The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has given more details of licences for Scotland, scheduled to be launched in February 2007 with an enforcement date of November 2007.
The new regulations will also apply to those working, or supervising staff, in a range of contracted-in private security roles. These include: Security, Cash and Valuables in Transit, Public Space Surveillance CCTV, Close Protection, Key Holders and Private Investigators. This will ensure that regulation in Scotland is consistent with that already introduced within England and Wales, the regulator adds.
Licensing for Scottish precognition agents (who interview prosecution witnesses on behalf of the defence agents prior to cases going to court and operate only in Scotland) is under consultation.
What they say
Scottish Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said: "Regulation, through the SIA, will provide reassurance by preventing unsuitable people from obtaining positions of trust in the private security industry. It will ensure that security personnel are fit and proper people who are competent to perform their duties. It will also benefit legitimate private security businesses and staff in driving up standards and driving out the small minority of operators who are tarnishing their good name by using the industry as a front for illegal activities."
Andy Drane, Deputy Chief Executive of the SIA and licensing Scotland project head, said, "Regulation in Scotland by the SIA will ensure standards of training and professionalism in the private security industry are the same across Great Britain. The public will benefit from one regulator and one licensing scheme which will allow them to have confidence in a regulated and trusted industry, and Scottish security businesses will not be disadvantaged in a competitive market."
The SIA will simultaneously introduce the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) for companies providing private security services. Becoming an Approved Contractor will be a voluntary decision, the regulator says, although guarding firms in England and Wales generally feel the ACS is in effect compulsory, if a firm is to hold on to new recruits to the sector, in the weeks before they gain a licence. To attain Approved Contractor status, the SIA adds, organisations will need to demonstrate to an independent assessor that they have met quality standards designed especially for the private security sector.
To help Scots understand the implications of licensing and how it will affect them, the SIA is holding roadshows throughout the country. There will be two events in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness, one addressing the implications of licensing for those who provide private security services (both individuals and companies) and other interested stakeholders, such as the police and local authorities, will be held during April. The briefings for buyers will be held during June.
