The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has published the findings from its public consultation on the principles that will underpin the SIA’s business approval scheme.
The consultation ran from February 22 to April 8. It sought views on the principles that the SIA proposes should underpin its business approval scheme. These were:
– the case for change in principle;
– the SIA’s emerging thinking on changes it proposes to develop further; and
– whether there are other changes it should consider as it develops the scheme.
The SIA reports that it received over 400 responses to the consultation from across the UK, mainly from the private security industry (86pc). Most were ACS approved contractors, with the next largest number being non-ACS private security businesses followed by SIA licence holders; and some 18 responses from buyers of security services. Overall, the SIA reports, respondents broadly supported the proposed approach. The themes emerging from the consultation included the importance of skills, professional development, training and industry experience.
As for the question of what evidence a business should give, for an ability to meet various standards, those responding were strongly in favour of a check on the skills, experience and qualifications of business leader(s) and controlling mind(s); next most strongly wished for was a check on how long the business has been supplying private security services under contract.
Jane Debois, SIA Head of Business Standards said: “The growing recognition of the critical role private security plays in public safety means there is a clear need for a new scheme which is grounded in public protection. I am grateful to everyone who responded to this consultation; the majority of whom agreed there should be more robust requirements in the scheme to support public safety. We are now planning to develop detailed designs for the new scheme and will take the feedback we have received into account”.
The regulator describes the business approvals scheme as the main way the SIA can influence improvements to business standards. It is a voluntary, quality-based scheme through which it promotes good practice and improvements in industry standards.
The changes the SIA says will signal a significant shift in the way it approves businesses under this scheme. It will also change how standards are defined for security businesses, ensuring public protection is at the heart of the new scheme.
In accordance with government pre-election rules, publication of the findings was put on hold until after the General Election on July 4. The SIA will hold another public consultation on the final proposed design of the new scheme. It intends to launch the new scheme during the business year 2026 to 2027.
Background by Mark Rowe
The SIA approves around 750 private security businesses, mainly in manned guarding; a total somewhat lower than the 800-plus of recent years. Around a fifth of all approved contractors responded to the consultation.
One of the SIA’s proposed tweaks to the ACS is that those contractors supplying a ‘specialist service (for example to large outdoor events and arenas or in particular settings such as healthcare) should be expected to meet additional requirements to show they are capable in those sectors’; those responding were largely in favour. To the question posed by the SIA whether upwards of 80pc of time on the ACS should be spent assessing service delivery, industry response was fairly in favour, although some preferred it on a ‘case by case’ basis. The regulator found support in the main for assessments moving ‘away from an annual assessment and toward a tailored approach allowing us to prioritise and support private security businesses who present higher risks’.
The SIA found support in the main for its suggested ‘voluntary register for third parties including to distinguish and separate out those companies which are wholly or mainly about labour provision of SIA operatives commonly used in the private security supply chain’; and whether the SIA ought to ‘expect private security businesses to report significant or material incidents or issues’. While the SIA mooted stricter rules on sub-contracting, some pointed out that stadium event security in particular turned to ‘labour providers’ through sub-contracting.
The outcome of any refresh of the ACS remains to be seen; whether it will mean fewer guard firms gain ACS status, and whether those few (as some want – industry opinions, whether held by buyers or suppliers, always differ about the ACS) will be more of a ‘gold standard’.
Photo by Mark Rowe, SIA badged officer, Covent Garden, central London.
