Please excuse the tabloid headline but I’ve just read an article on www.info4security.com which shows the ridiculous state of play within the UK security industry.

Under UK law, individuals involved in carrying out security services under contract to a third party must hold a valid ‘Security Industry Authority’ (SIA) licence.

It’s only fair to assume that city council procurement staff would have been made fully aware of this fact, yes? Unfortunately not, both Cambridge City Council and Peterborough City Council employed the services of Central Security (East Anglia) Ltd without checking the licensing levels of staff within the company.

Central Security employed just 7 licensed people out of a total workforce of 46 employees. Unfortunately, there are literally hundreds of companies the length and breadth of the UK who choose to operate like this despite web checks being available to all.

Incredibly, both councils contracted Central Security to provide security officers who worked illegally at several public buildings despite the fact they were there to protect and safeguard people, property and premises. How was this allowed to happen?

If city council staff don’t know the laws regarding contract security then can we honestly expect business people to know?

For the full article, please see the www.info4security website here