The SIA’s recent update submitted to the Inquiry on 16 January, has been published on the Manchester Arena Inquiry website and is now also available here on GOV.UK.
In a blog published today, Paul Fullwood SIA Director of Inspections & Enforcement and Strategic Lead for the Manchester Arena Inquiry (MAI) gives an update on the SIA’s work on the two monitored recommendations made by the Inquiry. He also outlines the actions and improvements undertaken by the SIA to strengthen public safety since the attack at the Manchester Arena in 2017.
The Manchester Arena Inquiry (MAI) has been a sobering experience for us all. The inquiry has provided significant learning for the public and various agencies as well as an examination of the role of the regulated Private Security sector.
On Monday 19th December 2022, the Government announced details for the Protect Duty, now to be known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena Terrorist Attack in 2017.
Further to Martyn’s Law, Volume One of the Inquiry’s report contained two monitored recommendations specifically for the Security Industry Authority and the Home Office.
I thought it would be helpful to explain the SIA’s work so far on the Inquiry’s Monitored Recommendations 7 (MR7 – extend in-house licensing) and 8 (MR8 – introduction of business licensing).
Over the last 18 months we have been working closely with the Home Office to consider possible options to address these recommendations.
From the perspective of the SIA, our professional assessment is that despite the best efforts of many, we have gaps in our existing regulatory powers which the proposals would seek to address. We have sought to address this in support of both public protection and working in partnership to raise standards across the private security industry.
Our proposals go further than the recommendations made by the MAI, and we have included:
- Individual SIA licensing for in-house security should be extended to both operators of CCTV/public surveillance and in-house security guards; and
- The licensing of private security contractors and labour providers be introduced.
We have been working with members of the private security industry & Home Office to test out our thinking, our own professional knowledge and independent research to ensure we have an evidence base to assist with any future decision making.
We have made our proposals on the basis that:
- they will support public protection and public safety,
- they have the broad support of the private security operatives and businesses we have engaged with,
- they will not result in a disproportionate regulatory burden with sensible measures proposed, including exemptions, exceptions, and thresholds.
There is often a misassumption that we (SIA) can introduce these changes immediately; we can’t! We operate within the powers given to us under the Private Security Industry Act. Any changes to this legislation require the agreement of the Home Office, Ministers, and Parliament. The matter is now with Home Office officials, and ultimately Ministers for consideration and decision on whether to accept the proposals or not. We await to hear the outcome.
Alongside the introduction of ‘Martyn’s Law’ we feel these proposals will bolster public safety by further professionalising the private security industry and address several shortfalls that we know many professionals would like addressed.
The SIA submitted formal detailed proposals of both MR 7 and MR8 to the Home Office in November 2022.
As private security is a devolved matter, the SIA regulates the private security industry in Scotland and Northern Ireland on behalf of the governments in those nations. We have continued to keep those authorities updated as well.
In the meantime, we have also been developing many other areas that we can change within the SIA to further support public protection:
- We have revised our Compliance, Enforcement & Supervision Strategy with our vision to be far more visible and proactive across the private security industry. We have increased our Inspection & Enforcement Resources (at no increase of the license fee) from 50 plus operatives to over 100 operatives (Intelligence, Inspections and Criminal Investigation) who are all being upskilled to national investigative & intelligence standards (PIP/IPP).
- We have over 400,000 SIA licensed operatives across the UK, so readers will understand why our inspections/operations are targeted & intelligence led based on threat, risk, and harm, that said there is a real willingness to increase our visibility, make our presence felt and engage better with all parts of private security industry.
- Year to date we have undertaken 6,000 individual licence checks, more than a 200% increase on the previous year. We have conducted inspection visits to 915 separate sites and checked operatives from 830 separate security providers. We have opened 880 compliance investigation cases based on intelligence and concern reports. We have detected nearly 100 individual offences relating to unlicensed operatives and other PSIA 2001 offences.
- We continue to work closely with UK Police/local policing, HMRC, UK Law Enforcement, Local Authority & key stakeholders across the UK.
- We have also submitted to the Home Office several business cases to improve our current PSIA powers (alongside MR7 & MR8) which will assist with information sharing, investigative activity, and money laundering legislation in support of our regulatory responsibility.
- We have made 100 unannounced visits to training providers and generated 103 action plans, which contain an average of 4 improvement points. These are all followed up with the relevant awarding organisation.
- We continue to improve the Approved Contractor Scheme recognising the link between our proposals to the Home Office for ‘Inhouse & Business Licensing’.
We recognise that we have some brilliant people and organisations operating across the private security industry who are doing their very best for the public, their teams, and people they serve. This is why we need to keep moving forward, we can’t be complacent and why public protection and raising standards is all our responsibility if we want to prevent further tragedies.
Paul Fullwood – Director – Inspections & Enforcement (SIA Strategic lead for Manchester Arena Inquiry).
Suggested links:
Manchester Arena Inquiry official website: Manchester Arena Inquiry
MAI Volume 1: Volume 1 Report – Manchester Arena Inquiry
Protect Duty announcement: Martyn’s Law to ensure stronger protections against terrorism in public places – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Protect Duty Factsheet: Martyn’s Law Factsheet – Home Office in the media (blog.gov.uk)
