Garry Evanson CSyP, Chairman of the Security Institute smiled broadly as he announced that the organisation had now crossed the 2000 member threshold. "In the past 18 months we have been recruiting at record levels and this reflects our strategic shift towards representing members of the profession at all stages of their career, not simply when they have reached the higher branches of the tree" he explained. "In the past I believe some people may have been deterred from seeking to join us because of the perception that we were in some way elitist and that one had to wait to be invited in order to become a member; that's simply not the case, as this landmark achievement shows".

Support at all professional Levels
Founded in 1999 the Security Institute has enjoyed steady growth and increasing influence within the profession and it today offers all the services of a mainstream professional body such as Continuing Professional Development, education, events and networking. "We will always want to attract those who believe they are amongst the best at what they do, wherever they may be in the hierarchy. One of the main roles of a professional body is to offer support in the development of skills and to give tangible assistance to those who have ambitions to build a long-term successful career in this field" Evanson explained. "There's no doubt about it in my mind" he went on "that membership of a professional body and the letters after your name that it bestows is a great signal to employers and clients that you are serious about professionalism".

Peter Rees on being am member
The actual 2000^th member, as determined by the Institute's Validation Board is Peter Rees, Chief Operating Officer of Guarding UK Ltd who says "I see membership of the Security Institute as a strategic advantage at this point in my career and look forward to meeting and interacting with my peers, in what is and will continue to be a demanding profession. The focus of the Institute on developing and nurturing talent chimes very much with my own view that a career in security can be hugely rewarding. Over half our senior managers at GUK have been promoted from within the company, having proved their worth and shown potential for promotion. I believe that this benefits, not only the individual, but also GUK. Having dedicated, hard-working staff has enabled me to steer their careers, allowing them to benefit from the many years of experience people like myself have. Membership of the leading professional body in the sector is a logical part of that development, for them and for me".

Evanson said "I want to reassure our members that we won't be resting on our laurels. Our next milestone is 3000 members and I expect us to make significant inroads towards that target in 2016".