So is it Fraud or sheer incompetence by Government Department?

Kia Ora,

Well in follow up to a recent post about the new security licensing regime here in New Zealand have noticed something else that are in the process of bringing to authorities attention.

Whilst everyone is heated up over the poor renewal process, overlooked has been the fees area.

Now the first part that appears could be fraudulent is the issue of transfer fees. Most would say but we have always had to pay transfer fees.

Yes there have always been transfer fees to transfer a COA(Certificate of Approval) from one license holder to another. Under the new regime though the COA belongs to the guard so therefore there is no one to transfer the COA too.

The other issue that appears to be fraud by double dipping is the fee licence holders are to pay for the number of COA's working for them.

It actually flies in the face of how security works in New Zealand especially in the crowd control area.

To have enough work people need to in the New Zealand Security industry work for several companies at the same time.

Now if you were licensed under the old system with a COA you needed to ask permission of the license holder to do so & in the crowd control area you didn't need to have a COA at all.

Crowd control has been until now a core group who have security as their livelihood & a lot of on call people for bigger events. When short it has been use recruitment agencies to supply what are effectively labourers, or groups such as martial arts clubs or sports clubs as way of fund raising. None of whom really know what they are doing in sometimes potentially quite dangerous situations.

Under the new system the guard holds the COA & therefore could be working (as I was in the early days with my own individual licence as opposed to a COA) as an employee for up to six companies. So when the Ministry of Justice wants a return of those working for a license holder the Ministry could be collecting the same fee six times over for one person. Effectively committing a form of fraud called double dipping.

Removal of the ability to work for several companies at a time would cause major issues as it would effectively mean many events would not be able to go ahead. New Zealand already operates in the security sphere well below par & this would just drive it down even further.

If they want revenue gathering ideas they are better to look at the training regime.

First point is get ETITO(better known as EIEIO because they are a joke) out of security industry involvement. They don't know anything about security or training.

Next remove the minimum four month course for funding requirements. Put in an effective system for recognition of prior learning &/or experience. That is much better than present system where those with less experience or training are often assessing those with more.

That would allow a three week base security course to be set up using military system of training (BHL/BHE) as it works for a practical industry. In fact I have seen it used in current system & those who come from courses using it are much higher in level of competency.

Following the three week basic course it would then be followed by the courses in areas you wish to work in. Some courses would only be one to two days.

Each new area can be endorsed on your records since the actual COA is no longer a card but a certificate. The photo ID has a number which police etc could check through the computer system.

Overall recent issues show the lack of real consultation or understanding of the industry by those who put the legislation together or are trying to implement it.

www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Who can you Trust?

Kia Ora,

Over the last few years New Zealand government departments have been embarrassed by people in high positions being exposed for having falsified their CV's.

A recent investigation made the comment that basic procedures had not been followed.

Probably the biggest issue though is bureaucrats sticking to a system that has been shown to be flawed. That is the use of referees. Government departments stick to this like glue, but in reality it is so easy to manipulate.

Several years ago whilst at a seminar a leading member of the recruitment industry made just this point. Your referee is always someone who is going to say the best about you & easy to set up someone who will actually be in on any lies you put in your CV.

Personally if I am required to provide referees I use ex army mates as I know they will give honest answers even if that means I might miss out on something. A CV & most referees can never actually tell you how someone will be in the position.

A good point the person from the recruitment industry made was see if you know the businesses in the CV & ring them or someone in that industry. Get a warts & all appraisal.

It is that warts & all that any security style check needs to know. Not what courses you can put on paper.

Have said it before there are many coming out of courses who have little actual knowledge of security or any other industry. The education system is dumbing people down so any paper work is worthless when looking at what a person can provide for the employer.
The Essential Guide to Recruitment: How to Conduct Great Interviews and Select the Best Employees
For the security industry it should be the ability to think for yourself, honesty & lack of drug use. It is an industry where experience will teach you more after an initial base training.

Government departments it should be how efficient you are, how you can think for yourself & again how honest you are.

In the latest high profile situation the actual work face members of that department(the military)should of had a greater say than they obviously did in the employment of this particular individual.

Due to a yearly exchange of personnel across the ranks structure, exercises & other commitments the New Zealand Military has a lot of contacts within the British Military system that should of exposed this person as a fraud a lot sooner.
Recruiting with Social Media: Social Media's Impact on Recruitment and HR
That information would of been coming from people they trust. It is obvious now that any referees must of been in on the scam because it was nothing else but a scam.

