Regulator of the Private Security Industry in the UK
Author: Security Industry Authority (SIA UK) Blog
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK.
This blog aims to give a deeper insight into the Private Security Industry within the UK.
On Tuesday 12 September Sarah Dines, Minister of State for Safeguarding, accompanied our compliance team members and City of London Police on an inspection across six locations in the square mile.
The Minister, Sarah Dines, and our Chair, Heather Baily met and spoke with frontline security operatives, including door supervisors and security guards. The Minister was keen to understand the role and the experiences of licence holders as well as speak with them about public safety.
Our Investigations Officer, Kirsty Tagg shared with the Minister our ongoing work to tackle violence against women and girls in partnership with local boroughs and the police. She also highlighted the vital training that operatives receive on recognising indicators of abuse and their duty of care to protect vulnerable people.
The visits provided an opportunity for the security operatives to speak with the Minister and our Chair, and an opportunity for the Minister to observe our role in enforcing standards within the private security industry.
The visits allowed us to meet security operatives with a wide range of experience of working in the private security industry. A couple of the operatives had been in role for over ten years, with one holding 18 years of service at the same venue. We also met with an operative who had only just recently received their first licence.
One of the head door supervisors detailed that they had recently turned away a security operative, with what they thought may have been a fake licence.
Using ultraviolet light, they had been unable to detect a lack of security features that should have been present on the individual’s licence card.
We discussed the issue of counterfeited licences with the Minister and explained the ways in which we are tackling this issue by encouraging companies to undertake checks.
The inspection was completed with a short debrief at the end of the night.
It was a valuable exercise to introduce the Minister to the work we do out in the field, learn about the experiences of the SIA licence holders, and discuss some of the challenges we can encounter in our work.
Our thanks go to Sarah Dines, her team, the City of London Police and to all who took part for their continued commitment to working with us.
Lucia Howland our Regional Investigation Manager and Tactical Events Lead talks about our role in the Safety Advisory Groups.
Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs) are usually co-ordinated by a local authority and made up of representatives from the local authority, emergency services, other relevant bodies and the event organiser.
The group’s role is to:
Promote high levels of safety and welfare at events by giving advice and guidance.
Promote good practice in safety and welfare planning for events.
Ensure events have a minimal adverse impact on the local community.
We are generally invited to SAG meetings by the police or local authority to contribute to the public safety agenda of the meeting- with a particular focus in relation to the provision of security at an event.
In many cases we work with the event organisers to establish their requirements for security. If necessary, supporting them in confirming the different roles of people working at an event and whether they fall into licensable conduct under the Private Security Industry Act. For example – is there a correct mix of stewards and is there an appropriate amount of door supervisors and security officers to be supplied.
We do not get involved in the number of security personnel required. This is not our remit – this has to be specified by the organiser and is sometimes influenced by the police or local authority based on historical events or types of venue.
If a security provider hasn’t been chosen, we will take the opportunity to promote the ACS as a recognised hallmark of quality for security suppliers.
We will highlight to the organisers that their choice of security provider can have a significant impact on the success of their event. We recommend that they carry out some general due diligence enquiries before they choose a security provider. Investing time by undertaking some basic checks can reap rewards.
As soon as a security provider has been appointed there are a number of areas we will look at to reassure ourselves, and the SAG attendees, of the capability and capacity of the provider to deliver the service, these will include:
That they are capable of providing the required numbers of security personnel, or if not, have they got sufficient contractual relationships in place to deliver the requirement.
What screening and vetting checks of the operatives will be put in place to ensure that the supplied licensed operatives hold a valid and genuine SIA licence.
From the SAG meeting we can gain an understanding of how the event is likely to run in terms of security personnel being accredited. We may share best practice and known intelligence to support the due diligence practices in place to mitigate as far as possible any known risks.
We will need reassurance that there will be a robust process in place to thoroughly vet and register the operatives deployed.
We don’t attend every event but when we do, we are generally very well received. We work alongside security suppliers during inspections to check the validity of SIA licences. Going forward we will be working even closer with event organisers as customers of security businesses, to mitigate the risk of the use of counterfeit and cloned licences at events and festivals.
Following the event debrief meetings will be arranged with event organisers where needed. These meetings provide an important opportunity for both event organisers and agencies to feedback, learn and share best practice.
The Coronation weekend required a large private security presence to deliver safe events and ensure public protection.
Our Inspection and Enforcement teams engaged extensively in advance with the event organisers, partner agencies and security companies involved as well as being present during the weekend events to undertake compliance-related activity
Our compliance activity focused on the large events in Windsor and Central London
Windsor
Our South East regional investigators worked with the main security contractor to quality assure the accreditation process of SIA licence holders arriving at Windsor Castle to work at the event.
