The annual UK political party conference season saw the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) championing the views of the private security industry; planning and attending meetings with MPs, Government ministers and Lords peers, police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and think tanks at the Labour and the Conservative party conferences.
The BSIA had on its agenda business licensing and regulation, with discussions also on support for grant funding to allow businesses to export. Also on the agenda, the BSIA’s latest research into the number and scope of CCTV cameras in the UK and how the trade association’s findings relate to the Government’s CCTV Code of Practice.
The BSIA’s Chief Executive, James Kelly, said: “The Government has failed to identify a legislative vehicle by which to enact these changes, placing the Government’s original implementation target of 2015 in real jeopardy. The BSIA – as part of the Security Regulation Alliance – has been at the heart of these negotiations and still has hope that the industry can achieve clarity on a future regulatory regime within the current Parliament.”
Support for the BSIA’s cause has been pledged by members across all parties, as well as a number of PCCs, many of whom use private security companies to provide back-office support to their police forces.
This year’s conference season sees the BSIA almost double its contact with Parliamentarians when compared to previous years, with many MPs set to receive their first ever briefing on the work of the BSIA and the industry. Among those to meet with James Kelly: Baroness Smith of Basildon, Shadow Home Affairs Minister for Private Security, Jack Dromey, Shadow Minister for Policing, Owen Paterson, previously Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Secretary of State for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and David T.C.Davies, Chairman of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee.
As for PCCs, James Kelly said: “The standards set and maintained by industry regulation and licensing is key to the ability of police forces across the UK to place their trust in private security suppliers, and it is essential that the future regulatory regime continues to provide this element of reassurance.” This message will be enforced when meeting with PCCs, to ensure that the partnerships between BSIA member companies and various police forces are actively promoted for the benefits they bring.
“With the 2015 General Election just around the corner, it is important that the BSIA continues to engage with all parties to ensure that our industry is fully represented in the crucial policy development period running up to the election. The BSIA is proud of its role as the voice of the UK’s private security industry and we are looking forward to building upon our success at conference to actively represent our members’ needs.”
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