Despite all this on going problems with recruiting in particular offshore qualifications & experience government departments are still going down the 'referee' road when it quite obviously is open to major abuse. This creates security issues that need to be sorted.

You know how much you can trust someone you actually know. As opposed to a nameless person on the end of the phone or these days computer.

How do you know that the person you are talking too is not the person applying?

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Hail the Black Sheep!

Kia Ora,

Pretty full on at present with tasks resulting from the February earthquake. So will also be publishing posts written when an upcoming task was not going to allow me to blog.

It might seem strange for a blog about security & security related issues but I am all in support of a families Black Sheep. Better known these days as Peter Freedom the person who has successfully(whilst travelling the world) for two years de frauded our Social Welfare department exposing it as corrupt & incompetent.

As someone who once was on a benefit as a back up(as it is supposed to be) it was always galling to see all those that didn't help themselves getting a hand out whilst those of us who tried to help ourselves got no help at all. In fact our names got passed from case manager to case manager to make them look good. You either help all or none equally otherwise you just encourage people to give up.

Now there has been an article in the 'Press' where the CEO of WINZ tries to defend the department handing out cash to a 'charity' run by an overstayer. Seems they have not learnt the lessons.

Many in the US think they are now a socialist state. They have no idea but in saying that some things the government needs to pick up especially in a small country where the population just isn't big enough to provide everything.

Recently Public service chiefs were said to be angered over the publicity of how much they earn. Tough! When they are earning up to $380,000 more than most workers they are answerable when they are not providing the services they are expected too.

Being on Welfare is soul destroying but that doesn't mean that people can't be provided with actual assistance that some might just need to kick start. Right at this moment the government is looking to trim people of these benefits which is great except the system is set up to penalize them if they try. There is no incentive to get off really apart from personal. Most try initially but give up after so many knock backs.
From Poor Law to Welfare State, 6th Edition: A History of Social Welfare in America
Also there are just not the jobs out there in the current economic climate & are less likely to be as the financial crisis worsens. Problem here is successive governments have spent years dumbing everybody down giving them 'financial education' that isn't that very few can see the best route out is to start a business for themselves. Of course governments, in particular New Zealand ones have made the requirements to be in certain businesses so onerous in the wrong ways that people find it hard to start.

When I say onverous in the wrong ways I mean we do, despite some sections in society saying otherwise, need good regulations to ensure people get the best. The market does not actually offer that as claimed by some because to compete means everyone will lower themselves to lowest common denominator to stay in business. There needs to be a good mix of both.

More often than not though the regulations cause the opposite to happen. They tend to be written by those with no practical knowledge of an industry or a role.
Transformation of the Welfare State: The Silent Surrender of Public Responsibility
So I hail the Black Sheep of his family for exposing at least some of the poor systems, corruption & incompetence in our civil service.

Really if they want to get people back to work & cut crime the best option is for the government to provide policies that allow businesses to start & flourish. As an Australian said when moving here to start a business "easy to set one up here but after that it is just apathy".

An efficient, competent civil service could help there. But ours tends to make the comedies 'Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister' look like reality TV.
Just another slave of the welfare state - Bumper Sticker
They can't say it is not continuing as I know it is. Last year I had a flat mate move in before I threw him out two weeks later who was & is a con man as well as appearing to be a gambler.

So far I am the only one he hasn't been able to rip off from my knowledge. Correction next place he moved into threw him out in one week.

But recently I have begun receiving mail for him from our welfare department which I have returned saying gone no address & he was only here for two weeks a year ago.
Just another slave of the welfare state Long Sleeve T-shirt Large White
Having dealt with this type of thing before I can envisage what has happened. He has recently needed an address so has given this one. They are sending out mail whilst he rips them off. They will not stop as he has to change the address even if you tell them he is no longer there. The other option is He got a loan from them back then & only now are they chasing it up. Either way despite them been told at some stage a debt collector or PI will show up on the door.

Funny thing is all the fingers, in particular from the department, are been pointed at the Black Sheep. Their own faults are the problem.

If he returns to New Zealand he is to be prosecuted for defruading the department. I hope they are lining up the case manager & the CEO to stand along side him. Their corruption is what allowed this to happen.

