Close Protection World News
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New plans that are set to update the current SIA regulations and remit have been released. In these plans, the SIA would lose responsibility for managing the tens of thousands of security staff currently on their books with the responsibility being granted to thousands of private firms. This would, in turn, leave the SIA free to concentrate their efforts on improving standards across the security sector. The government has said that they want to make these changes in order to improve transparency and accountability although there are critics to the proposed changes.
Currently, the SIA is almost directly responsible for the hundreds of thousands of security operatives that work in the UK. They are responsible for licensing and governing the individuals that work on doors, as security guards, and in various other security roles. Every security guard and door supervisor must be in possession of one of these licenses which means, with more than 300,00 licence holders, that the majority of the SIA’s time is currently taken up attempting to manage licences and licence holders.
Under the new proposed plans, responsibility of managing licence holders would be with more than 4,000 private security firms that are currently operating within the UK. This means that, essentially, employers would be responsible for making sure that their own security staff have the appropriate training and licences in place. The government hopes that this change would make the private firms more accountable for their actions but this isn’t the only purposed benefit that it would bring.
Following the proposed changes, the SIA would be free to concentrate its efforts on its regulatory duties. As a regulator it is the job of the SIA to ensure that standards are as high as possible and to look for ways in which it can improve the quality of services offered by all of its members. By reducing much of the work that the SIA currently has to do, it would certainly leave the group with more time although critics question exactly how they would put this time to best use.
It will take time before any decisions are made on the proposed changes. It would take until late 2013 before the proposed changes get the go-ahead and then those changes would start to be rolled in; something which is usually done gradually over time rather than all at once. However, the proposed changes are only at the consultation stage and this means that responses will be sought and published so that people have a clearer understanding of the debate and where it is at.
The Security Industry Authority, or SIA, is currently responsible for everything to do with individual security. They issue licences, ensure that training is completed, and they judge security companies to ensure the industry is performing well as a whole. Following the proposed changes, which are currently at the consultation stage, there would be a lot less onus placed on the SIA and considerably more placed on private security businesses while the SIA deals with regulatory issues and identifying ways to improve the industry as a whole.
Currently, the SIA is almost directly responsible for the hundreds of thousands of security operatives that work in the UK. They are responsible for licensing and governing the individuals that work on doors, as security guards, and in various other security roles. Every security guard and door supervisor must be in possession of one of these licenses which means, with more than 300,00 licence holders, that the majority of the SIA’s time is currently taken up attempting to manage licences and licence holders.
Under the new proposed plans, responsibility of managing licence holders would be with more than 4,000 private security firms that are currently operating within the UK. This means that, essentially, employers would be responsible for making sure that their own security staff have the appropriate training and licences in place. The government hopes that this change would make the private firms more accountable for their actions but this isn’t the only purposed benefit that it would bring.
Following the proposed changes, the SIA would be free to concentrate its efforts on its regulatory duties. As a regulator it is the job of the SIA to ensure that standards are as high as possible and to look for ways in which it can improve the quality of services offered by all of its members. By reducing much of the work that the SIA currently has to do, it would certainly leave the group with more time although critics question exactly how they would put this time to best use.
It will take time before any decisions are made on the proposed changes. It would take until late 2013 before the proposed changes get the go-ahead and then those changes would start to be rolled in; something which is usually done gradually over time rather than all at once. However, the proposed changes are only at the consultation stage and this means that responses will be sought and published so that people have a clearer understanding of the debate and where it is at.
The Security Industry Authority, or SIA, is currently responsible for everything to do with individual security. They issue licences, ensure that training is completed, and they judge security companies to ensure the industry is performing well as a whole. Following the proposed changes, which are currently at the consultation stage, there would be a lot less onus placed on the SIA and considerably more placed on private security businesses while the SIA deals with regulatory issues and identifying ways to improve the industry as a whole.
