The Association of Police & Public Security Suppliers (APPSS) is a Trade Association with over 300 Members. It is incorporated within the Defence Manufacturers Association www.the-dma.org.uk with nearly 500 members supplying products and services to government agencies and contractors in the defence, police, and public security markets worldwide.

Winkelmann was admitted as a Member of the Association on the 4th day of May 1999

APPSS is the premier trade association for UK companies supplying products and/or services to the Police and Public Security agencies worldwide.

What is Public Security?

The term Public Security is a relatively new one and has no formal definition, however, it is best described as referring to the broad national effort by all levels of government to protect a country's territory from threats, internal and external, natural and man-made (much like the American term ‘Homeland Security’).

Unlike the United States, the UK has no formal department of Public Security, instead this job falls under a number of departments, including:

• The Home Office
• The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)
• Ministry of Justice
• National Offender Management Service (NOMS)
• Department of Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR)
• The Ministry of Defence (MoD)

Public Security includes:

Emergency preparedness and response (for both terrorism and natural disasters), including, police, medical (including the voluntary sector), emergency management and fire personnel; often referred to as the blue light services.

• Domestic intelligence activities, largely today within the security services.
• Critical infrastructure protection, including private utility companies.
• Border security, including both land and maritime borders.
• Transport security, including air, sea, rail and bus/coach transportation.
• Biodefence; (CBRNe)
• Detection of radioactive and radiological materials.
• Research on next-generation security technologies, for example biometrics