IPSQA’s flagship certification scheme, CertPubS® is the only ISO 17024:2012 program with Foreign Interference Protection.

For those with international experience, the dirty secret of certification schemes being compromised through bribes and coercion is real.

Fly-in fly-out assessors are particularly vulnerable to such unethical practices, often facing offers of substantial sums of money to ensure candidates pass assessments or even threats to their personal safety, especially when candidates have influential political connections within the country.

Unfortunately, Western cultures and systems often overlook these issues, leading to instances where individuals hold third-party certifications obtained through questionable means.

IPSQAs’ Certificate in Public Safety (CertPubs®) stands out as the sole public safety role certification scheme that adheres to ISO 17024:2012 standards while also offering Foreign Interference Protection (FIP™).

FIP™ incorporates enhanced integrity measures, including the submission of photographic evidence reflecting candidates’ participation in assessment tasks and a crucial requirement for the final assessment (Part C – Professional/Experience) to be conducted by a senior assessor not based in the candidate’s country. In the event an assessor faces coercion or threats, they can safely report any interference upon returning to their home country. IPSQA has the authority to suspend a candidate’s result processing pending an investigation.

Dr. Steve Glassey, Chief Executive Officer of IPSQA, emphasizes the significance of these measures by stating, “Gone are the days when individuals could expect to receive certification without undergoing proper assessment procedures. Our stakeholders can now trust in the skills, knowledge, and experience of our Certificate in Public Safety graduates, regardless of where the certification is earned.”

IPSQA is domiciled in New Zealand, which consistently ranks at the top of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Since its first release, New Zealand has scored at the top or within the top three countries in the world.  The index uses corruption perception data collected from 13 different sources from 12 separate institutions over the previous two years. The indexes are combined to rate each country on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). In the most recent index more than two-thirds of countries rank below 50, with an average score of just 43. New Zealand’s 2022 score is 87/100. This places New Zealand behind Denmark with a score of 90 and second alongside Finland.