BSIA chairman Stuart Lowden queried the slant of the SIA’s enforcement work in a speech in London in February.
He was talking to the first meeting of the C-Cure user group, meeting to discuss and learn about the Tyco security management product. Lowden, of guarding company Wilson James, spoke about the regulator as part of a much wider-ranging speech. “It is generally felt that the SIA seems to have a single mission just now; its perceived to be all about the public, and ignoring security provided to industry generally.” Professional Security checked with Stuart Lowden afterwards that he had in mind the checks on door staff, often with police, as publicised by the SIA in recent months. Clarifying his remarks, Stuart Lowden spoke of a perception that the SIA was concentrating on checks where security deals directly with the public, rather than – as at the user group venue, the Canary Wharf corporate offices of Clifford Chance – where the public is not generally seen. Lowden granted that the SIA could argue that one of its remits is to serve the public. Earlier, he described the trade body to the gathering of corporate users (such as Clifford Chance) and installers of the C-Cure product.
He said: "The BSIA has acquired a reputation over the past of being a big boys’ club," in other words, that large companies have dominated the association. "I would like to think it’s different now." Medium sized businesses were taking an active role in the organisation. "It isn’t just an association to benefit the members’ pockets; there’s an element of moving the industry forward and more importantly, we are actually looking to improve our industry and work with a number of people to do so." Hence his talk to the C-Cure group. He went on to ‘the challenges’, Stuart Lowden long having argued for a better deal and shorter working hours for security officers, and a more professional guarding sector. "Half the battle is negotiating with stake-holders; is actually explaining to stake-holders why there is this need to change." And after his remarks on the SIA, he went on: "Sometimes it is a question of negotiating change within the membership themselves. Within any organisation you will have some members driving things forward and keen for change and some happy holding things back because they have an interest in doing so." He spoke also of the need to avoid a ‘silo mentality’ within the BSIA, namely each section looking after itself, irrespective of what might be best for everybody. Hence an aim for what he called ‘strategic goals’. And as he pointed out, the association already has some ‘cross-party’ groups, covering policing and public services, for example.
SIA response
In response to Lowden’s comments, the SIA said afterwards: “"Our operations are intelligence led, and as a risk-based regulator we target resources as appropriate. Our checks are not confined to any particular scenario – if we receive intelligence that warrants investigation we would do so regardless of the location at which the individuals involved are working."
