With Singapore’s security sector facing a long-term manpower crunch, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, many security officers are feeling blunted with the increasing hours on the job and performing duties beyond the usual scope, such as facilities management.

This is coupled with misconceptions that the security role is merely a watchman’s job traditionally meant for low-skilled workers.

Steve Tan, Executive Secretary at the Union of Security Employees (USE), estimates that there is currently a shortfall of 10,000 to 15,000 security officers in Singapore. With the evolving global concern for safety and terrorism, the demand for security officers has also grown.

This manpower crunch translates to a situation where existing security officers are taking on additional responsibilities to cover the shortfall.

Outcome-based contracts and optimising resources through technology

To discuss potential solutions to the manpower crunch, we take a look at the approach adopted by the industry. There has been a push by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for organisations to adopt outcome-based contracts (OBC), wherein service buyers are required to specify contract requirements in terms of expected performance levels rather than output levels.

The government has taken the lead on this front by making the adoption of security service OBCs mandatory from May 2020. Compared to the traditional output-based contracts, where fixed amounts of resources such as manpower and equipment that the service provider needs to supply are specified, an outcome-based contract allows providers to propose innovative security solutions that optimise resources to meet desired security outcomes by taking advantage of technology and redesigning work processes.

According to MHA, outcome-based contracts promote cost-effectiveness while reducing reliance on manpower. Given the rise in manpower costs, such contracts are more sustainable for both providers and customers in the long run.

Considering the sustainability of outcome-based contracts, this model presents the opportunity to nurture future ‘security technologists’ to be part of a skilled workforce, thus helping to increase cost efficiency and improve productivity.

As uncovered in NTUC LearningHub’s  (NTUC LHUB’s) Industry Insights report on Security, Singapore’s security sector will be transformed when workers are equipped with the relevant skills to execute cutting-edge technology solutions at buildings and facilities.

The report, which explored the industry landscape and trends in Singapore’s private security sector, is based on in-depth interviews with experts from NTUC LHUB, Union of Security Employees, CBM Security, and Apollo Global Academy.

Leveraging on technology to improve delivery outcomes

In 2018, Cisco conducted the Asia Pacific Security Capabilities Benchmark Study, and it found budget constraints as one of the key attributes leading to the slow adoption of technology.

Also Read: How businesses should navigate the Singapore Budget 2022

Fast forward to today, technological advancements allow security operations to be performed efficiently by integrating them into facilities management while harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics. To better support building owners and developers in adopting smart infrastructure technologies such as sensors and intelligent building management systems, the government has allocated US$30 million to help them defray costs in adopting these technologies.

Security companies can therefore achieve better outcomes with less manpower, presenting potential opportunities for security officers to upskill and take on more meaningful roles enabled by technology.

With technological tools, security officers can increase accuracy, productivity and efficiency using biometric readers, surveillance robots and smart access cards. In addition to these technological tools, there are also digital solutions to potentially alleviate headcount issues in the security industry.

To optimise headcount in the manpower-scarce industry, companies can also consider the Security Technology Management system, which integrates AI into operations, allowing security officers to be more productive.

There are four aspects that security officers need to be familiar with, namely:

• Access control management
• Alarm system management
• Robotics and automation application
• Security surveillance management

Digital skills and critical core skills go hand-in-hand

While technology is here to improve work systems for more efficient deployment of manpower, these solutions also require the support of skilled security officers. This reiterates the importance of upskilling the workforce alongside advancements in technology.

Also Read: Why Singapore’s traditional sectors need a digital makeover

For instance, SkillsFuture Singapore has outlined the Skills Framework for Security to promote skills mastery and lifelong learning as an integral part of the transformation in the security industry. The Framework outlined two broad skills classifications: Technical skills and competencies and critical core skills, that security officers must acquire to perform the various tasks.

The former comprises technical skills and competencies that cover occupation-specific knowledge, such as contract management, incident response, threat observation and robotics and automation application.

The latter comprises transferrable skills that enable individuals to be employable, facilitate their career mobility and enable the acquisition of technical skills. In fact, critical core skills such as digital fluency, problem-solving, adaptability and community are key for security professionals, either if they are branching out through horizontal skills or keeping pace with the changes in technology.

As the security industry in Singapore takes on brave strides in leveraging technology to enhance the delivery of services, there will be lower dependence on manpower to perform manual work such as patrolling and CCTV monitoring.

Instead, there will be more job opportunities arising from the new need for backend support in security technology management. Therefore, security officers must master technology to better meet the demands of this sector, and upskilling is crucial for the industry’s shift toward digital solutions.

Upskilling as the way to thrive in the domain

It is observable that the upskilling of security officers and the adoption of technology solutions are in tandem. In fact, technology does not replace the role of security officers, and critical core skills are still vital for security officers to keep up with technological changes in the industry.

A human element in the security industry is increasingly crucial even as AI capabilities and applications continue to advance. This means that in addition to upskilling to take on more meaningful roles in the advent of new technological solutions, we also need to develop core skills of security officers, such as digital fluency, problem-solving, adaptability and communication.

Security officers who want to thrive in the domain should open up to the concept of reskilling or upskilling. Otherwise, they risk being left behind. Therefore, we need to revamp and focus on the adoption of technology while acknowledging the human aspect of the job that goes hand-in-hand with the use of technology.

With that in mind, NTUC LHUB is dedicated to helping close the skills gap and creating career opportunities to achieve higher productivity in the wake of the manpower crunch. We believe that equipping these officers with the relevant knowledge to increase efficiency and improve productivity for companies through relevant upskilling is the solution.

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This article was first published on September 2, 2022

The post How technology is addressing the manpower crunch in Singapore’s security sector appeared first on e27.