Westminster Group (LON:WSG) said the new academy opened in central England by its subsidiary Longmoor offers ‘tremendous potential’ for the expansion of its training services.

Longmoor, which is the close protection (CP) and risk assessment division of Westminster, has opened the academy in response to the increasing demand for its CP courses.

The new academy will enable it to further expand the range and scope of its courses, both residential and non-residential.

“I am delighted to be announcing the opening of the Longmoor Training Academy which we believe is the best training facility of its type in the country and offers tremendous potential for the expansion of Longmoor's training services,” said chief executive of Westminster Peter Fowler.

“The market in personal protection has grown significantly with the much publicised increase in kidnap, hostage taking, ransom demand and targeted theft of wealthy and high profile individuals.”

The group added that the Longmoor Security Industry Authority (SIA) accredited course provides enhanced career options to military and police veterans as they cannot work within the UK private security industry without such accreditation.

In addition, Westminster is receiving enquiries for its courses from its governmental clients.

According to the group, the unrestricted access to the facilities will result in significant operational efficiencies with a wider range of courses offered at better potential profit margins.

The academy has been secured on a leasehold basis of an initial 12 month term with the option to extend for a further four years.

Last month, the Nigerian president signed off on the 2012 budget which has earmarked a US$5.8 billion equivalent on security spending – and Westminster is well placed to benefit from that.

On top of the franchise fees of over 1.7 million over the term, all business the franchise undertakes will be done using Westminster’s products and solutions, so will be generating potentially huge revenues for the group.

Only yesterday, Westminster announced a strategic investment to the tune of £500,000 from a new partner which is now looking to assist with the delivery of many of the group’s opportunities in West Africa.

It had also reported that initial revenue forecasts for its US$150 million+ airport security contract with an African country announced in February may have been too conservative, and the deal has the potential to generate substantially more revenue than anticipated.

Initial revenue forecasts for this contract were based on modest growth of passenger numbers and did not allow for additional revenues from cargo scanning and other services. In the light of new forecasts and planned extensions of airport services in this country, the initial forecasts look too conservative, according to Westminster.

Following the two month pre-implementation period, the group has commenced operations at the airport today.  It has started to deploy new surveillance equipment, new procedures, new signage, and it launched a new ‘dog squad’ with explosives and drug detection dogs in operation within the airport.

The group's principal activity is the design, supply and ongoing support of advanced technology security solutions, risk assessments and close protection services.  It serves the security, defence, fire protection and safety markets worldwide.

Services can range from product only assignments, such as the supply of specialised scanners, to the design and implementation of an integrated system solution such as a border detection and surveillance system. The majority of Westminster’s customer base, by value, comprises governments and government agencies, non-governmental organisations and blue chip commercial organisations.

The deal is worth US$128,000 and it is expected to be completed in the second half of this year.

"I am delighted to be able to announce this latest airport security contract following on from other recent aviation contract wins and an expansion of our aviation business,” said chief executive Peter Fowler.

“This is yet another new governmental client to Westminster and could lead to further contract awards following successful implementation." 

Westminster told investors that the equipment being sold screens both people and baggage, however it said that any further information about the deal is restricted because of the classified nature of the project.

This is latest in a series of contract wins for the Banbury headquartered firm. In the past few months it has won deals for Airport security services in Africa, countermeasure systems in the Gulf and a variety of products to a government in sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior to that, in January’s results statement Westminster reported record order intake for the 12 months to December 31 2011 was around £14.7 million, up from just £2 million in the year before. And it entered 2012 with a contracted order book of £4.7 million 

Revenues for the year were around £10 million compared to £3.8 million in 2010, reflecting the much improved performance in the second half where revenues were more than £8mln, the trading update showed.

The group also achieved a significant underlying operating profit in the second half of the year, which compared favourably to the same period last year. As at year-end, it held £0.4mln in cash compared to £0.3 million in 2010.

Westminster Group (LON:WSG) expects the tie up with mobile and web technology group ROK Global to be of a “great benefit” to the company .

The AIM quoted security group told the markets this morning that it has entered a memorandum of understanding with ROK to market its suite of mobile phone-based police, security and executive services via its distribution network.

Under the terms of the deal, ROK will market Westminster’s monitoring services to their own clients.

The combination of one of ROK’s products, the mobile phone based Homeland Security (RHS) service, and Westminster’s monitoring services will enable clients to instantly transmit critical information in real time for prompt response, the companies said.

RHS helps law enforcement officers gather and manage information in a variety of formats including encrypted data. The device has been specifically designed for use in counter-terrorism operations, investigations, counter-narcotic operations and physical security, noted Westminster.

“ROK has developed a fantastically effective range of safety, security and policing products which we believe will be of enormous benefit to many of our existing clients and when combined with our 24/7 monitoring centre services will create a powerful security solution,” said chief executive of Westminster Peter Fowler.

ROK Global PLC was co-founded by US Billionaire John Paul DeJoria and UK-based serial technology-specialist entrepreneur, Jonathan Kendrick.

