Working the Doors

This week, Bill Matthews, the newest Security Industry Authority (SIA) Board member, made his first official visit to Glasgow to meet representatives from the private security industry.

Over the two days, Bill met senior staff from Strathclyde Police, representatives from the British Security Industry Association and senior staff members from security companies operating in Scotland.

"In my first set of meetings with SIA stakeholders, I wanted to engage with the regulated industry and our police partners.

It was very useful to hear about their experiences and I plan engage regularly with our stakeholders to ensure the particular interests of Scotland have a voice at Board level."

Investigators from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and officers from Avon and Somerset Constabulary carried out checks at pubs, clubs and other licensed venues in Bath’s city centre on Friday 13 June.

“Bath benefits from a vibrant night-time economy, so it was encouraging to find the majority of venue licensees taking a responsible approach to protecting their customers by using SIA licensed door staff."

"This is another great example of partners working together to make the communities of Bath feel safe and be safe. The SIA have been very supportive and their expertise has allowed us to identify a number of issues amongst door staff across the city which we will now be addressing"

A Manchester man who ran a security company is the first director to have his licence revoked by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) based on non-conviction information.

The company director, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had received warnings from the SIA for deploying unlicensed security operatives and failing to respond to requests made under Section 19 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 – Powers of entry and inspection.

"We always maintain a fair and just approach to enforcement and work closely with companies and their employee to help them work within the law. In this case, the director made no attempt to comply, and by working against us, led to his SIA licence being revoked. We hope this sends a strong message to other non-compliant company directors."

Persons authorised by the SIA may enter premises owned or occupied by a regulated person other than premises occupied exclusively for residential purposes as a private dwelling.
Regulated persons are required to produce documents or information in connection with matters that are subject to regulation under the Act (i.e. licensable conduct, the provision of security services, and any conditions attaching to approved contractor status under a compulsory scheme).
Persons exercising powers of entry may do so only at reasonable times and must satisfy certain requirements under the Act, such as providing evidence of their identity and authorisation.
It is made an offence for a regulated person to fail to comply with the provisions in section 19.

The SIA always takes a fair and proportionate approach to enforcement action and will take into account the progress an individual has made towards getting or renewing a licence e.g. training completed, licence application submitted. However, the SIA expects security companies and individuals to comply with the law. Further information can be found on the Enforcement pages of the SIA website.

Today at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, security guard Matthew John Kelly pleaded guilty to six offences under Section 3(1) of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 - working without an SIA licence.

Kelly was an employee of Stealth Security Services. He was found working illegally as a security guard at the Bestwood Lodge Hotel, Bestwood Country Park, Nottingham, last autumn.

John Montague, the SIA's Head of Formal Investigation said:

"SIA licensing protects the public from unsuitable people working in positions of trust in the private security industry. We always take a fair and proportionate approach to our enforcement actions, but we expect security companies and their employees to comply with the law at all times."

Kelly was given a 12 month conditional discharge and costs of £100.

The maximum penalty for committing an offence such as working without a licence or supplying unlicensed staff is six months' imprisonment and/or fine up to £5,000 (or trial on indictment to crown court, whereby an unlimited fine and/or five years' imprisonment could be imposed)

The SIA always takes a fair and proportionate approach to enforcement action and will take into account the progress an individual has made towards getting or renewing a licence e.g. training completed, licence application submitted. However, the SIA expects security companies and individuals to comply with the law. Further information can be found on the Enforcement pages of the SIA website.

On Friday 13 June, investigators from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) continued their checks targeting security provision at popular family spots along Lincolnshire's East Coast. They were joined by officers from Lincolnshire Police and East Lindsey District Council.

During Operation Lollipop, 19 licensed premises were visited in Skegness, Mablethorpe, Louth and Ingoldmells.

40 door supervisors were checked and 35 were SIA licensed. Four doormen were reported by the police for summons and one doorman was issued with an SIA warning.

However, four individuals were issued with SIA warnings for not displaying their licence.

"On our last visit to the East Coast, we were pleased to find licencees adopting a responsible attitude to licensing. In these popular holiday spots, the public should expect to see, and deserve to be protected by, SIA-licensed doorstaff.

Multi-agency operations such as these carry a strong message that we all expect compliance with the law for the continued safety of the public."

"The Lincolnshire Police have been working closely with the licensing trade in the East Division and in particular the door supervisors. This operation identified a small number of individuals who were breaching the legislation but demonstrated to all the licensed door supervisors working legally that we will not tolerate people working without licences."

