As a security company with a social mission that directly relates to veterans, you can imagine the significance of Armed Forces Day to our whole team. A day where the country focuses on the great sacrifices our forces colleagues make to protect our country and countries around the world.

Our social mission is to provide meaningful employment to the people who have served our country and to help them reintegrate into civilian life. This has been the case since the company’s formation over 160 years ago. Forces personnel make exceptional security officers. Here is why.

Reintegrating into Civilian Life

It is difficult to understand the challenges that face forces personnel as they reintegrate into civilian life. I am a veteran myself, so I know first-hand the pressures that face our servicepeople as they leave the familiarity and security of their Forces family. For some, this transition can be paralleled with physical and mental health issues too, depending on the post that they are departing.

The most significant change for forces personnel is the loss of routine, procedures, structure, and discipline. However, these are the skills that align perfectly with roles in security services, something our founder realised when forming Corps of Commissionaires and remains the backbone of our social mission to this day.

Veteran’s influence security services with their transferable skills

Corps Monitoring is licensed by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and expected to follow strict rules and guidelines. Our team is also required to understand, follow, and achieve certain British Standards for security that require motivation, discipline, robust procedures, and accurate reporting.
These traits are synonymous with the training of all Forces personnel. The similarities between security and the roles in our armed forces mean that learned skills are easily transferable and can provide security providers, such as Corps Monitoring, with access to a skilled workforce that have a positive impact on the development of the security industry in the future.

Understanding assailants

Another highly transferable skill from active service to CCTV and monitoring services, is understanding the behaviour of an assailant. Our team monitors thousands of live CCTV streams and are the first responder when there is an intruder, fire, and significantly and importantly a potential threat to life. Responding to such risks requires calm, to ensure accurate and concise reporting to those in danger on the ground.

Couple that with a deeper understanding of the reactions of the assailant – where they might hide and what their next course of action might be, can protect the lives of those under physical threat. For a veteran, this skill is engrained into their working lives and will therefore require much less intense training as they transition to security services.

Supporting the wider veteran community

At Corps we understand how daunting it is for veterans as they return to civvy street. Therefore, we have partnered with specialist organisations such as Combat Stress – who offer support to the wider veteran community who may face mental and physical health issues and/or struggling following their departure from the forces. Our partnership with Combat Stress offering veteran support not only helps the individual, but when they are ready to take on new employment, they know Corps are there to support them and provide meaningful roles in the future, should they wish.

Corps’ future for veterans

Corps will continue to forge relationships across the wider veteran support community, including the MoD and forces leadership, charities, and local organisations across the UK to continue to grow our veteran workforce. Admittedly, not all forces personnel will have the inclination to work in security. But for those that do, our mission remains to ensure every veteran is aware that they have a place in the Corps family.

We hope the country never forgets the sacrifices that have been made by our Forces personnel and veterans, and our loved ones in danger right now across the globe protecting innocent civilians every day. We hope you will join us in solidarity and support this Armed Forces Day.