MITIE has signed a new three year plus one contract to provide an integrated facilities management (FM) offering to Channel 4.   MITIE currently delivers front-of-house, mail & courier, cleaning & waste and landscaping services, and with this new contract will add security and engineering maintenance to its offering.   Channel 4’s decision to bundle the majority of services under the MITIE umbrella will translate into circa ten per cent annual savings for the broadcaster.    Under the new contract MITIE will employ 79 people to service Channel 4’s landmark 120,000 square ...

The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has welcomed the government’s announcement of new security and crime-reduction roles for Baroness Angela Browning and James Brokenshire MP, citing regulatory and legislative changes as two key areas for further engagement.  These changes follow the resignation of Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones from the post of Minister for Security and Counter-Terrorism, a role that has subsequently been filled with the appointment of James Brokenshire MP. Brokenshire’s previous role as Minister for Crime Prevention and Anti-Social Behaviour Reduction will...

The SIA’s Approved Contractor Scheme celebrated five years of successful operation in March this year. Underpinning this success is the long-term improvement achieved by approved contractors. SIA assistant director of the ACS Andrew Shephard explains. Information on the latest scores achieved during ACS assessments has today been published by the SIA. Each approved contractor is assessed annually, receiving a score   that indicates the extent to which it has exceeded the good practice standards required by the ACS. Measures of good practice are detailed in the ACS self-assessment workboo...

A company director and CCTV operative were found working illegally without SIA licences when investigators from the Security Industry Authority targeted CCTV monitoring suites across the north of England on Tuesday [10 May]. The purpose of Operation Norfolk was to visit CCTV remote monitoring companies across Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Cleveland and Northumbria to ensure that CCTV operatives and those employing them were working legally by holding an SIA licence. Investigators visited 17 companies and inspected 37 people, including CCTV operatives, their manage...

The Home Secretary has announced that James Brokenshire will take over responsibility for security and counter-terrorism in the Home Office. This follows the announcement on Monday that Baroness Neville-Jones has stepped down from her position. Baroness Angela Browning has joined the department as minister for crime prevention and anti-social behaviour reduction. This brief includes responsibility for the drugs strategy, licensing, community activism and football safety. Baroness Browning will also lead all Home Office business in the House of Lords. Commenting on James Brokenshire's ne...

Following an in-depth review and external assessment of the organisation, the Security Industry Authority has been awarded the Customer Service Excellence standard. This means that the SIA’s service has been shown to meet Government standards of excellence, and is benchmarked against other high-performing organisations. The SIA demonstrated how feedback and comments from customers have been taken into account to make ongoing improvement to its customer service. The Customer Service Excellence standard tests areas that are most important for customers, such as delivery, timeliness, informat...

The next Door Supervision Network meeting will be held on Wednesday 8 June in London. The meeting is being organised and facilitated by UK Security Facilities supported by the SIA. Delegates working within the door supervision sector will have the opportunity to discuss and explore issues about the industry and regulation with others from the industry and with SIA representatives. If you would like to attend the meeting, please visit www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/ds-network to register your interest by 06 June 2011. SIA Website...

A raft of measures outlined by the Home Secretary today will save an estimated 2.5 million police hours – the equivalent of 1,200 police officer posts a year. At a major speech at Church House in London Theresa May told the audience of police officers: 'These reforms are a watershed moment in policing, showing that we really mean business in busting bureaucracy and allowing police to police and not fill in forms.' Police should no longer expect police to be scrutinised by the Home Office or given top down targets she said. Instead, they will be given the autonomy to manage themselves an...

Mike Bluestone, Director of Security Consulting at Corps Security and counter terrorism specialist has called for vigilance in the aftermath of the death of Osama Bin Laden. Mike discusses measures that are essential during the current threat level in our exclusive Infologue.com video. Mike comments; “The killing of Osama Bin Laden by United States Army Special Forces, will have both immediate and longer term implications, not only for the United States, but also for all other allies of the USA including the United Kingdom, other member states of the western alliance, and Israel. Whilst...

Organised crime is changing and becoming increasingly diverse in its methods, group structures, and impact on society, reveals Europol’s 2011 Organised Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA), writes Infologue.com editor Bobby Logue. The bi–annual report, which assesses current and expected trends in organised crime affecting the European Union, explores how a new criminal landscape is emerging, marked increasingly by highly mobile and flexible groups operating in multiple jurisdictions and criminal sectors. "Organised crime is a multi–billion euro business in Europe and it is growing ...