Go the Black Sheep!

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

"Don't teach Pigs to sing. It annoys the pig & wastes your time!"

Kia Ora,

It is human nature to want to share what you have learnt even through your mistakes. Of course as every parent I have ever talked too has said their children think parents know nothing & have to make the same mistakes. Since they are their parents children part of their make up will mean they make exactly the same mistakes & become that which they hated the most about their parents.

People actually learn most by their mistakes. Not everyone can recognize that they are making the same mistakes or are have some of the traits of their parents.

But we can also learn from the mistakes of others & that is where real education which is self education comes in. We can also change & miss the mistakes our parents made.

Now one quote that Robert Kiyosaki likes to throw about is "Don't teach pigs to sing. It annoys the pigs & wastes your time". He came across that one day whilst struggling to work out why 80% of those he taught failed to be able to make the most of what he was teaching. He found he was spending more time & energy with those that would likely never succeed than those who wanted to learn. So he changed the way he taught.

He also is of the same mind of a sergeant of mine when they were first thinking of promoting me(I know there are a lot of people that are still puzzling over why they ever did promote me & what a monster they created) where you learn more by teaching others. Problem is especially in New Zealand is finding enough people who really want to learn how to get ahead. It is too much like hard work.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad for Teens: The Secrets About Money--that You Don't Learn in School! (Miniature Edition)
As Henry Ford said "thinking is the hardest work there is & that is why so few people do it."

Everyone says they would like to be rich, but most are not prepared to risk everything to get there. That is why they never make it or never make it for long.

Many resort to criminal activity such as drug dealing, theft or the more subtle form of theft known better as fraud.

The thing is if you offer people the information you have learnt from others & more importantly your own mistakes they react by trying to belittle what you are offering. The reason for that is they are lazy, scared & it is outside their comfort zone.
Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom
Now another thing that people like Robert Kiyosaki promote is never just believe what they are saying. Do your own homework. When you do that homework & talk to people who are following the same path you find from a myriad of successful sources it builds a base of knowledge from which you can see if it is true or not.

Most people ignore history but as Winston Churchill said "The further back you look the further forward you can see" & that is not the history about dates etc but what has happened when similar actions have been taken to those happening now.

That is why some have been for years been predicting the financial crisis we now have even to the extent of overthrow of governments. That particular course is now gathering pace which the powers that be hide by claiming it is people upset with the dictators & wanting democracy. Most people don't give a damn about democracy as long as they don't rock the boat. So called democracy gives the illusion of free speech & control.
Rich Dad's Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in, That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!
When in fact the trigger for the overthrows have been rising food prices. When most if not all your weekly take home pay goes to buy food to feed your family something has to give. Those rising food prices have been created by in particular the US Federal reserve creating currency.

Probably the biggest reason people don't like to know about how to get ahead is when you present it to their thinking it all looks negative. But what is negative to most is actually an opportunity to those who succeed or those on that path.

Like everyone I have dreams which in my case have morphed as I have learnt more or experienced more of life. Now many people think that security is my whole focus. That is the initial focus & the situations I see building around me making conditions worse are an opportunity in an industry where I actually have quite a bit of knowledge & experience to build on. It is just a case of building a better mouse trap(old idea presented in a better different way).
Rich Dad's Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money
Not only is the security idea scaleable(in other words it can build to a very large organization) but it is a stepping stone to the next idea which also combines with the security concept. These are both scaleable world wide.

Whats more whilst the financial crisis getting worse all the time gives an opportunity to allow it to happen. Whats more for a place to start the Canterbury earthquake means the conditions are right to launch both, the security in particular here in Christchurch.

But all that means you have to research the financial crisis where it is expected to go(not by the trusted 'economists' or government either) but earthquakes, how they work, what is expected & how to use that to achieve your dreams. That includes listening to people like Ken Ring the astrologer, as science as much as I like it is these days not leading but tending to prove what is already known based on sometimes thousands of years of observations, but not accepted until science 'proves' it.
Rich Dad's Before You Quit Your Job: 10 Real-Life Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Building a Multimillion-Dollar Business
Dreams can come true but it is hard not to get side tracked by good people but with a totally different mindset than you. It has actually been shown that this difference in mindset can also mean relationships are doomed, because when things get difficult those with a different core mindset will have a different direction they want to go.

