A guarding contractor MD, Abbey Petkar of Magenta, reflects on the security industry’s future.
It is quite clear to me that there are far too many cowboy organisations working in the security industry. Accreditation of individual guards has gone a long way to improving the reputation and abilities of individuals, however the fact that company-wide accreditation has remained voluntary makes us a laughing stock when compared to other high profile industries facing tough regulations. You might suggest I am over-reacting but the current situation allows anyone, no matter what their background to set up a security firm from their garden shed. All they need is a couple of guards with SIA licenses. For their customers, there will be no protection, no guarantees, no insurance. And it is with these facts in mind that I am excited by the opportunities presented by the demise of the SIA. When the Security Alliance outlined its position on the future of regulation in the security industry, the report cited that the planned new regime will enable reduced regulatory costs and administrative burdens in the security industry. While this is of course good news from a management point of view, I am far more interested in the outcomes for our clients. They are after all the people we work for. Key elements of the Alliance’s position paper include the introduction of compulsory business registration and an emphasis on achieving a consistent regulatory regime that meets the approval of the devolved Governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In my opinion this is a huge step forward. True, we have invested time and effort in the current regulation systems. However, I do expect much of what we have achieved to be transferable and look forward to long term results.
The Security Industry Authority has continued to play an important role for regulating the private security industry as per the Private Security Industry Act 2001. As an independent body they have been instrumental in reducing criminality, raise standards and recognise quality service across the United Kingdom but they quite simply have not achieved enough. Why was such a body set up in the first place, with two such differing tasks:
•to ensure compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities within the private security industry – great, good job, well done;
•to manage the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme, which measures private security suppliers against independently assessed criteria – again, well done but what was the point in making it voluntary. It just devalues the SIA and the industry as a whole.
Given the work that SIA undertakes, I will confess a slight feeling of sadness that their departure is sad news for the industry. There is no doubt that organisation has played a brilliant role in safeguarding and ensuring highest level of professional services for the private security companies that are willing to take part. It has also achieved a great deal on a human level, ensuring that all security guards are fairly treated and get their work entitlements like holidays and reasonable pay. However, there is an opportunity here for a new beginning; a new dawn in the professionalism of our industry.
Some will argue that getting rid of the SIA is in many ways a step backward, particularly if the new regulation does not go beyond the current scheme. It will create massive doubts about accountability from the legal point of view. It is of course widely perceived by many industry experts that the new concept that will significantly reduce regulatory costs for businesses and licence holders. It will also allow quality businesses the opportunity to have more responsibility for their own regulation while maintaining and improving standards across the industry. This is great news and I for one certainly welcome anything that cuts down on bureaucracy and needless red-tape. However, only those selfish people, focused entirely on their own business could ever argue that efficiency is more important that quality. True efficiency can lead to equality but we should never sacrifice our reputations for the sake of an extra form or two!
Above all, we welcome the new move if it ensures a standard process of credibility across the industry. At Magenta security, we believe in providing highest standard of services to our clients. To do so we ensure that we ourselves achieve the best professional standards to be able to provide highest quality services and staff for our client’s security needs. In fact we time and again go beyond the necessary, reaching out to achieve standards that are ignored by many: ISO 9001:2000; ISO 14001:1996 ; RSAS; BSI; NSI … the list goes on!
I welcome the new regulations, if implemented properly, this will give a greater credibility to the genuine security companies over the non –registered ‘cowboy’ firms and will encourage the industry to constantly deliver high level services. And, if it helps reduce a few administrative costs those saving can be re-invested in the quality of our services.
