News, Media and Case Studies

What the changes are, when they will happen, and how they affect SIA licence applicants and licence holders.

This definition covers, amongst other areas, security provision in hospitals; schools; social care; courts; government estate; supermarkets and the food supply chain; the transport network; national infrastructure and utilities. If you are providing essential security to a service which itself remains critical and functioning, which attracts critical worker status, then you are likely to be covered.

A new White Paper details market analysis of attitudes towards cloud adoption and purchasing behaviours behind hosted physical security from 1,000 IT decision-makers from across Europe. The in-depth survey, undertaken by security solutions provider Morphean, illustrates a market that has overcome initial concerns about cyber security, understood the clear benefits and seeks to adopt such solutions at pace in 2020.

Last week, from 10-12 July, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and HMRC carried out joint operations in London, Cardiff and Newcastle to identify illegal working practices and tax fraud in the private security industry. Teams attended 65 venues and spoke to over 100 security operatives to check that they were legitimately employed, that all taxes were being paid and to ensure they were not victims of any labour abuse.

Changes have now come into effect following the Security Industry Authority’s (SIA) comprehensive review of its Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) for private security businesses. This is the culmination of what’s described as a “root and branch” review of the scheme, during which the Regulator consulted extensively with approved companies and, indeed, the wider private security industry.

Withdrawing from the security arrangements we use with European Union partners in March 2019, having made no alternative provision, would create immediate and lasting harm to both sides and undermine our ability to work together, Home Office minister Ben Wallace told the International Security Expo.

"Funding for police forces is down by nearly a fifth since 2010-2011, while there are nearly a fifth fewer officers and staff currently on the books. Inevitably there are consequences and forces are under increasing strain. Police forces cannot do everything and are prioritising their work by cutting back in some areas, such as neighbourhood policing, meaning fewer officers on the street. As a result, public confidence in the police is declining and officers’ personal resilience is under pressure with this reduction in visibility."

Brexiteers’ apparent willingness to cut loose the Northern Irish peace process reflects a historic world view that hasn’t advanced much since the English Civil War.