Incentive FM vows to support police by joining Community Safety Accreditation Scheme

In essence, the CSAS was created to develop a framework for public and private sector bodies to partner with the police in providing an additional uniformed presence in local communities. As a result of the accreditation, specific Incentive FM security-focused employees will now be available for CSAS appointment, thereby capitalising on their skills and enhancing their engagement within their community while at the same time ably assisting police activity.

Andrew Robbins, associate director of security and risk at Incentive FM, explained: “It’s a privilege to join the CSAS initiative and work with the police to prevent and deter crime and disorder. Our security teams are invaluable ambassadors for business and the wider community. There will now be a strict selection process for security officers who will then undergo training by a CSAS accredited provider. In some cases, the police will deliver the necessary training directly. When our security officers are trained, they will then be given authority by the relevant chief constable to have specific powers to help the police tackle crime and disorder.”

Since its inception, the CSAS has incorporated the services of neighbourhood wardens, hospital security officers, park wardens, Shopping Centre security officers and train guards. The scheme has benefitted local communities with an increased uniformed presence on the streets, saving valuable police time to tackle with low-level crime and disorder. 

The news means that accredited individuals within Incentive FM will carry official identification badges endorsed by the local police force on their uniform.

Inducing greater business involvement with the police, the CSAS allows police officers to influence the training of personnel at Incentive FM and so develop a two-way exchange of information and intelligence between both agencies. When a chief constable accredits an individual with powers under paragraph 1 of Schedule 5 of the Police Reform Act 2002, he or she may also choose whether to give the accredited individual the power to issue fixed penalty notices.

Robbins concluded: “As a business, we will look to have an incremental roll-out of the CSAS across key locations and further enhance the solutions we provide for our clients. All schemes are managed, monitored and assessed at a local level by the police force that's responsible.”