East Lindsey District Council's Senior Licensing Enforcement Officer, Michael Goldby, said:

"The high visibility patrols provide an added reassurance to those enjoying a night out that they are in safe hands. The Council and its partners work closely with licensees and door staff across the district to ensure they have the appropriate training and it is important to know that they carry out their jobs to a high standard."

Investigators from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) joined officers from Strathclyde Police and investigators from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to target rogue security firms and unlicensed security activity.

Checks were carried out to ensure that companies providing security at construction sites across the West Dunbartonshire area were working legally and only deploying SIA licensed security operatives.

"It is important that the Scottish construction industry takes more significant steps to ensure that only SIA licensed operatives protect their security sites. Failure to do so could lead to the prosecution of both the employee and their employer.

We will continue to work with our partners at Strathclyde Police and DWP to help drive out criminality and drive up standards in security provision."

"I was encouraged by the success of this joint venture, which resulted in the detection of offences across a number of security sites in Dunbarton and Clydebank. Due to the impact of this type of partnership operation, we hope to repeat this activity in the future."

Security Industry Authority (SIA) investigators have begun Operation Lollipop, targeting security provision at popular family spots along Lincolnshire's East Coast.

Investigators visited Skegness, Mablethorpe, Louth and Ingoldmells as part of the intelligence gathering exercise and over two days visited: five holiday parks, one theme park and 27 licensed premises.

"Lincolnshire's East Coast is an attractive destination for family holidays. With school holidays coming up shortly, we want to ensure that security operatives working in positions of trust are doing so legally and hold SIA licences.

I was pleased that all the holiday park managers and licensees that we visited were legally deploying SIA licensed staff at their security sites. We will be back on the East Coast to check that security operatives are observing licence conditions such as displaying their SIA licence."

Investigators from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and officers from Sussex Police and UK Border Agency targeted illegally working door supervisors across East & West Sussex on Friday 23 May in a pre-Bank Holiday crackdown.

146 licensed premises were visited across the counties and 336 door staff were checked. 314 held valid SIA licences but 22 individuals were found working illegally, including a doorman working illegally with a fake SIA licence and two doormen were arrested for immigration offences.

"We all share the same concern for maintaining public safety and SIA licensing of door staff contributes to that. Together, we can all tackle illegal activity in the private security industry. Door supervisors working illegally and those deploying them could face prosecution."

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has strengthened its partnership with the charity Crimestoppers by sponsoring the Crimestoppers website www.crimestoppers-uk.org .

The SIA wants to encourage the private security industry and members of the public to report unlicensed activity directly to Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111. You will not be asked for your personal details and calls cannot be traced or recorded.

"The SIA is fundamentally dependent on good intelligence for effective compliance and enforcement operations.

We are aware that many people would hesitate to give us the information we need if they had to leave their name and address or other contact details. This is why our partnership with Crimestoppers is so important. They can offer a 24/7 service, operated by people expert in dealing with crime related issues and all calls are anonymous. By sponsoring their website we can further raise awareness of our association with Crimestoppers and our mutual commitment to reduce crime."

As a charity it is essential that Crimestoppers works closely with other agencies in the fight against crime. The SIA's sponsorship of the Crimestoppers website will help highlight different types of criminal activity and make people aware that they can report crime anonymously to Crimestoppers without fear of retribution."

On Thursday 15 May, teams of Security Industry Authority (SIA) investigators carried out the first in a series of large scale random checks on security sites to test for compliance with the law.

Operation Falcon targeted 89 security sites in Birmingham City Centre, The Fort, Fort Dunlop, Star City and the NEC. Premises included Magistrates' Court, universities, museums, art galleries, hospitals, rail stations, offices, shops, shopping malls, cinemas and a casino.

NB: The alleged Section 3 offences were not related to SIA licence processing times. None of the 11 alleged offenders had submitted licence applications.

"Although our operations are usually intelligence-led, it is important to test our assessment of compliance levels by carrying out this type of extensive random check. All the indicators - statistical analysis, intelligence and independent research - suggest there is over 90% compliance with the licensing requirements, and I am pleased this random exercise has confirmed that. We also gathered valuable intelligence to inform future operations. This kind of testing will be repeated whenever we think it is needed.

Our investigations will continue and we will consider the most appropriate disposal for the alleged offences discovered during the operation."

As part of the Security Industry Authority's (SIA) Stakeholder Engagement Strategy, the third Door Supervision Network meeting will be held on Tuesday 24 June 2008, in Skegness. This meeting follows the successes of the first two events held in September 2007 and January 2008.

The meeting is being organised and facilitated by representatives from the door supervision sector. The meeting is an opportunity for delegates working within door supervision to engage with the SIA and others in their industry. Representatives will discuss and explore issues about the industry and regulation.

