The new regime will shift responsibility for the standards and behavior of security staff from the SIA to an estimated 4,200 businesses operating in Britain.
This will leave the regulator with the task of targeting companies or employees that fail to meet the required standards with a range of penalties from banning a company from the industry to criminal prosecution. Companies rather than the regulator will in future be responsible for carrying out checks on individual security staff.
Wow, this would be a radical change for the SIA if it goes through and I would be very interested in seeing the response from private industry about this move. I am sure there are a ton of questions on how this new regulatory regime will work. (see impact assessment below)
For that reason, I will hold off on any commentary on this one and wait for this stuff to be hashed out. I am not a UK citizen and I am by no means an expert on the SIA or that particular industry. If any readers have an inside track on this, feel free to comment below.
If you are a UK citizen, there is a discussion about this new regulatory regime at the Home Office here. Here is a copy of the regime and impact assessment below. Check it out. –Matt
Future regulatory regime for the private security industry (PDF file – 213kb)
Impact assessment PSI future regulatory regime (PDF file – 393kb)
Private security companies to be self-regulated
Ministers want security companies to regulate their own staff and the industry’s watchdog to move into the private sector
By Alan Travis
Tuesday 20 November 2012
The statutory licensing of more than 330,000 individual private security workers is to be scrapped under a shakeup of the regulation of the industry proposed by Home Office ministers.
They are instead proposing that private security companies regulate their own staff, with the industry’s watchdog, the Security Industry Authority, moved into the private sector.
Ministers say the phased move to a “business regulation regime” reflects the “maturity of the private security industry” and supports its willingness to take on further responsibility and be more accountable for its actions.
The new regime will shift responsibility for the standards and behavior of security staff from the SIA to an estimated 4,200 businesses operating in Britain.
This will leave the regulator with the task of targeting companies or employees that fail to meet the required standards with a range of penalties from banning a company from the industry to criminal prosecution. Companies rather than the regulator will in future be responsible for carrying out checks on individual security staff.
The move will involve the repeal of 2001 legislation, which was introduced following concern about widespread criminality among nightclub bouncers and contract security guards. When licensing was first introduced it covered 130,000 individuals. This has now mushroomed to 330,000 private security staff in a wide range of roles, from escorting failed asylum seekers abroad to running police stations.
The minister for criminal information, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, said reform of the industry would improve transparency and accountability. “Our plans will raise standards and free up the SIA to concentrate on stamping out poor business practices and criminality.
“It is also important that legitimate businesses are not overburdened by government regulation and red tape. By lowering the cost of regulation on the industry, savings can be passed on to customers.”
Ministers said that many of the proposed changes can be done without primary legislation but they hope to have the rest of the powers on the statute book by next October. An official consultation will run over the next eight weeks.
Lady Henig, the chairman of the SIA, is due to step down in January, after six years in the role.
Story here.—————————————–
Consultation on future regulatory regime for the private security industry
The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on the government’s preferred option for reforming the regulation of the private security industry through a transition to a business regulation regime.
The current arrangements for the regulation of the private security industry in the United Kingdom are set out in the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Responsibility for delivering regulation lies with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), a non-departmental public body accountable to the Home Secretary. Following the Public Bodies Review in 2010, the government concluded that the SIA’s functions should be reformed. The consultation provides a detailed proposal for a new regulatory regime for the private security industry, which has been developed in partnership with industry representatives.
We would welcome a wide response to the consultation to help ensure that we have identified all the relevant issues, so that the proposed reforms are implemented in an effective and efficient way. We particularly seek the views of those across the UK who work within the industry, those who buy, supply and rely on the provision of private security, as well as law enforcement partners.
Go here to give your input.