Security Matters Magazine – On Inspection by Richard Fogelman, NSI CEO June 2026

Make no mistake. We are living through a moment of significant change in UK private security.

Across the sector, the traditional boundaries that once separated disciplines are dissolving. Security increasingly converges with fire safety, cyber resilience and wider organisational risk management. Buyers are no longer looking for isolated services delivered in silos. They want integrated protection strategies, intelligent use of technology and trusted partners capable of understanding risk in the round.

At the same time, economic pressures continue to reshape the market. Consolidation across the industry has accelerated, pricing pressures remain intense and many businesses are being asked to deliver more with less. In some areas, that creates a race to the bottom which risks undermining standards, investment and long-term resilience.

Alongside this are equally important issues of culture, leadership, and ethics. Public expectations of our industry are changing, with greater focus on workforce welfare, labour practices, exploitation, diversity, and professionalism. Martyn’s Law further reinforces this shift, emphasising preparedness, competence, and the critical role security professionals play in protecting the public.

For some, periods of transition create uncertainty. For others, they create opportunity.

Is this unprecedented?

As NSI approaches its 55th anniversary this October, it is worth reflecting on what periods of transition mean for the private security industry and what they demand from us.

As I look on those five and a half decades, I am reminded that this is far from the first period of profound change our industry has navigated.

Many readers will remember the shift toward European and International standards that reshaped approaches to quality, compliance, and competence. ISO standards such as ISO 9001 became a baseline for quality management, while European Norms like EN 50131 for intruder alarm systems significantly changed technical requirements. NSI built these frameworks into its certification schemes, helping drive greater standardisation across the market, alongside wider UK regulatory changes such as the introduction of the Security Industry Authority and statutory licensing for security operatives.

Implementing these changes required substantial effort across the sector, as organisations adapted to embed frameworks that are now considered standard practice.

Others will remember the changes following the London bombings of 7 July 2005, which strengthened cooperation between public authorities and the private security sector.  Expectations across venues, transport, and businesses rose sharply, reinforcing that public safety depends on coordination, competence and trust.

Similar lessons emerged during the organised metal theft crisis of the late 2000s and early 2010s. The targeting of locations such as transport networks and places of worship exposed weaknesses in security and policing coordination. (I’m told that even NSI had the lead stolen off its own roof in Maidenhead during this period, though perhaps that is just a vicious rumour!)

It forced the industry to rethink deterrence, monitoring and partnership working, accelerated the adoption of more sophisticated electronic security solutions and demonstrated how quickly criminality adapts to economic and societal conditions.  It reinforced why professionalism, competence and continuous improvement remain essential to maintaining public confidence.

What have we learned?

Through every shift, challenge and reinvention, one thing remained true: the private security industry not only survived but was reforged anew.  Organisations that endure are the ones capable of balancing heritage and trust with modernisation and innovation.  That balance matters enormously today, including in my own work at NSI.

We must continue improving the reputation of the security profession, particularly within guarding services, where the skill, judgement and responsibility involved are still often undervalued. We must also embrace technologies such as AI and advanced analytics, while recognising that technology is no substitute for competence, integrity and human judgement.

We must also do more to attract younger generations into the profession by showing that security is a meaningful and increasingly sophisticated career path that spans technology, investigation, intelligence, risk management and public protection.

Why is this important?

Because industries that fail to modernise become irrelevant. But industries that modernise without preserving trust lose something even more valuable.

As I explained in my keynote speech as the OSPA’s Thought Leadership summit earlier this year, the public does not place its trust in logos, marketing slogans or technology alone. Trust is about people. It is built through professionalism, competence, consistency and accountability.

That principle has guided our approach at NSI over recent years.  We have worked hard to modernise while remaining anchored to the standards and independence that define credible third-party certification. We have embraced innovation, while recognising that competence assessment and maintaining public confidence remain central to our work.

The results are encouraging, with record levels of certification and enquiries. But anniversaries are not simply an opportunity to celebrate longevity. They are an opportunity to ask difficult questions about the future.

Because the future is not guaranteed.

As the trends shaping our sector continue to evolve, there is pressure to move faster, automate further and deliver more efficiently. Many changes will be necessary, but in periods of rapid transition, industries must not lose sight of the principles that enabled them to succeed and endure in the first place.

Embrace innovation. Welcome change. Raise standards. Invest in people. Protect professionalism. Build public trust.

For me, the rallying cry for our industry today is simple: modernise with integrity.