The team gave proactive advice around due diligence measures to mitigate against the risk of individuals trying to work in the private security industry using counterfeit licences.
The security operation at Windsor was very well organised with several hundred security operatives going through the process without issue.
We completed 40 random licence checks out of around 400 licence holders working the event, all were compliant.
Investigators also carried out inspections in and around Windsor town centre and the train station.
London
Our team of London investigators engaged with the organisers and suppliers in advance of the events across the weekend. Approximately 2,100 SIA licensed operatives were required for the event working alongside Police and the armed forces.
In the lead up to the Coronation during the `build’ phase our investigators carried out visits to ensure the integrity of security around areas of temporary infrastructure.
On Friday 5 May we undertook inspection activity carrying out licence checks in allocated areas at Green Park, Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Parliament Square and finally St James’s Park and Horse Guards Parade.
On Saturday 6 May on the day of the Kings Coronation investigators were out early in Parliament Square, Millbank, Green Park, and Hyde Park.
During both inspections our investigators spoke with SIA licensed personnel to check they held a valid and active SIA licence. We spoke with 260 individual licence holders. All held valid and active SIA licences. Warnings were issued to those failing to display their licence in accordance with licensing requirements.
The team not only checked SIA licences but spoke with the officers about their role, their experience and training. We also engaged with supervisors and managers on the ground representing the numerous providers of security personnel.
Jonathan Fleet, Regional Investigation Manager for London said:
“Many of the security officers at the event started work on event day at 4am for a 12 hour shift. We were impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the security operatives we spoke with who were doing a great job in areas with high numbers of the general public.”
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).
Iestyn David is our Head of Licensing and Service Delivery. Here, he writes about our work to make sure that licences end up in responsible hands.
The SIA doesn’t just grant licences – although last year we granted 160,000. We make sure that only the right people hold an SIA licence. That means we refuse licence applications and revoke licences from those who are not fit to carry out the important role of protecting the public. It’s a key responsibility that we have as the regulator of the private security industry.
Our work to safeguard the integrity of the SIA licence begins with the application process. Our checks are thorough; last year we refused 1,362 licence applications for reasons such as criminality, or not having the right to work in the UK.
We won’t hesitate to remove licences from licence-holders who fail to live up to the standards required of them. Last year we suspended 917 licences and revoked 1,049 licences. Maintaining trust in the SIA licence is a top priority that involves teams across the SIA, from our Legal and Criminal Investigations teams to our Decisions officers and Intelligence staff.
We have close ties with police forces throughout the UK. They provide us with valuable intelligence relating to licence-holders or applicants involved in criminality. Our Intelligence team gathers relevant information and passes it to our Integrity team for detailed assessment, which may lead to us deciding to suspend or revoke a licence. This information can also come in from employers or members of the public via the ‘Report a Crime or Concern’ page on our website.
Our Inspections and Enforcement teams conduct enforcement operations across the UK with the police, local authorities and other government agencies. These operations may be conducted because of something we have been told (intelligence-led), or they may be random inspections to check compliance in a particular area.
We regularly prosecute those who commit offences under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. This is the Act of Parliament that established the SIA. It created several new offences, which include contravening licence conditions (you can see a full list of offences under the Act here). Last year we brought 39 prosecutions against individuals and businesses who chose to operate illegally.
We also prosecute for offences that could have a detrimental impact on the private security industry. These include fraud, forgery and counterfeiting in cases where people use forged or cloned licences. At the end of November 2022 our Criminal Investigations team had 119 open investigations, as you can see in our monthly SIA Enforcement Report.
We take our licensing responsibilities very seriously. The safety and security of the public depends on a professional and well-regulated private security industry that everyone can trust.
John Sandlin leads the Security Industry Authority’s Compliance & Inspections teams. Here he talks about the additional work that Christmas brings as the night time economy gears up for the busiest time for bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
John Sandlin leads the Security Industry Authority’s Compliance & Inspections teams. Here he talks about the additional work that Christmas brings as the night time economy gears up for the busiest time for bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
When does planning for Christmas start? Pretty much as soon as we’ve drawn a breath from the summer events season which finishes around the end of September. Then we start thinking about Christmas. We look at what inspection activity we might want to do and consider requests from partners (such as police, local authorities, and the HMRC) to undertake operations to support their own objectives too. We draw on the huge amount of expertise across the team from colleagues who know the environment well and can help identify issues we need to consider.