I get that right now with people wanting me to get a 'job' but apart from tempoary work that comes along, my focus is still my business & how to get that moving.

Another thing people do not understand is the time spent on the internet. Yes when work comes up it is important to do the task, but one thing the internet has given is so many ways to create cash flow with little or no cash injection. Requires a totally different mindset than that which has prevailed in the past.
Rich Dad's Increase Your Financial IQ: Get Smarter with Your Money
Increased crime is an opportunity. Poor security allowing the possibility of a terrorist attack on a major event is an opportunity, the attack happening is an opportunity. The event itself is an opportunity but not where people think. The event of course been the Rugby World Cup.

The on going & worsening financial crisis is presenting thousands of opportunities everyday. The Canterbury earthquake is an opportunity to make a difference & a better community which the government & Christchurch city are so far making a right hash off(therefore another opportunity).

It is just being or getting yourself in position to take adavantage of those opportunities without the monkey chatter from those who don't want to understand or are too lazy to do the homework.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Police still Overwhelmed! What can be done?

Kia ora,

First I try to write this blog daily, but with the nature of the work it is not always possible. Last few days have been a little hectic.

Some time back I wrote a blog saying NZ Police are Over Whelmed. Well last night the police in one area came out on TV saying they were been over whelmed with lack of reources & manpower. I know an ex army mate has recently left the police in another area as it just got too much.
Prentice Hall's Test Prep Guide to accompany Proactive Police Management (Prentice Hall Test Prep Series)
So the first thing that needs to be done is more resources & manpower into policing. It is not a political football but a necesity as our society is becoming much more violent & crime is now out of control. It is also been reported less & less.

That can also be seen in the response to looting in Christchurch post the earthquake. Anecdotal evidence is that looting was actually widespread with people not notifying police as they just didn't think they would respond. As the comment from Justin shows security companies decided not to report crime as well as they thought the police were too busy.

What else can be done to help the police get back on top?

Good Private security. That is security companies carrying out security as it is supposed to be, not in the often fraudulant nature it is at present.

Security carried out properly has an impact on crime. Less crime then the police can get right on top & society will feel safer. It is taking that Broken windows policy of New York & using it to take our society back to where people feel safe at night. They definitely don't at present here in Christchurch & that has nothing to do with the earthquake.

Hitting things like last night where it appears a group of people went past here knocking over rubbish bins into the road. It was reported but police did not respond as no one was seen by time it was able to be reported.
Proactive Police Management (8th Edition)
Last of all society has to take some responsibility. They don't have to take the law into their own hands, but report or record details.

It is not on that we leave our police to deal with more & more issues without any real support.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Experts divorced from reality!

Kia Ora,

I can't believe what I just heard on the radio. A so called expert on drug use, though I got the impression they were an academic, stated that the hits by police & customs on drugs have resulted in a rise in price. It is what they said next that floored me. The rise in price will result in less addicts & more looking to enter rehab.

That may happen in the long run but what is going to happen is a rise in crime & in particular violent crime as people become desperate to get their fix.

Having known an ex drug addict or two, they made the point that when the price went up they just increased their criminal activities. One was a burglar during his time as a drug addict(Heroin, Cocaine, marijuana), another hit vehicles to repay his drug dealers for his free marijuana.
Illegal Drugs: A Complete Guide to their History, Chemistry, Use, and Abuse
Other areas that will see an increase is fraud by employees who are addicts & an increase in prostituition.

Fraud will impact on businesses to the extent in the current economic climate probably send one or two to the wall. As if the economic climate isn't causing a big enough rise in crime on its own.

Prostituition is of course now legal in New Zealand, but that doesn't mean it is something that is good for the mental well being for the participants. Many of those in the industry start to pay for their drug or alcohol addiction & others get into drugs or alcohol to cope mentally with having to be a prostitute due to financial pressures. So it becomes a vicious cycle.
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto
It seems that on every subject we rush to the 'experts' who have to generally have an academic qualification but no real world experience.

When in the Netherlands in the mid 80's the locals told us that they got upset everytime the police had a crack down on drugs. It always resulted in a rise in crime.

Although I think for the long term good for the country of course there needs to be a crack down on all drug use.

As I said in the long term it may have the effect they were talking about. Short term it means a lot more work for the NZ Security Industry & the NZ Police.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz