Victims of crime and antisocial behaviour, including bereaved families, will benefit from additional support in their communities, Home Secretary Theresa May announced yesterday. New funding of £1m will be spent across the country to ensure victims and witnesses are given a powerful local voice ahead of the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) next year. The commissioner for victims and witnesses, Louise Casey, will work in partnership with Victim Support, the national charity for victims, to set up a network of advocates who will: hear directly from victims and witne...

All but one of the security guards inspected during an operation at sites connected to the 2014 Commonwealth Games held a valid SIA licence. The Security Industry Authority carried out the operation on Thursday [10 March] visiting 15 sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh to ensure contracted security staff were adhering to the law by holding and displaying a valid SIA licence. In total, 21 security staff were checked – 20 operatives were properly licensed.  However, one security guard was found working with a cloned SIA licence and officers from Lothian and Borders Police were called to the site...

Home Secretary lays parliamentary order as part of commitment to making counter-terrorism powers fairer and more effective. From tomorrow, police will only be able to stop and search people without reasonable suspicion where it's considered necessary to prevent terrorism. Previously, section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 allowed officers to search individuals even if they didn’t have reasonable suspicion the person was involved in terrorist activity. But the coalition government looked again at this power as part of a wide ranging review of counter-terror laws. That review concluded that s...

This month's issue of Company magazine features a meeting between twelve readers, the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary. The Number Ten summit was part of the magazine's long-running 'Get Home Safely' campaign. After a night walk to Number Ten Downing Street, the women debated their concerns with David Cameron and Theresa May, highlighting that any cuts to the police service would be a big concern. The Home Secretary encouraged the women – some of who had been victims of crime at night – to get involved in influencing local policing decisions. She said: 'We have to make cuts in...

The SIA is calling for Approved Contractors, security suppliers and security buyers to participate in the fifth annual review. It is expected that the regulatory regime within the private security industry will change in the next few years and with this in mind, this year’s review seeks to build a picture of the shape of the industry. The questionnaires can be found at: ACS suppliers: www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/pages/survey-acs.aspx Security suppliers: www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/pages/survey-suppliers.aspx Security buyers: www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/pages/survey-buyers.aspx Res...

The Home Secretary and the Pakistani Interior Minister, Senator Rehman Malik, met yesterday evening to discuss a range of issues including illegal immigration and counter terrorism. Both the ministers jointly addressed the UK based Pakistani media after their meeting. The Home Secretary said: 'Both countries have suffered at the hands of international terrorism and this has had a devastating effect on the lives of ordinary citizens in both countries.    'Only last week we saw the horrific assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian Cabinet Minister in Pakistan, and I want to co...

Investigators from the Security Industry Authority conducted a wide-scale operation in Swindon, Bath and Reading on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th March to ensure that security guards, door supervisors and CCTV operatives carrying out licensable duties were working legally. The majority of security staff inspected were found to be working legally by holding and displaying a valid SIA licence, but some offences were identified. On Thursday evening investigators visited licensed premises. On Friday, daytime checks were carried out at businesses and buildings. The inspections carried out at 85 si...

A Hamilton-based director has been fined after pleading guilty to supplying unlicensed security guarding. Wilson Bowman, 38, was fined £500 following sentencing at Hamilton Sheriff Court yesterday [10 March]. He was convicted of one count of supplying an unlicensed operative. Bowman was director of Master Site Services Ltd which supplied security guards mainly to construction sites. The SIA understands that the company no longer trades. The SIA decided to refer the case to the Procurator Fiscal as there was evidence of continued offending, despite SIA investigators having issued several for...

The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has welcomed the Government's publication of a revised Safety and Security Strategy for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Revised following the publication of the National Security Strategy in October 2010, the Olympic and Paralympic Safety and Security Strategy sets out the key aims and objectives for Police, government agencies, organisations and departments responsible for delivering a safe and secure Olympic Games in a little over a year's time. Outlining the key security threats facing the Games, the revised strategy cites terror...

Ahead of tickets for the London Olympics going on sale next week, Theresa May has said that touts will face heavy penalties. Selling tickets for the London 2012 Games without permission was made a criminal offence in 2006 with fines of up to £5,000, but yesterday's announcement sees that amount increase to £20,000. The Home Secretary said: 'The 2012 Games will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Games on home soil. By increasing the fines for touting we are sending a clear message to criminals and prospective criminals that it is not worth their while and they are not w...