If you would like to attend the meeting, please visit this page to register your interest by 5pm on Friday 30 May 2008.

On Friday 9 May, investigators from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and officers from Stockport Police continued their checks on door staff working on licensed premises as part of 'Operation Safe'.

During the intelligence-led operation, the SIA and police visited 8 licensed premises in the Bramhall and Hazel Grove area.

16 door supervisors were checked and 5 individuals were warned for offences under Section 9 (non display of licence)*

*The SIA always takes a fair and proportionate approach to enforcement action and will take into account the progress an individual has made towards getting or renewing a licence e.g. training completed, licence application submitted. But the SIA expects security companies and individuals to comply with the law.

"As part of this ongoing operational activity within the area, we were pleased to see the majority of door staff working legally. It is important that we and our police partners continue to remind door staff and those deploying them of their legal responsibilities."

Chief Inspector Stuart Barton, of the Stockport division of Greater Manchester Police said:

"Operation Safe was launched to ensure that all door supervisors in Stockport have the necessary training and qualifications to keep the public safe. So far the operation has proved to be very successful and we will continue to work closely with the SIA and make further visits to licensed premises in Stockport in the future."

As part of the Security Industry Authority's (SIA) Stakeholder Engagement Strategy, the second Small Business Network meeting will be held on Monday 30 June 2008, at a central London location. This meeting follows the success of the first event held on 8 January 2008.

The meeting is being organised and facilitated by representatives from small businesses with the support of the SIA. The meeting is an opportunity for delegates working within the licensed sectors to engage with the SIA and others in their industry. Representatives will discuss and explore issues about the industry, best practice and SIA issues.

If you would like to attend the meeting, please register your interest by 5pm on Friday 30 May 2008.

On Friday 2 May, investigators from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) were joined by officers from Northumbria Police and South Tyneside Council for Operation QWERTY - to target non-compliant door staff working at licensed premises in South Shields.

"Firstly, I’d like to thank our partners at Northumbria Police and South Tyneside Council for working with us. We all want to see trained, qualified and SIA licensed door staff working in positions of trust. We were pleased to find door staff complying with the law and it is reassuring for us, and the public, that door supervisors and licensees in South Shields have recognised the importance and value of an SIA licence."

"The aim of Operation QWERTY was to make sure that door staff in South Shields town centre are working in a professional manner. It was extremely encouraging that a high number of the 35 door staff checked across 11 premises were displaying their SIA badges.

Only a small number were working with an expired licence. It is important that their role is properly regulated and that these regulations are appropriately enforced. We regularly carry out these multi-agency checks and will continue to do so to ensure that South Tyneside remains a safe place to live, work and visit."

Councillor Michael Clare, Lead Member for Environment, Housing and Transport at South Tyneside Council, said:

Officers in the Council’s Licensing Section work closely with Northumbria Police, Security Industry Authority and licensees to ensure that all door supervisors working within South Tyneside are fully compliant.

We are delighted that no serious offences were highlighted as a result of recent checks. This shows that the partnership is working effectively. As a Council, we are committed to supporting the night time economy and continue to work with our partners to ensure people stay safe but still have a great time when visiting the Borough."

On Friday 18 April, investigators from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) were joined by officers from Lincolnshire Police to carry out checks on door supervisors working at licensed premises in Grantham, Spalding and Stamford.

"We would like to thank our partners at Lincolnshire Police for working with us as part of this ongoing operational activity within Lincolnshire area. Whilst the majority were compliant, it was disappointing to find some individuals flouting the law and making no attempt to comply at all.

Door supervisors, working without an SIA licence, and those deploying them, are committing an offence. To maintain public safety, it is vital that door staff are trained, qualified and SIA licensed. We and our police partners will continue to deliver that message."

Chief Inspector for Community Safety in Lincolnshire Police’s South Division, said:

"This was a joint initiative between Lincolnshire Police and the SIA as part of our commitment to make the night time economy of south Lincolnshire a safer and more enjoyable place to be.

By checking that door staff are SIA licensed we are ensuring that they are trained to approved standards which means they are better qualified to deal with the public in an appropriate way. Door staff play an important role in ensuring the safety and security of the public in our pubs and clubs, and visits by the police and SIA help support the valuable work that properly trained and licensed door staff carry out".

There have been delays in our processing of licence applications and it has been difficult to get through to our contact centre. We have been working hard to resolve these issues.

