National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) Competent Persons Scheme received an update as the works to make the CPS a reality continues.

The Competent Person Scheme (CPS) will now be divided into two parts while NaCTSO continues to design the first NaCTSO-endorsed qualification to help businesses to be compliant with Martyn’s Law.

The plan involves the CPS to be divided into two parts:

1.     1) an OfQual-approved, level 3 qualification, with the working title of Competent Person in the Workplace (CPIW)

2.    2) a register of peer-reviewed CT Specialists, with the working title of Counter Terrorism Security Specialists Register (CTSSR)

On the ProtectUK page, NaCTSO shared that they are designing the first NaCTSO-endorsed qualification which will be available to anyone within the business community:

“We seek to offer the tools to identify and mitigate threats that your company may face from terrorist activities.

“We also aim to increase the knowledge level of students and provide advice for long-term use.

“We understand that for most businesses it will not be necessary to have or become counter terrorism experts.

“Therefore, we have proposed a 5-day course, with additional self-study and a final assessment.

“This course will provide the capacity to create suitable counter terrorism risk assessments. It will also provide scope that can enhance general security measures.”

The syllabus content, course materials, and testing requirements will be adjusted as necessary to meet OfQual’s stringent requirements for endorsement and to meet the needs of the market, NaCTSO stated.

The CPIW and CTSSR are two standalone projects being designed by NaCTSO: “Taking the CPIW qualification will not lead to eligibility for the CTSSR.”

The CPIW is aimed at those making or implementing security decisions within a business. As such, it has been designed to be open and achievable, whilst maintaining value for money, as stated by NaCTSO. It is also designed to reduce excessive abstraction times from day-to-day roles, some of which may be safety critical.

“We will design these two products using our specialist knowledge and with our partners across government,” NaCTSO stated.

“We aim to offer the best, and only, Counter-Terrorism Policing-endorsed options. As we continue to make progress, we will keep you informed.”

More information can be found here.

(Source: ProtectUK)