Professional development is an expectation in any profession, and security should be no different. You may simply think of security as your job, but society places security providers in a professional, responsible and trusted position within our community. We are employed to protect people and property, manage risks, respond to emergencies, deal with conflict and make decisions that can have serious consequences for ourselves and others.

That responsibility means our knowledge and skills need to remain current. Legislation changes, technology changes and the way security services are delivered continues to evolve. CCTV, alarms, access control, electronic reporting, communication systems and workplace governance have changed enormously over the years, while practical skills such as first aid, conflict management and defensive techniques need to be practised to remain effective. Experience is incredibly valuable, but experience combined with current knowledge and training is even better. Professional development should therefore be viewed as an investment in your security career rather than simply another course you have to complete. Just as importantly, choose your training carefully.

Professional development is most valuable when it is delivered by appropriately qualified facilitators who also have genuine industry experience and can relate the training to situations security officers actually encounter. At BARS Training Australia, our security facilitators each have more than 20 years of security industry experience. You can't teach practical security effectively if you can't do it yourself.

Maintaining your professionalism through quality training protects you, your employer, your clients and ultimately the community you are trusted to serve.