During a visit to the US the Home Secretary gave a speech at a UN symposium on counter terrorism. Speaking at the UN in New York the Home Secretary Theresa May said: 'Here in this city, ten years ago, we witnessed a massive crime. That crime deserved an unprecedented response. 'Action from many countries around the world has now weakened Al Qa’ida severely. Its leadership has been disrupted. Its ability to conduct terrorist attacks, communicate and train operatives has been reduced. 'But we have also learned there are limits to how far military or police action alone can take us in o...

The SIA’s latest wide-scale random compliance checks took place across Cambridgeshire, West Midlands, North East England and Scotland on Friday [09 Sept]. SIA investigators inspected 233 security guards, CCTV operatives and door supervisors. 150 sites were visited which included construction sites, hospitals, retail outlets, CCTV suites, museums, offices, pubs and clubs. In total, 225 operatives held a valid SIA licence, which is a requirement by law. Eight people were found to be working illegally; five without a licence, one whose SIA licence had been revoked, one working with a forged l...

Following last week’s announcement that Baroness Browning has stepped down as Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Anti-Social Behaviour Reduction for health reasons, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has wished her well, and welcomed the new appointment of Lord Henley to the post. Baroness Browning was appointed at the Home Office in May this year after the reshuffle that saw Baroness Neville-Jones’ departure. Lord Henley is a Conservative party peer and has joined the Home Office ministerial team from DEFRA. He entered the House of Lords in 1977 and has held a numb...

The tenth anniversary of 9/11 is inevitably a time for reflection. A time first and foremost to remember all of those who lost their lives. But also to reflect on the terrorist threats we still face, on the lessons we have learned and on the challenges ahead. The threats we face We know that the terrorist threats we face have changed significantly over the past ten years. Al Qa’ida is now substantially weaker than it has been since 9/11. US military and intelligence operations, the international effort in Afghanistan, work by Pakistan and many other countries are all key factors. Al Qa’...

The need for effective contemporary mechanisms to combat serious international crime has motivated law enforcement and judicial authorities to examine the luxury lifestyles of criminals. Unexplained wealth is a strong indicator for criminal activity in many cases. The ability of both law enforcement and judicial authorities to target unexplained wealth using a variety of approaches, up-to-date national laws and an effective multi-agency policy, is more essential now than ever before. On 15 - 16 September 2011, Europol, in its function as the permanent secretariat of CARIN (the Camden Asset Re...

The importance of tackling abuse of the family migration route and promoting better community integration for those who come to live permanently in the UK was reaffirmed today by Immigration Minister Damian Green. In a speech at the Centre for Policy Studies the Minister cited research that showed: only two-thirds of people on a marriage visa had been here before; in 2004 the nationalities of people settling varied, but eight out of ten people from Bangladesh and Pakistan had settled permanently within five years; 20 per cent of sponsors of marriage visa applicants were either unemployed o...

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill has received Royal Assent today. The Act moves the decision-making on policing away from government to communities giving them the power to elect Police and Crime Commissioners. Communities will now have a greater say in licensing decisions, with tougher powers for local authorities to restrict problem premises selling alcohol at night. 'The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act is a landmark in the government's agenda to decentralise control and return power to the people' said Policing Minister, Nick Herbert. The Minister added: ...

The BSIA is delighted to announce the appointment of Trevor Elliott as its new Director of Manpower and Membership Services. Trevor's role at the BSIA has been newly created to provide Director-level support to continue the development and promotion of manpower-based sections of membership, comprising Security Guarding, Close Protection, Crowd Management and Leisure Industry Security. One of the key issues facing these sections of membership at present is the issue of future industry regulation, and Trevor will work closely with government and the Security Industry Authority to help sha...

In his second column, Chris Cully, the Managing Director of risk & security management company, Dilitas puts security manpower for the Olympics under his magnifying glass. The countdown to the Olympics is 365 days and dropping daily. Only now have London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) announced they need another 20,000 licensed security officers for the Olympics. The overriding issue now, is how to find the number of security staff required and get them trained to Security Industry Authority (SIA) requirements ready for the start of the Games. It wou...

Assistant Commissioner (AC) Ian McPherson has given notice to the Chair of the MPA, Kit Malthouse, and informed Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, of his intention to retire from the MPS at the end of this year. AC McPherson has headed the MPS Territorial Policing directorate - the largest command in the MPS, for the past two years, and has been responsible for developing a wide-ranging and innovative modernisation programme to reduce waste, increase effectiveness while continuing to cut crime and maintaining the MPS' commitment to neighbourhood policing. He has 32...