The next Small Business Network meeting will be held in central London on Thursday 23 June. The meeting is being organised and facilitated by representatives from the network, with the support of the SIA. It is open to delegates working for, or managing, small businesses with up to 250 employees. The network meeting will be an opportunity to discuss and explore issues about the industry and regulation, and meet with the SIA and others in the industry. Places are limited and there will be a small cost to cover catering. If you would like to attend the meeting please register your interes...

G4S today announces the acquisition by G4S Regional Management (UK&I) Limited of Broomco (4233) Limited, a special purpose company which owns the offender monitoring technology operations of Guidance Limited and its subsidiary companies ("Guidance Monitoring"), a leading international supplier of offender monitoring technology to governments across the world.  Guidance Monitoring was acquired from Malcolm Roberts, David Parry, John Potter, Russell Miles, Comvest Limited and a number of employees of Guidance Monitoring and has gross assets of £10 million. Guidance Monitoring designs ...

The latest recorded crime statistics and British Crime Survey results show that police are continuing to drive down crime ACPO head of crime Chief Constable Jon Murphy said: “Police are committed to the job of tackling crime and keeping people safe from harm. The latest recorded crime statistics and British Crime Survey results show that we are continuing to drive down crime. Police recorded crime is down six per cent for the 12 months to December 2010, while the official crime survey data shows a three per cent decrease in incidents. “The official crime statistics are showing tha...

The National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Locksmiths have been approved by the regulator UKCES. This gives the green light to go ahead with development of a qualification structure and apprenticeship framework for the sector and the first meeting to determine what is needed will take place on Friday 6th May 10.00 – 12.00 at Skills for Security in Worcester. Working locksmiths, from large and small companies alike, are invited to take part and shape the future of locksmith training nationwide. Ruth Oliver, Skills and Standards Manager at Skills for Security said: “Locksmiths contr...

The Ministry of Defence subjected a bomb-proof lightweight walling system developed Alumet  to a huge explosive blast – a 220lb bomb exploded from 82 feet away, and found it not only withstood the explosion, with the dummies placed behind the strong façade remaining unscathed, writes Infologue.com Editor, Bobby Logue. “The blast was enormous! Terrorism is not going to go away, so it is vital we keep our high security buildings safe.” said Gary Summers, Managing Director of Alumet, Britain’s leading provider of building facades, which has designed and developed the award-winning ABLE...

The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has launched a dedicated group within its membership for companies that supply training services to the security industry in the UK. The group met earlier this month for the first time at a well attended meeting to discuss objectives and the way forward, and currently consists of existing BSIA members as well as companies new to the Association. Paul Tennent, an existing member of the BSIA, was voted Chairman of the Training Providers Group at the meeting, and commented on its formation: "In order for the security industry to be able to succes...

Corps Security, the UK’s leading supplier of specialist security solutions, has announced that it has agreed terms for the sale of its Papua New Guinea (PNG) operation to G4S.  Contracts have already been exchanged and the sale will be completed once PNG’s regulatory controls have been met. G4S already has an operation in PNG and the existing Corps Security operation, including its general manager Andrew Cannock, will transfer to the new owner in due course. With over 3,000 licensed security staff and a team of expert managers and consultants operating from a network of 12 regional offi...

The Chairman of British Airways, Sir Martin Broughton, has outlined ways of improving passenger and freight security at airports - and criticised current international practices. Sir Martin said: "There is absolutely no reason why security that is better can't also be more customer-friendly. Making everybody suffer inconvenience in the name of uniformity doesn't make any sense at all - and reduces the quality of security by dissipating resources." Giving the keynote Annual Aviation Lecture of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) in London to an audience of aviation an...

Skills for Security, as a member of the Security Alliance assisting with the SIA transition process, needs to ensure that existing National Occupational Standards will be up-to-date and fit for purpose when the changes take place. During 2011/12, three Advisory Working Groups will be reviewing the NOS for Close Protection (starting in June 2011), followed by CCTV Operations and Cash & Valuables in Transit, both from autumn 2011. The Standards Development team at Skills for Security would like to hear from anyone working in these sectors who is willing to lend their knowledge and experien...

Members of the British Security Industry Association's Export Council have given an exclusive preview of what visitors can expect to see at this year's Moscow International Protection, Security and Fire Safety (MIPS) exhibition, which takes place from 26th – 29th April. As the trade association representing the UK's private security industry, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and its dedicated Export Council play a vital role in forging productive trade links between UK security companies and overseas buyers from around the world. This year's MIPS event will be no excepti...