Last year we reported the peculiar and striking percentage increase in Security Industry Authority (SIA) badge-holding, in terms of nationality, by those from the Indian sub-continent – Pakistan and Bangladesh, besides India. While the number of those from the UK by nationality who were SIA-badged has been about static in the 2020s, the rise in the SIA-badged was explained by those from those countries. The latest monthly statistics from the SIA, for May 2024, compared with those for May 2023 are even more stark, writes Mark Rowe.
Overall, the total of SIA-badged continues to be a record; 417,600 (to round the number to the nearest hundred) in May 2023, and 434,700 a year later; a rise of 4.1 per cent, a pleasing rise both for the SIA (which runs on such income, from licence application fees) and for the guarding sector, which speaks of a chronic shortage of labour.
The total of SIA-badged who are by nationality British has fallen, by 3.87 per cent, from 256,800 in May 2023 to 246,800 in May 2024. Of the ‘top ten’ nationalities last month, Italian (in fifth), Portuguese (in sixth), Sudanese (in seventh), and Spanish (tenth) fell in the year from May 2023 to 2024. The other nationalities in last month’s ‘top ten’ that rose were, in second, Pakistani; Indian, third; Nigerian, fourth; Ghanian, eighth; and Nepalese, ninth, rose. Some rises were large in percentages and in numbers – notably from Pakistan, from 36,625 a year ago, to 51,967, a rise of 15,000 people and 41.9 per cent. By comparison, the rise in SIA-badged Indians was 31.9 per cent, or more than 5,000 people, from 16,985 to 22,395. The only other five-figure nationality is Nigerian, which in the 12 months of May 2023 to 2024 rose by more than 7,000, from 12,638 to 19,850, or 57.1 per cent.
It amounts to a change from the stereotype of the 2000s and 2010s, pre-Brexit, of SIA guards from eastern Europe, once the European Union granted freedom of movement of labour, to the ranks of the SIA-badged coming more from the Commonwealth nations of the Indian sub-continent and west Africa. For instance, the 11th nationality is Polish, down 400 (to round to the nearest hundred) on the year to 4600 in May 2024 from 5000 one year before. In 12th is Bangladeshi, that rose in the year from 3489 to 4419, or a rise of 26.7 per cent. At that rate of increase, Bangladesh will enter the ‘top ten’ in a year’s time, overtaking Spaniards, having in the last year overtaken Romanians.
Among other statistics, the ‘top ten’ of licence holders by place last month was: London, then Manchester, Slough with Heathrow, Birmingham, Luton, Glasgow, Bradford, Liverpool, Leicester and Leeds (and Sheffield in eleventh). Twelve months ago, the top ten was the same, except that Bradford has risen from eighth to seventh, by swapping places with Liverpool; and Sheffield has risen from 13th.
Although London has only roughly an eighth of the population of the UK, it has more than a quarter of its licence holders, in the last 12 months that number having risen more than 6000, to 118,908. Only Manchester, Slough-Heathrow and Birmingham have more than four figures of SIA-badged. Among the more notable differences over the 12 months by place, the total of those from Hull (in 29th place) who are licence holders went up 11.3 per cent, to 2750. Cardiff has risen from 16th to 12th place, to 5320 licences, a rise of 12.1 per cent.
The UK has some 488,600 (to round up to the nearest hundred) ‘active’ SIA licences, which is more than the 434,700 licence holders because some people will hold more than one badge to carry out their licensable jobs (such as, contract guard and CCTV control room operator). Of those with SIA badges, some 47,393 are female, or 10.9 per cent of the whole. A year before, some 10.7pc of the 417,600 licence holders were female. These figures therefore are showing a continuing, gradual upward trend in growing female participation in private security, albeit from a low base.
Last month, the mode (most occurring) age of the SIA licence holder was 27, whereas 12 months ago it was 26. In May 2023, the oldest badge-holder was 98; they are now 99. A year ago as now, seven badge-holders are in their nineties.
The total of SIA-approved contractors is 757.
You can view datasets going back to December 2020 at the SIA website.
Photo by Mark Rowe; steward (on stairs, in red) and SIA-badged security officer (in blue, doing access control at the boundary) on duty at Lord’s cricket ground before an evening T20 match last week.
