Industry
Announcements
Australian
Expert to Write Certification Manuals For The Security Industry
Association of America
Sydney-based Vlado Damjanovski, the world- renowned CCTV expert,
author of three best- selling books on CCTV, a trainer, CCTV consultant,
editor and current chairman of the CCTV Standards of Australia sub-committee,
has been awarded a contract to write training manuals for the National
Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET)
certification of the Security Industry Association of America (SIA).
“This is an extraordinary recognition not only of my work,
but of the Australian security industry in general. I am very happy
to be able to work closely with our colleagues from across the ocean
and I am sure that we, in Australia, can learn from the American
concept about the industry certification,” says Mr. Damjanovski.
“After having many sleepless nights while working on our new
CCTV standards with my colleagues in the past couple of years, I
now have another reason to have short nights,” jokes Mr. Damjanovski.
More on Mr. Damjanovski’s books, test charts and CCTV training
can be found on www.cctvlabs.com and www.cctvseminars.com
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CASH
INJECTIONS FOR LOCAL CRIME PREVENTION
The Australian Government recently awarded sixty-four grants totalling
over $11m to community organizations and local governments under
the fifth funding round of the National Community Crime Prevention
Programme (NCCPP).
The Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator David Johnston, said
that crime and the fear of crime rated amongst the highest concerns
of the Australian community.
“Crime and the fear of crime are of huge concern for all Australians,”
Minister for Justice and Customs said today.
“While this is primarily a state and territory government
responsibility, the Australian Government through the NCCPP has
taken a strong stand on crime prevention, by providing opportunities
for local communities to address the issues affecting them at the
grassroots level. These grants give our local communities the opportunity
to undertake specific crime prevention and community safety projects.”
The Grants Programme enables community organizations to purchase
small items of equipment or undertake small-scale projects that
directly assist crime prevention in local communities by applying
for grants of up to $500,000. “The Australian Institute of
Criminology has estimated that crime costs the Australian community
in excess of $32billion a year. That is a huge impost on the community,
and measures such as this can help reduce the incidence and impact
of crime.”
The National Community Crime Prevention Programme has been successfully
running since 2004 and 241 grants worth over $43m have been awarded
prior to this round.
“I have been fortunate to visit many of the existing projects
from previous funding rounds and have seen first hand the tremendous
difference that dedicated organizations and individuals can make
to a community,” Senator Johnston said.
“I am confident that this next group of projects will be able
to continue the high standards set by the existing projects.”Security
Membership With The Building Service Contractors Association of
Australia
With the new security regulations coming into effect on the 1st
September this year, it is important to ensure that your security
membership with an Approved Industry Association is current and
you remain up to date with legislative requirements.
Established in 1964, the Building Service Contractors Association
of Australia (BSCAA) is one of NSW’s leading Security Industry
Associations and Australia’s peak industry representative
body for the building services sector. Our Association members include
contractors for security, cleaning, facilities management and grounds
maintenance.
The BSCAA provides leadership for members and a range of relevant
and quality services. We seek to work with Government and other
industry stakeholders to improve the professionalism of the industry
and all those that participate within it.
The NSW Security Division Committee is made up of members actively
involved in the manpower, electronic and consulting sectors of the
industry, enabling us to make effective decisions that benefit our
members and the industry as a whole.
Membership to the Security Division is open to any company or individual
involved in security activities and we offer competitive rates and
a very personal level of service. Membership will enable you to
apply for your NSW Master Security Licence, as required by the Security
Industry Registry.
We encourage you to give us a call with any questions you may have
and/or to request an application form. The BSCAA can be contacted
on 02 9439 0142 or via our website – www.bscaa.asn.au
We look forward to hearing from you.
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RUDD
LABOR TO BOOST AUSTRALIA’S CONTRIBUTION TO FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
IN AFGHANISTAN
According
to a recent press release, a Rudd Labor Government will redouble
Australia’s efforts to eliminate Al Qaeda and the Taliban
by cracking down on the financing of terrorist organizations through
Afghanistan’s opium trade. Labor will deploy a contingent
of Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers to Afghanistan to help
eliminate the opium trade. These officers will assist the
counter narcotics police of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is where the
Taliban and Al Qaeda are based and where Osama bin Laden may still
be hiding. This is where the Bali bombers, who killed 202
innocent civilians, including 88 Australians, trained. The war in
Afghanistan falls within Australia’s ANZUS (Security treaty
between Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America)
obligations. Despite the Howard Government prematurely withdrawing
Australia’s troops from Afghanistan in 2002, it has always
remained central to Labor’s national security focus.But today,
almost six years after the September 11 attacks, Al Qaeda and the
Taliban remain strong and Osama bin Laden remains on the loose.Al
Qaeda’s ability to rebuild has been significantly aided by
Afghanistan’s opium trade. This $3.2 billion trade is
a key source of funding for Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists our
troops are fighting in Oruzgan province. These groups are
also linked to terrorist organizations like Jemaah Islamiah who
operate in our own region.The United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime recently assessed 2007 to be a record year for opium production
in Afghanistan. The report stated:“Opium cultivation
in Afghanistan is now closely linked to insurgency. The Taliban
are again using opium to suit their interests” and “started
to extract from the drug economy resources for arms, logistics and
militia pay.”Labor recognizes that you cannot deal with international
terrorism if you do not deal with the narcotics trade in Afghanistan.This
Federal Police deployment will be a key operational dividend of
Labor’s $200 million plan to recruit 500 additional AFP officers.Furthermore,
Labor will closely examine sending civilian agriculture experts.
Australia has unique expertise in this area, particularly
dry agricultural development.Taking a broader and more sophisticated
approach to this security issue is vital. We need to help
Afghan farmers develop alternatives to an opium livelihood. Prevailing
in Afghanistan requires winning the battle of hearts and minds.
Australian troops do a terrific job in combat and reconstruction
and their efforts deserve to be complimented by a more holistic
security strategy. In the face of overwhelming evidence that the
Afghanistan narcotics trade is getting worse and is directly relevant
to Australia’s national security, the Howard Government has
dropped the ball.To date they have failed to deploy any Australian
Federal Police officers to assist counter narcotics police in Afghanistan,
despite this assistance being requested by our British allies some
eighteen months ago. According to the release, Labor is firmly
committed to protecting Australian families from the scourge of
heroin and the threat of international terrorism.
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