Processing times: the time taken to process applications is dropping and the majority of recently received and correctly completed applications are now being processed within 6-8 weeks. However, we acknowledge that there is still much room for improvement.
Returning documents: it is currently taking a few weeks rather than days to return documents but they are being returned as quickly as possible.
Our contact centre: we have increased the number of contact / processing centre staff and we are employing more temporary staff to help out. We expect the situation to improve as the delays in licensing (the source of most calls) are reduced.
'Stuck' applications: various manual workarounds were introduced to identify and process the relatively small number of applications that had become caught up in the system. Most of these cases have now been freed and are completing their passage through the process. We will do everything we can to speed any further 'stuck' cases that come to light through to completion.

A number of online facilities have been introduced to make it easier for applicants to use our licensing service and to follow the progress of licence applications. Individual licence application forms can be requested online from our website, company users can bulk order application forms from a new online ordering process, the online Register of Licence Holders has been improved and made easier to use, and the online Company Licence Checker allows registered company users to regularly check the licence status of all their staff.

Again, we apologise for the poor service provided in recent months. Please bear with us as we work to make things right again.

On Thursday 17 April, investigators from the Security industry Authority (SIA) were joined by officers from Strathclyde Police as they targeted unlicensed security activity in Glasgow.

"This is a great example of partnership working between the SIA and the police. We all share the same concern for maintaining public safety and SIA licensing contributes towards that; it is therefore imperative that security operatives are SIA licensed. Those deploying unlicensed security guards could face prosecution."

Chief Inspector Brian Connel, Force Crime Prevention Officer for Strathclyde Police said:

"Criminality within the security industry has been an area of public concern for some time. Joint working with the SIA provides new opportunities for us to pursue that criminal element and disrupt their activities. Future operations will continue to target those suspected of offences."

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is proud to introduce a new category to Security Management Today’s annual Security Excellence Awards: the 'ACS Champion of the Year', which acknowledges the accomplishments of Approved Contractors.

The award for ACS Champion of the Year will recognise those approved contractors that have taken exceptional steps to further the spirit of the scheme.

The ACS aims to raise standards and promote good practice for the creation of a safer environment for the public and better opportunities for the private security industry.

"The ACS is about raising standards to help protect the public. This excellence award is not to find 'the best' approved contractor. It's to recognise those companies that believe strongly in the aims of the ACS and have worked to promote ACS and to ensure its success."

The winners will be announced and presented with their award at the Security Excellence Awards ceremony on Thursday 9 October 2008.

On Friday 11 April, Michael Wilson, Chief Executive of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) continued a series of visits to security sites throughout the country - with a tour of the popular nightspots in Lancaster.

Mike was invited by Peter Harrison, Managing Director of FGH Security Ltd, to meet members of FGH staff, including the door supervisors he deploys at licensed premises in the area.

Mike spoke with the FGH Security Business Director, Wesley Downham as well as door staff and managers at popular venues such as Revolution, Walkabout, the Litten Tree and Vue cinema. Mike wanted to learn more about the issues they face and to gain a greater understanding of how licensing affects those on the front line.

Mike and Peter were accompanied by Inspector Steve Anderton of Lancashire Constabulary.

"It was extremely useful to see first hand how a good firm like FGH Security can make a real difference in providing a safe and pleasant environment for the public. I was very impressed by the quality of door supervisors, amongst whom are graduates and even a PhD! It was very encouraging to hear from door staff, licensed premises managers and police saying SIA regulation had helped to transform the night time scene in Lancaster for the better."

"It was good to spend the evening with Mike who was most informative. I feel that our strong partnership with the SIA, Lancashire Police and our other stakeholders has helped ensure the people of Lancaster can enjoy a much safer night out than in years gone by. Our door supervisors do a fantastic job at all hours of the night. We continue to provide extensive training and support to our staff wherever possible and the quality processes we have in put in place over the past five years help ensure our customers and the general public are happier than ever with our service."

"Having professional licensed door staff who can work with us when the need arises, really helps to keep crime down in this area."

On Monday night, Mike Wilson, Chief Executive of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) attended Birmingham's Best of Broad Street awards.

The event organised by Birmingham's Business Improvement District (BID) was held at the International Convention Centre and was attended by over 300 guests including BID members, Birmingham's Lord Mayor Randal Brew, Broad Street Manager, Mike Olley and SIA Head of Investigation (West) Christy Hopkins.

The event celebrated the contributions made by Birmingham's clubs, bars, restaurants and individuals in making Birmingham's 'Golden Mile' a safe and enjoyable place for a great night out.

There were 15 categories and Mike Wilson presented the 'Best Door Supervisor' award to Leigh Burke.

Leigh works as a door supervisor at Reflex in Broad Street and won the award for his professional attitude and dedication to customer service and also for his involvement in Project Griffin, a security support initiative run by West Midlands Police.

"The ceremony was a great opportunity to meet those making a difference to Broad Street and I was pleased to present the award to Leigh Burke.

