CHRIS MEES (°1958) holds a Master Degree in Criminology (M.Sc., four-year curriculum, Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and holds certificates of Security Managerial Staff (Belgian Law of 10 April 1990 on the enterprises of surveillance, of security, and on the internal services of surveillance; Royal Decree of 1999), Post-graduate course in Risk Management (Catholic University Louvain), Security Consultancy (CEMOV Business School) and followed diverse specialized courses on security management, security consultancy and project management.

He has been employed in the security sector since 1979, where he started as a security officer and progressed to supervisory, managerial and consultancy positions. In this role(s), he was responsible for the day-to-day administration and operation of the security department (in-house and contracted security guards), consulting and supporting management on security/safety related risk and preventive measures, establishing and monitoring security/safety programs company wide, managing operational and project budgets, establishing policies and procedures, establishing automated access control/CCTV and alarm monitoring systems, investigating internal security/safety breaches, assisting law enforcement agencies with external investigations, establishing training programs for all security/safety personnel, establishing awareness notices to remind employees and visitors of their responsibilities, reviewing and establishing security/safety requirements for all modifications to the facility or new construction, etc.

He was also employed as a security consultant, lecturer (licensed by the Ministry of the Interior) for the security training programs as required by the Belgian Law of 10 April 1990, visiting lecturer at different institutes and training & development manager of a Belgian licensed Security Training Institute.

As owner and Security Consultant of NPA Security Consulting he provides loss prevention/risk analysis consulting to a wide spectrum of clients and has a proven record in other advisory services covering: security audit, risk assessment, security concepts/strategies and plans, specifications in protective security - physical and electronic security (physical measures, perimeter systems, intruder detection, access control, CCTV, surveillance and communications), cost effectiveness studies for manned guarding, preparation of security policies and contingency plans and training.

From March 1999 till March 2004, he was hired by a major multinational air express carrier to implement integrated security systems (CCTV, access control, intruder alarm, perimeter security, networked security systems and control room design) to obtain Technology Asset Protection Association (TAPA) Certification for their facilities and transit operations on the main European and African Airports.

He is also specialised in maritime security to help clients to comply with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code that came into force in July 2004, and guest lecturer in the specific training programs of the Institute for Port and Transport related training programs BIHB Antwerp. His company also offers services to companies and organizations seeking to achieve AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) and/or ISO-28000 Certification.

In the relation to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks he maintains a knowledge base of up-to-date OHS information, including relevant legislation, standards and industry best practices. His role primarily involves bringing to the attention of the Client unresolved health and safety problems, together with an advice the Client's Safety Manager/Officer can provide on resolving these problems.

Skills

Chris is a Belgian citizen located near Brussels, and apart from his Dutch mother tongue he speaks fluent English and has an excellent knowledge of French and German.

He has well-developed inter-personal and communication skills and made presentations at several national and international conferences. He has also a high level of written communication skills, which enable him to prepare management reports to tight time-scales. Additionally, he also possessess strong mathematical, analytical and problem solving skills, along with computer literacy and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

He has established and maintained effective networking and working relationships with professional organizations and business colleagues to ensure that his knowledge of developments, existing and new legislation, which impact upon the safety and the security sector, is kept up-to-date. This also involved serving on various committees and working groups and presenting at conferences, seminars and workshops.

He is skilled in analysing highly complex information in the form of legislation, policy documents, court judgements and guidance documents and interpreting these into recommendations for best practice.

E-mail: chris.mees@npasc.be