London, UK – November 3 2022: Christmas lights in Oxford Street, view at night
So what issues do we need to consider? In the run up to Christmas there’s more footfall in venues. This creates an increased risk of harm to the public which in turn requires a bigger police presence supported by a larger private security resource. It’s the increased private security deployment that requires our involvement to make sure those working in licensable roles are complying with the necessary regulation.
Although there are variations across the UK, the police tend to focus on ensuring venues are licensed and adhere to the terms and conditions of that licence. This might cover maximum occupancy, fire controls, health and safety considerations and security provision. The police and local authorities are increasingly engaging with venues about protecting the vulnerable alongside checking venue licences. Actually, whenever they are out and about, most agencies talk about protecting the vulnerable as part of protecting the public.
Watch our ‘Helping people in vulnerable situations’ video here
How many of your team are involved in Christmas specific activity? It’s fair to say all teams are doing some form of activity that directly supports or is impacted by Christmas, so most team members will be involved in that.
As we speak there’s a multi agency operation in Belfast around the ‘ask Angela’ campaign. We’ll be undertaking licence checks, whilst supporting the initiative with messages about the campaign.
Manchester, United Kingdom – November 25, 2011 – Big wheel in the City center of Manchester with beautiful lights during christmas preparation
What additional activities do we deploy for Christmas, is it more of the same or different actions? We may undertake specific activities, especially if we have solid intelligence that provides a clear aim or benefit. However, Christmas is generally doing more of the same, but with a stronger focus on the night time economy. There’s a huge upshift in volumes and that’s the biggest difference. There’s still a need to continue with other work, for example we’re working in Oxford Street in London during the day, although, to be fair, that’s also connected to the increase in footfall in the run up to Christmas.
What do we do on the front line? It will depend on the site and any objectives for an operation. However, primarily we’re interested in compliance with the Private Security Industry Act. So, we’re mainly checking individuals are correctly licensed and ascertaining the businesses that operatives work for to build our understanding of the makeup of the local economy. This is especially useful when newly formed companies emerge. We’re also interested in in how labour is deployed and what the labour chain looks like; the more links in a labour chain, the higher the risk of noncompliance. We also check individuals’ employment status which helps identify possible exploitation. Where possible we push other messages and support campaigns to promote awareness and conversations across the industry.
How do security operatives and venues react to your teams’ presence? Mostly, we get a positive response. Generally, licence holders like to see us out checking licences as they don’t want rogue people in the industry. We occasionally meet one or two unlicensed operatives that may be a little reticent for want of a better word but using our skills we overcome those hurdles.
Do other agencies do similar tasks around Christmas? The Police and local authorities will be undertaking checks based around venue licensing and will want to assure themselves that venues are complying. Sometimes they may support us on our operations, it depends on specific operations, or sometimes the location. For example, I’d be fairly happy undertaking checks in Westminster without police support but wouldn’t want to do so in other areas without them. That goes not just for London, but anywhere else, you get a good feel for what risks maybe posed in undertaking checks without partners.
How much does the night time economy grow over the festive period? We always hear that businesses are at their busiest and it’s very true, there are more people in more venues over more nights of the week. There are additional Christmas get togethers with friends, socialising after work, organised office parties – it’s difficult to put a figure on, and it will vary from location to location, but it’s noticeably much busier. Let’s not forget this is the first Christmas without any COVID restrictions.
On top of venues being busier, there are additional entertainment venues and events to consider; pop up fairs, Christmas markets, ice rinks, entertainment offerings, temporary licensed premises.
How stable is resource in the night time economy? If more door supervisors are needed because a company has a shortfall, then most companies will contract in staff from another to match the demand. However, what sometimes happens is the supplying company will in turn go to another to fulfil the request. This is not a problem as such, but it is a concern. With each company’s loan of resource comes a charge. This can lead to a squeeze on profit margins which is where corners can be cut. When that happens to the risk of improper employment and unlicensed personnel can start to emerge.
How effective are the operations we undertake? Of course, we have limited resource and we can’t visit every venue. However, what we do has a definite ripple effect. When we’re in a large town or city, just by visiting a few premises, word gets around very quickly that we’re out and about undertaking checks and looking at licences. That has a great deterrent effect within the security community. So, we enlarge the size of our footprint. In addition, we work with colleagues in the Communications team to get the message out and again, this spreads across the community well.
What does it take to deploy an operation? That’s a good question; lots of work.
