Olive Group is First Private Security Company to be Awarded Accredited Certification to the Private Security Standard (PSC1): a Key Milestone for the Company and the Industry

DUBAI, March 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --



Olive Group FZ-LLC has become the first private security company globally to achieve accredited certification against the PSC1 standard for private security companies. This follows a rigorous process of audit and inspection of its corporate management systems and its field operations in Iraq.

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In December 2012, the British Government endorsed the American National Standard Institute's PSC.1 2012 as the standard against which private security companies operating in complex environments like Iraq should be evaluated.  

Accreditation to the standard requires that the company be audited by independent third party auditors and overseen by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS).  Olive Group is the first company to receive such accreditation and was successfully assessed at every level from Managing Director to uniformed guard, including its compliance with regulations and law.

"Olive Group is delighted to be the first company to receive accredited certification covering its corporate processes and its extensive operations in Iraq. Its management systems, training, operational procedures and commitment to human rights were rigorously tested in the audit and certification process conducted by the international certification body Intertek" says Martin Rudd, Managing Director of Olive Group.

"Iraq is one of the most complex security environments our clients work in and the PSC.1 audit has scrutinised every element of how we support them, both corporately and in the field.  We will now seek accreditation for the work we are doing supporting clients in other markets such as East Africa, Afghanistan, Somaliland and Yemen.  

"We also believe this is an important first step for the industry and we expect this will rapidly become a benchmark for security companies" Rudd continues.

Paul Gibson, Director of SCEG added his "congratulations to Olive Group on being the first company to achieve accredited certification to ANSI/ASIS PSC1 for your operations in a complex environment."

Paul Gibson
Director  -  Security  in  Complex  Environments  Group  (SCEG)

Background

In October and November 2013, Olive Group underwent assessment to PSC.1 by third party auditors from Intertek, an internationally renowned certification body. The audit was conducted on-site at Olive Group's Corporate HQ in Dubai and in Iraq.  The Iraq visits were to Olive Group's office and included field visits to clients and project sites in order to assess first-hand how company policies and procedures translated to the level of the field operator. Intertek used highly experienced auditors including Arabic speakers, who were familiar with Iraq and operational requirements in complex environments on land. Intertek in turn was under direct scrutiny, including on the field visits in Iraq, by the assessors from UKAS as part of their own pilot assessment against PSC.1. With Intertek's acceptance as one of only two Certification bodies accredited by UKAS for PSC1 on 12 March, Olive received its certificate as the first company internationally to receive accredited certification for its operations in a complex environment.

Measurable criteria under PSC.1 include leadership, management and governance; selection, screening and vetting of personnel and sub-contractor organisations; training of personnel and maintenance of training records; procurement, licensing and management of firearms, managing, reporting and documenting of incidents; and company grievance processes.    Olive compliance with national and international law and applicable regulatory regimes were also assessed as well as the manner in which it carried through respect for human rights in its training and operations and its human rights impact assessment.

Olive Group has been a pioneer in pressing for the highest possible standards for the private security industry since 2006. Olive personnel have been taken part in all the key negotiations including the Montreux Document, the ICOC, PSC.1 and the ISO PAS 28007 for the Private maritime security industry.  In September 2010, Olive was a founder signatory to the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Sector Providers (ICOC) and introduced the provisions of the Code into its operations which helped underpin its compliance with the PSC.1 Standard. In September 2013, Olive Group also signed up to the International Code of Conduct Association (ICOCA) that aims to become an international accountability mechanism to oversee sector compliance with ICoC. An Olive Group Senior Adviser chairs the Standards and Accreditation Group (SAG) of the SCEG (Security in Complex Environment Group which is the appointed partner to the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office in regulating the industry) and also sits on the SCEG Executive Committee.

Victoria Machin, PR & Marketing Accounts Manager, DPQ Communications JLT, P.O. Box 634314,  JLT – Cluster F, HDS Tower, Office 1107, Dubai, UAE, Tel: +971501494185, [email protected], http://www.dpq.ae

SOURCE Olive Group FZ-LLC