The best of Broad Street award for 'Best Door Supervisor' demonstrates the licensed trade and leisure industry's commitment and willingness to support business best practices that are fit for a healthy and professional night time economy."

Today, Linda Sharpe and Bill Matthews join the Security Industry Authority (SIA) as new Board members.

Linda and Bill were appointed by Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker after an open competition to find Board members to offer their experience and particular insight into the private security industry and the Scottish security industry respectively.

In their new roles, Linda and Bill will work with current Board members to set the strategic direction of the SIA and will make important contributions to its role in the development of the private security industry throughout Great Britain.

"I am very pleased to welcome Linda and Bill to the Board. They both bring their unique skills and experiences to the role, which will complement those in our existing members.

With the recent roll-out of licensing in Scotland, the prospect of further expansion in Northern Ireland and to bailiffs and of course the further development and embedding of the ACS on the agenda, Linda and Bill are joining the SIA at an exciting time."

Linda Sharpe has 18 years experience in the private security industry and is a qualified HR professional. She worked for the security company Group 4 for 12 years. From 2003 Linda led the competency development team at the SIA until 2005 when she became Chief Executive of the newly formed Skills for Security. Linda retired from Skills for Security in July 2007.

Bill Matthews started his career with 15 years with Motorola in Scotland and America, and 4 years with Sigtronics in Livingston, before co-founding Invint Limited to develop processes for electronics manufacture. In 2007, Bill was appointed to the board of the Scottish Police Services Authority in 2007 and is a non-executive director within Scottish Government, currently holding Audit Chair positions with the Corporate Audit Committee and the board of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Bill is director of management consultancy M2M2 Limited working with a variety of public and private sector clients.

Linda and Bill's appointments commence on 1 April for an initial three year period.

The other SIA Board members are:
- Baroness Ruth Henig (Chairman)
- Robin Dahlberg (Vice –Chair)
- Peter Dyke
- Brendan O’Friel
- Wendy Towers
- Bruce Warman

Electronic images and full biographies for the Board members are available from Jessica Clinkett, SIA Media Relations Officer.
All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if any declared) to be made public.
The appointments were made in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice.
SIA Board members receive an annual remuneration of £9,000 p.a., based on three days work each month.

Today, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has published a summary of the malpractice allegations reported to awarding bodies between 1 October 2007 and 30 November 2007, as well as the resulting actions taken by the awarding bodies during the same period.

47 allegations were made during this period and the report shows a breakdown of these by sector and the overall number of qualifications awarded in the same period

The consultation, conducted by the Ministry of Justice, set out three options for regulation including a preferred option: regulation by the SIA.

There have been delays in our processing of licence applications and it has been difficult to get through to our contact centre. We apologise for the poor service.

The processing delays were originally due to the late delivery of a new computer system combined with various administrative difficulties as we changed from a sub-contractor in Newcastle to one in Liverpool. The situation was aggravated by two other factors. Firstly, a flood of calls and e-mails arising from the more than 10,000 letters we sent to licence holders who we were not satisfied had a right to work in the UK. Secondly, the effects of postal strikes - both the national and local Liverpool 'wildcat' action. The overall effect of all this has been a huge overload on our contact centre in recent weeks.

The present position is that any new applications (including renewals) will be scanned onto the system and will appear on the application status checker within a week of being received. Supporting documents will be returned within a further week, and the cases should then pass reasonably quickly through to the 'Checks in Progress' stage. In applications with a routine CRB check and without overseas criminality checks, licence decisions should be made within 6 weeks of receipt of a correctly completed application form.

Unfortunately, it will be some time before the load of telephone calls on the contact centre eases. Please do not add to the problem by making multiple calls or sending multiple letters or e-mails.

Again, we apologise for the poor service provided in recent months. We have already cleared the delayed clearances in licensing, although it will be some time before all these cases are finally decided. Similarly, we anticipate the contact centre situation improving steadily as the new arrangements take effect and as the level of calls drops off.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is pleased to announce the first assessing body to offer access to the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) via the Passport route.

From 1st April 2008, the Passport route will be open to National Security Inspectorate (NSI) Guarding Gold approved companies providing services for Security Guarding, Public Space Surveillance (CCTV), Door Supervision and Keyholding (NSI approved companies choosing this route must meet a new NSI Passport specification).

"The SIA is delighted to welcome NSI as the first assessing body permitted to offer the Passport route to the ACS. The SIA is determined to see the ACS as the approval of choice for security contracts across government, local government and industry. We want the ACS to provide a real business advantage to security companies, and the Passport route offers a further option for suppliers to realise that advantage.