Before we set foot on the ground, we undertake pre-inspection activity. This could be meetings with partners, considering intelligence we or our partners have received and undertaking a recce in the locality. We then need to work up aims and objectives before putting an operational order together. Information needs to be created within our database (CRM). Risks also need to be considered and risk assessments completed. We also need to secure resource from across the team and make sure everyone is available for the operation. In addition to staff on the ground, we always have an operational control to assist with licence checks on the STeP database, as well as then inputting the checks onto CRM. This can be quite a laborious task, especially if there are a voluminous amount.
Any last words? The team are very committed. We have had a fair few new staff so as well as preparing and undertaking activities, experienced team members are also helping to train and guide their new colleagues in this crucial area of work. Everyone in the Compliance & Inspections team plays a part in what we do from the MST to the investigators themselves, supported by colleagues from other teams. The inspection activity being centred on the night time economy requires staff to work evenings and weekends to attend operations, which at this time of year means being out in the cold. I want to thank the teams, I appreciate everyone’s effort and support in keeping the public safe.
About the author
John Sandlin served for 30 years with the Metropolitan Police. He worked as an Investigating and Senior Investigating Officer for over 11 years investigating homicides and other serious crimes. He’s worked at the SIA since early 2015.
Kirsty Tagg – SIA lead on preventing violence against women and girls reflects on the industry’s role in supporting a safe and enjoyable Freshers season.
We are now several weeks into the Freshers season. For many students “Freshers week” will mark a first in their lives. For younger students it will be the first time being away from home, their first experience of visiting a bar or club in an unfamiliar area. It’s an exciting time that should be enjoyed safely.
Over the past year along with my colleagues at the SIA, we have run a full-scale programme of engagement across the private security industry in support of strategies initiated by the UK Government and the devolved nations to tackle violence against women and girls. We have published and promoted materials and advice to the wider security sector, that raises awareness of the safety of women and girls in all environments.
The role that private security operatives will play in keeping the student population safe during Freshers season will be critical. We are currently running a campaign to share and promote best practice guidance to help reduce incidents of violence and harm such as predatory behaviour, sexual assault, and spiking.
As I write this piece, across the country my colleagues are on the ground meeting with security operatives who will often be dealing with vulnerable people who are on a night out. The reassuring thing we are hearing from the industry is “we know what we are doing”. People should be able to enjoy a night out assured of their safety.
We are also speaking with venue owners and buyers of security; they have a responsibility to ensure they are using good companies with licensed operatives. At the end of the day this is about a holistic approach involving a range of actors such as the police, local authorities, educational establishments, street pastors, pub watch and many others.
Our aim is to remind operatives of their training. We also want to remind all those engaged in security that security operatives can proactively protect people in vulnerable situations. Please read our advice on the contribution that security operatives can make to help keep themselves safe whilst also protecting others.
If you employ or provide security, you and your staff can access this information by clicking on the link below.
To all our licence holders on the frontline, we ask that you please continue to fulfil your role to the highest standards. Thank you for your dedication and professionalism in keeping the public safe.
Kirsty Tagg
SIA Lead – Tackling Violence Towards Women and Girls
Sharon Roberts, one of our Regional Investigation Managers, coordinated our involvement in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Birmingham from 28 July to 08 August.
Here Sharon talks about the SIA’s work, which included almost two years of planning in support of the Organising Committee, West Midlands Police, and the security suppliers to deliver a safe and secure event.
The last few months have been busy, with our work starting long before the Games began. Investigators from my team, along with our Business Relationship Managers, have been supporting security suppliers on progressing licence applications and providing advice on screening and vetting. Colleagues from the wider Compliance & Inspections team contacted licence holders who were scheduled to work to check that they were still engaged and planning to turn up. You might remember the 2012 London Olympics, when headlines about security failing to attend and the last-minute call for military assistance were prominent. A lot of our work, and that of the Organising Committee, had been to avoid a similar situation.
I’ve lost count of how many times over the years I’ve said, “only trained and licensed security can ensure public protection” and this remains the mainstay of our work. To support this, we asked security suppliers to upload watchlists to ensure they only supplied licensed staff. We also provided advice on how to spot counterfeit licences.
The Commonwealth Games, as a publicly funded event, stipulated that all suppliers, including everyone in the labour supply chain, had to be an SIA approved contractor. Therefore we had to ensure conformance with the ACS (Approved Contractor Scheme) standard as well as compliance with the Private Security Industry Act. There were a couple of key aspects of the ACS standard that we really focused on: section 6, which is about how they look after their staff; and section 4, which is about conformance with HMRC requirements. In relation to the HMRC requirement, I had regular meetings with HMRC colleagues as to how we could protect HM revenue through PAYE conformance and due diligence in the labour chain.
