Register of Security Engineers and Specialists

​Who we are

RSES is a professional register for protective security specialists who have demonstrated competence in securing the built environment, protecting assets and people. It is intended to help prospective clients engage competent security specialists, and to help security specialists demonstrate, maintain and develop their professional competence.

RSES was launched in 2007 and has its roots in security engineering, reflecting the terrorist threat and market needs at the time. As these have evolved, so too has RSES, broadening significantly to encompass many specialisms of protective security. The Register is divided into categories and grades of membership.

Central to RSES is the General Security Advisor (GSA).  GSAs provide clients with holistic protective security advice but may specialise in working in particular sectors and/or protecting against particular threats.  Work is underway to develop a suite of descriptors that GSAs will be able to use to communicate their area(s) of practice.

Specialist categories cover particular aspects of physical, people and personnel security and allow registrants to demonstrate skills and expertise in a specific field of protective security, while grades demonstrate the level of knowledge and experience that has been attained.

In March 2025, NaCTSO announced RSES as the delivery vehicle for a register of counter-terrorist security specialists who could assist venue operators and event organisers in mitigating the threat of terrorism through protective security and preparedness. The GSA competency framework has been updated to reflect the fact that expertise in counter terrorism is multi-faceted and spans a wide range of applications, of which protection and preparedness of venues and events is part. The new competency framework reflects a broader range of academic and experiential entry criteria while also ensuring that the needs of both existing and new members of the category are accommodated.

The membership of RSES is drawn from a wide range of academic, practical and professional backgrounds. All members share an ability to work systematically to help clients understand and appropriately address security threats, vulnerabilities and risks to their organisations, assets and people.

All members are bound by a code of professional conduct and commit to continuing professional development, ensuring they remain current in their knowledge and competent in their field of practice.

RSES is hosted and administered by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), sponsored by the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and endorsed by the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO).