We should be members of a professional institution. In any other profession, it would set such standards, or at least somewhat govern the academic contribution

We should be members of a professional institution. In any other profession, it would set such standards, or at least somewhat govern the academic contribution to them. I am a member of the IET, but it's not strong on CS/SE. Some might be of the BCS (aka Chartered Institute for IT, which says it all IMO) or ACM. The latter is probably the most relevant we have, but it's more publication focussed than professional development/regulation/whistleblowing support/standards providing etc. of traditional bodies.