An important element of our compliance work was our inspection programme.
The inspection element of the Games served several purposes: . Ensuring that only SIA licensed security operatives engaged in licensable activities, thereby ensuring public safety and good standards of service delivery. . Ensuring the wellbeing of security operatives by checking conformance with welfare aspects of the ACS. . Conformance to the ACS requirement for operatives to be on PAYE. . High visibility of the regulator undertaking regulatory compliance activities.
Our first major inspection took place when the Organising Committee ran test events at Alexander Stadium and the Aquatics Centre. Following on from that, we carried out inspections at Games sites as security numbers crept up, engaging with suppliers and the Committee to resolve some of the minor issues we found.
My team attended the rehearsal for the opening ceremony. The security deployment on that day was over 300 operatives. It was an extremely long, hot, rainy, and dirty day (there is no glamour in this job), but it was a joy to see such enthusiastic and friendly security operatives. There wasn’t one complaint. It was also good to see lots of women and so many young people who will hopefully see this as a start to a career in security.
We also became part of the Commonwealth Games family, cheering on the athletes while we checked licences and chatted to security personnel to make sure they were OK and being looked after.
Over the period of the Games we carried out 1,251 compliance checks across 17 separate Games sites.
The sites we visited included sports venues, athletes’ villages, and games hotels, as well as the main fanzone site in Victoria Square – and the opening and closing ceremonies, of course.
We deployed a total of 30 SIA staff during that period. The significant engagement we conducted with the private security industry contractors in the lengthy run-up to the Games undoubtedly influenced the significant levels of compliance.
As the fireworks went off at the closing ceremony on 08 August, it wasn’t just the athletes that deserved a gold medal. Every security officer, supplier, and all the SIA staff involved also earned a place on the podium for their contribution to ensuring the Games were not just great but safe.
We remind you that those who use labour supplied by other parties remain responsible for ensuring that the supplied licensed operatives hold a valid and genuine SIA licence. You must undertake appropriate due diligence. We are encouraging all suppliers of security to continue to ensure that the SIA licence produced at `check-in’ is physically checked and is valid.
We encourage you to use a UV (ultraviolet) light where possible as a quick and easy method to check licences. The SIA licence features several easy-to-check security features. These include:
• on the front of the licence you should be able to see holograms when the licence is tilted backwards and forwards.
• the expiry date of the licence is embossed on the bottom of the photograph (not printed on) – you should be able to run your finger over the date and feel that it is raised.
• on the back of the licence there is a QR code and a bar code. The bar code should bring up the same licence number as shown on the licence.
• a UV light should reveal `SIA’ in the top right and bottom left of the licence when scanned across the front. On older licences there will be a watermark pattern on the back of the licence that can only be revealed by the UV.
• The address on the rear of the licence should show an `E’ post code.
Lucia Howland – SIA Regional Investigation Manager and Tactical Events Leadhighlights SIA activity during the Parklife Festival in Manchester this year.
The weekend of 11/12 June saw the Parklife Festival return to Heaton Park in Manchester with an extensive array of acts and an 80,000 capacity. A large private security presence helped to deliver a safe event and ensure public protection. As part of routine compliance and enforcement work, SIA investigators engaged extensively in advance with the event organisers, partner agencies and security companies involved as well as being present during the festival to undertake compliance-related activity.
Our approach at the festival, which was agreed in advance, was to focus on the identification and prevention of any attempted use of counterfeit SIA licences, alongside ensuring general compliance with SIA rules. Counterfeit licences show genuine SIA licence number and name details and show up as “active” on the SIA’s Public Register of Licence Holders. However, the photo on the licence is of the fraudulent holder rather than the genuine applicant.
A large private security presence helped to deliver a safe event and ensure public protection at the Parklife Festival
On the weekend itself, four SIA investigators attended Parklife with assistance from Greater Manchester Police. In total we checked over 650 SIA licences, mostly at the accreditation stage prior to deployment. Whilst the vast majority of the SIA licences we checked were genuine, we found one that was a counterfeit. Whilst the name and SIA licence number showed as “active” on the SIA Register, the photo on the licence did not match with SIA records. The counterfeit licence was seized immediately and the individual in question was arrested by Greater Manchester Police officers for suspected fraud and immigration offences. Related enquires and follow-up work are underway.
The protection of the public at high-profile festivals is paramount and we were pleased that the majority of those deployed were correctly licensed. Our inspection activity was vital to mitigate against the risk of individuals trying to work in the private security industry using counterfeit licences. Festival goers need the assurance that they will be safe when they are out enjoying themselves.