Westminster said its new partner has “pioneered many new and innovative technologies in the rapidly-evolving mobile and web space”.

Shares in Westminster traded at 22.75 pence this morning, up one percent from Monday’s close. The group currently has a market cap of £6.75 million.

Squadron Leader Ben Gwillim has been appointed as country manager of Westminster Aviation Security Services in West Africa, it said.

Gwillim has a wealth of experience and served in the RAF for more than 20 years. Much of that time was spent working on security and investigation within the RAF police.

He was also the RAF's senior investigative officer and has served in Westminster's areas of operations both in the Middle East and Africa.

His past experience includes developing and training specialist teams of more than 200 people, air transport security, criminal investigation, counter intelligence and close protection for overseas deployments.

He has also provided media campaign training to foreign forces and provided journalists with support for high profile VIP visits to hostile environments.

Westminster chief executive Peter Fowler said Gwillim's addition to the aviation security business strengthened what was already an impressive management team.

"Our aviation security business is continuing to gather momentum and is developing numerous opportunities in the aviation sector," he said.

Gwillim said: "I am particularly excited at being based, once again, in a part of Africa where I have previously served and know well.  Hopefully my experience of the region and of the security issues involved will assist Westminster's already impressive prospects."

Banbury headquartered security firm Westminster Group (LON:WSG) reported record order intake in the year so far giving better visibility into the rest of 2011 and into 2012. 

Finance director Ian Selby told Proactive Investors that this has marked a turnaround from the slower order intake in 2010, which was reflected in the reduced revenues in this morning's results for the first half of 2011.

Revenue in the six months to June 30 2011 came to £1.78 million, down from £2.35 million in the previous first half. Pretax loss widened to £2 million from £1.42 million.

The delays in realising revenue were outside of Westminster’s control in the rollout of certain orders.  The results do not reflect the improving sales performance, but are more representative of the weak order intake in 2010, it said in a statement.

The group pointed out that 2011 so far has been a period of record order intake.  In the first half, Westminster received orders with a sales value of £12.4 million compared with £1.1 million for the previous first half and £2.4 million for the whole of 2010. 

“We are now starting to deliver against these orders, invoicing £6 million between 1 July 2011 and 30 September 2011 and expect to continue to deliver against these orders for the remainder of the financial year and into 2012,” it said.

Chief executive Peter Fowler added: "We believe that the group has now reached an important inflection point despite disappointing revenues for the first six months, with strong order book levels providing good visibility for the remainder of 2011 and into 2012. 

"Our pipeline continues to grow against a backdrop of global drivers and opportunities arising from our presence in high growth emerging economies. This, combined with the contracts won in the year and the increasing enquiry levels mean that we remain optimistic about the future." 

As at June 30, Westminster had cash resources of £320,000, compared with £130,000 a year earlier. In July it raised £617,000 after expenses in a share issue priced at 12 pence and is confident it has sufficient working capital for the next 12 months.

It is currently putting in place extended trade financing facilities in order to fully maximise its opportunity and to enable it to rapidly deliver against customer projects.

Westminster is still in several discussions with potential strategic investors who are interested in partnerships or strategic investments, as announced at the end of July, and will update investors as appropriate. 

The group's principal activity is the design, supply and ongoing support of advanced technology security solutions, risk assessments and close protection services.  It serves the security, defence, fire protection and safety markets worldwide.

Services can range from product only assignments, such as the supply of specialised scanners, to the design and implementation of an integrated system solution such as a border detection and surveillance system. The majority of Westminster’s customer base, by value, comprises governments and government agencies, non-governmental organisations and blue chip commercial organisations.

Westminster Group (LON:WSG)  announced this morning that it has landed a multi-million pound contract to supply security equipment, which will be used to protect high-profile sites in the Middle East.

The exact financial details of the deal were not revealed. However, it brings the company’s order intake this year to £11.7 million – its highest ever level.

The contract to supply advanced detection and surveillance equipment begins immediately and will be completed by the first quarter of next year.

The name of the customer was not revealed. However the contract was secured after a lengthy process including stringent operational assessment trials. 

Chief executive Peter Fowler said: ““I am delighted to be able to announce this latest contract award which is the second multi-million pound contract we have secured so far in 2011.  

“This brings our order intake in 2011 to £11.7 million, giving us our highest ever order book by a significant margin. 

“I am particularly pleased to be able to announce this new significant contract as it is one of several major contracts we have been negotiating for some time and which we had anticipated securing during the latter half of 2010.  

“This not only provides us with a very encouraging start to the 2011 trading year but is a good illustration of the types of contracts that we have been tendering for over the past twelve months.

“This is yet another important new governmental client to Westminster and we are already discussing various other security solutions the group can provide and for which they have expressed interest.  The potential for further business is considerable.

“This demonstrates our ability to secure multi-million pound contracts and our ability to provide, in conjunction with our agents, a wide range of security solutions to governments and major corporations around the world.

“The size and scope of this contract will provide a valuable reference point for our future business development.”