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.”