malicious software on smartphones. It is expected that malware or malicious software threats will grow among mobile devices.

3. Bogus Brexit investments. Consumers should be wary of fake investment opportunities. For example, scammers may email customers, warning Brexit will affect their savings, and that they urgently need to move them into a seemingly plausible, but actually fake, investment product.

4. Fraudsters preying on World Cup excitement. Some fraudsters will sell football tickets that are either fake or will never arrive. It is also expected that "package trips" will be offered by fake travel companies.

5. Money mules. Mule recruiters may trawl social media for potential targets, particularly cash-strapped students in university towns, and use them to inadvertently launder money. Money mules receive the stolen funds into their account, they are then asked to withdraw it and send the money to a different account, often one overseas, keeping some of the money for themselves.

6. Wedding excitement. Experts fear couples could be easy prey for scammers who tempt victims with extravagant offers at bargain prices. Scammers can set up fake websites for elements of the big day like venue hire, catering, or wedding dresses that appear very realistic. Fake wedding planners will take people's money and then disappear.

7. Romance scams. Criminals create fake profiles to form a relationship with their victims. They use messaging to mine victims' personal details to use for identity fraud. Or, just when the victim thinks they have met the perfect partner the scammer asks them for money.

8. Scams aimed at first-time buyers. Computer hackers monitor emails sent by a solicitor to a first-time buyer and then they pounce, pretending to be the solicitor and telling them the solicitors' bank account details have changed in order to steal cash.

Julie McArdle, NatWest Security Manager, said: "Scammers are dogged in their attempts to get their hands on people's money and are always looking for new ways to get ahead. This means banks and customers need to evolve alongside scammers too.  By being aware and staying ahead of scammers, we can stop them winning and keep the country's money safe and secure."

“Congratulations to ADIL QURBAN our Employee of the Month”

Magpie Security Ltd would like to congratulate Adil on his Employee of the Month Award.

Adil’s preemptive actions on a construction site prevented theft of high value plant & machinery in addition to saving thousands of pounds worth of damage to the client.

The Magpie Management Team were very impressed with Adil’s performance, making him the winner of the Employee of the Month Award for April.

 “Great work Adil” –
Mr. Richard Bailey
 Managing Director

Magpie Security Ltd

Introducing the Magpie Security Ltd March 2018 Newsletter #HotOffThePress

“Magpie Security Ltd attend the Security Twenty18 Conference” #TheSIADoesExist 

           

On Wednesday 21st February 2018, Security TWENTY returned to the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham.  As always, this popular event was sold out and very well attended with over 80 exhibitors presenting the very latest in security technology.

Delegates were also treated to talks from Mark Harding of Showsec talking about responding to major incidents. Transport West Midlands Safety & Security Manager Mark Babington, NSI Director Simon Banks and Information Security Consultant Bruce Hallas also contributed to the panel of speakers.

In the evening a charity fund-raising dinner raised £3,600 for Rennie Grove Hospice in memory of Alan Walker of CDVI who sadly lost his battle with cancer in autumn 2017.

Magpie Security Ltd also welcomed the opportunity to speak with an Ambassador of the SIA to discuss the regulator’s stance on what the industry is expecting in 2018.  Steve Drake Training Development Manager at Magpie Security Ltd stated – “It is vital to attend industry events of this nature.  By continual investment into Research & Development of security technology, we will maintain our standing as a Market Leader within our business sector. It was also a great opportunity to meet key industry figures and discuss the challenges we as an industry are facing at present and are forecasted to face over the next 12 months.

“Knife crime is an epidemic”

“I make no apology for using the would epidemic because there is simply no other word that expresses what we are encountering on an almost daily basis.” – Steve Drake. Training Development Manager. Magpie Security Ltd

Knife crime has risen by almost a third across Nottinghamshire in the last year, figures have revealed.

Nottinghamshire Police recorded 757 offences involving a knife – a 31 per cent rise from the previous year.

