Nick Ross elected president of the British Security Industry Association

Ross assumed the post of president on Wednesday 19 April at the Trade Association’s Annual General Meeting in London. Going forward, his primary goal will be to continue the work focused on developing the relationship between the police service and the private security industry.

Starting out as a junior reporter while still at university, Ross covered the troubles in Northern Ireland for the BBC and then moved on to host programmes including Radio 4’s The World at One, PM and The World Tonight.

He became a TV reporter, documentary director and political correspondent and chaired live debates, but was perhaps best known for the crime appeals programme Crimewatch, which he presented for over two decades.

Ross conceived the new discipline of ‘crime science’, which focuses on practical, multidisciplinary and outcomes-focused approaches to crime reduction. He also founded the Jill Dando Institute at UCL, which has since grown into one of the largest academic crime prevention departments in the world.

Through time, Ross has served on several Government-centred crime prevention committees as well as offering advice to Victim Support and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. He has been involved with several other community safety initiatives, notably so ones focused on road accident reduction and fire safety, and harbours a long-standing interest in healthcare and public understanding of science.

Significant benefits

Simon Banks, chair of the BSIA, observed: “It’s an honour to welcome Nick as our new president. His experience in law enforcement and the security sector will deliver significant benefits for BSIA member companies. We must see the police service and the private security industry working in tandem  alongside deployment of the latest technology, while at the same time sharing event intelligence to increase public safety.”

On his appointment, Ross noted: “Crime is a measure of society’s well-being, and the UK does not have a good enough record, being placed as it is midway down the league table for industrialised nations. We all know prevention is better than cure, while it’s also true to say that learning is better than blame. Crime reduction requires industry to take responsibility for making its services and products safe, as well as fashion an ever-closer relationship between the private sector and the police service.”

Ross concluded: “The BSIA is a key player. The Trade Association represents the often-undervalued army of informal guardians and sometimes brilliant innovators who help to make our world a safer place. I hope the next few years will see a growing alliance between technologists, ethicists, the police service and the private sector to help communities be more at ease with themselves and to drive improvements on the UK’s record of crime reduction.”