‘Not worth the risk’
As the cost of living crisis bites harder, those who engage security services may be tempted to turn a blind eye to the legitimacy of staff licensing.
An SIA Licence is a legal requirement for anyone working as a security professional in the UK. This isn’t exactly news. But one thing that keeps making headlines are the risks of unlicensed security work.
One of the main duties of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the compulsory licensing of individuals working in specific sectors of the private security industry.
Once granted a licence by the SIA, the holder must wear the badge so that it can be seen by members of the public. This is a mandatory licence condition and attracts serious consequences for the licence holder if not respected: SIA can issue the person with a written warning, which can be taken into account in future licensing, can revoke or suspend the existing licence or can even prosecute the person for contravening licence conditions (criminal offence under Section 9 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001).
Often, companies providing unlicensed staff have no ill intentions. However, the law is the law, and the SIA is a government entity. In other words, the SIA has the power to bring legal action against anyone working in security illegally.
Additionally, an agency or business using the services of unlicensed security staff may also be subject to prosecution. Individuals and businesses can face very heavy fines or even worse judgements if found working without an SIA licence or using staff who are not licensed.
The government has invited information from the public regarding the use of unlicensed security staff;
You can report security staff or companies, for example if you think they’re:
using a fake, out of date or stolen SIA licence
employing someone for security work who does not have a valid SIA licence
saying they’re an SIA approved contractor when they’re not
using excessive force to fulfil their role
showing signs of predatory behaviour (for example targeting lone vulnerable adults or children)
Watchful Eye security ltd supply fully trained and SIA licensed staff and stringly recommend that all users of securty ensure that all legal criteria has been met.
If you would like to discover more about the Watchful Eye Compliance schemes or for free and friendly advice regarding any aspect of security services please contact us.