What is alarming, is the knife crime in our schools. As a parent I want nothing more than to see a safe and secure environment in our school.

There are numerous pressures on young people to carry a knife or other weapon: one of the strongest currently is the perception that a knife is necessary for self-protection.  Challenging this viewpoint is not easy and, in the City, we now offer a number of learning modules to support schools.  The programme builds upon the evaluation of our Street Aware programme on       knives, guns and gangs that has been delivered for a number of years in City primary schools. 

All of the products referred to should be seen as supplements to the wider process of supporting good decision-making that schools promote throughout the curriculum.  The programme is based on the premise that whilst any child or young person can pick up a knife, the pressures and life experiences of children vary enormously.  Where Police staff, normally PCSOs, deliver lessons or assemblies it is required that they have been trained and approved to do so.    Our Training Academy at Magpie Security now offer courses on knife awareness, knife avoidance and guidance to support knife crime reduction, simply call 0115 9866 000 for further information.

Security Practitioner Training…

In order to legally work within the security industry, a license is a definite must have. An SIA License shows that you are professional, trustworthy and certified. It is essential that individuals working in the private security industry undergo a structured training programme that results in a recognised qualification.

We believe that this will result in a more competent and professional workforce. It will also improve the public image of the private security industry and make it more attractive to potential employees.

Pictured below shows the new intake from Job Centre Plus in partnership with CT Portal in Nottingham

Completing a Security Practitioner Training Course at Magpie Security Ltd can open your options to a variety of careers within the Security Industry

“Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation.”

Introducing our Magpie Security Ltd Training Specialist…

James Loach joined forces with Magpie Security Ltd as the Security and Training Specialist to provide the essential level of private security and training competencies-having previously been responsible for the training and control of

staff protecting both individuals and organisations at extremely high level of risk.

James has worked with the Metropolitan Police and Royal Protection Squads and is still one of a handful of specialist trainers to Police Forces across the World.

With a vast operational experience and impeccable teaching and development qualifications, James provides Magpie Security Ltd operations team with inspiration and quality standards our clients have come to appreciate.

Supporting the Community

Magpie Security Ltd are pleased to sponsor the Notts County match day programme against local rivals Mansfield Town on Saturday 17^th March.

We see many benefits, one of which is being a part of the community. Local sponsorship is a great way to help do this. For a local business, a community sponsorship such as a football match or a charity function could be a risky proposition that comes with little perceived return on investment. That being said, choosing the right local sponsorship opportunities can be essential to the company’s growth.

The Magpies and Magpie Security Ltd are both having a great year in their prospective fields and this looks a very good opportunity to advertise what our “Winning Team” does in the security industry.

The match itself sees two teams with promotion ambitions at this vital stage of the season and is likely to draw a large crowd on the day.

Premier League considers new anti-terror barriers

A UK company has designed a new system that is quick to deploy and dismantle - and can help keep crowds safe from vehicle attacks.

 

A number of Premier League clubs will meet this week to discuss whether to introduce a "revolutionary" new anti-terror barrier at their grounds.

Burnley and Manchester United are already using the portable barriers, which security experts have described as a "leap forward" in protection against vehicle-borne attacks.  The system is designed by a UK company, after the Government challenged the security sector to come up with a barrier concept which could be easily deployed and quickly dismantled.

They are designed to give pedestrians easy access through them, but reinforced metal rods stop any hostile vehicle trying to penetrate the barriers.

“Congratulations to Nadeem Hussain
our Employee of the Month”

Magpie Security Ltd would like to congratulate Nadeem on his Employee of the Month Award.

Nadeem’s positive attitude, commitment to work and the ability to go beyond the call of duty have been highlighted to the Management Team, making him our Employee of the Month for February 2018

 “Fantastic Work Nadeem” –

Mr. Richard Bailey.
 Managing Director

Magpie Security Ltd