Serco offers joined up security
Serco, the international service company, has launched a major new initiative to facilitate a joined-up approach to UK national security in the face of an increasing and unprecedented terrorist threat
The Serco partnership will harness Serco's significant existing expertise across a range of security and civil contingency services and combine them into a holistic package to address the key strands of the UK Government's National Security Strategy.
The partnership – launched at the Homeland & Border Security 09 conference – will mirror the 'pursue, prevent, protect and prepare' approach adopted by government, and will develop systems, strategies and capabilities to function across different operational and even technology platforms.
Dermot Joyce, Chief Operating Officer of Serco Civil Government, said: "The challenges we currently face are unprecedented and the constantly evolving threats require equally agile and dynamic responses to the design and provision of security solutions.
"Industry can – and should – be in a position, through partnership, to offer government that level of commercial agility. Not only is it in the national interest but also that of industry itself, which would be at the forefront of responding to major security incidents.
"As the threat matrix becomes increasingly complex there is a major challenge for government to ensure the effective deployment of available resource by establishing new ways of partnership working across Departments, agencies and the private sector."
"In creating Serco partnership, we have recognised and responded to the need for a more joined-up approach to national security. This means maximising the application of existing technology across different service areas and speeding up the development of new capabilities through the sharing of knowledge."
Serco's 7000 security-cleared staff already work in many key areas of civil defence including law enforcement, counter-terrorism, civil contingency, offender management, immigration, border control, secure communications and policing amongst others.
