'Police cannot be immune from the need to make savings,' the policing minister has told a conference of officers. Speaking in central London this morning, Nick Herbert said fairness must be at the heart of reforms to the police service and that action must be taken. 'The whole country knows we have to deal with the deficit and that means taking tough decisions. I believe there is general recognition among police officers that the police service must play its part,' he explained. Mr Herbert's comments come after an independent report on Tuesday into police pay and conditions. The forme...

The Home Secretary has today pledged to consider the findings of a wide-ranging review into police pay and conditions. Former rail regulator Tom Winsor published the first of two reports after studying how the service remunerates its officers and staff. Retired chief constable Sir Edward Crew and leading labour market economist Richard Disney provided expert assistance. The Home Secretary thanked Mr Winsor and his team for their work when she received the report today and promised to consider its results carefully. She said: 'Police officers should be rewarded fairly and reasonably for wha...

On the same day that the SIA announced government agreement on the framework for future regulation of the security industry, buyers of security services made clear their desire for continued regulation. In a survey conducted by the International Professional Security Association (IPSA), over 220 buyers of security services responded to a series of questions about the future regulation of the UK’s security industry. 98.7% of respondents wanted to see the industry remain regulated, with an overwhelming majority (80.8%) preferring regulation of both security companies and security personnel. ...

The SIA’s Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS), which has over 700 participants, has now passed its fifth year of operation. The scheme also received backing from the Government last week during the debate in the House of Lords during the reading of the Public Bodies Bill. The Minister of State of the Home Office, Baroness Neville-Jones commented; “….The SIA has done something else important, which is to raise standards through the voluntary approved contractor scheme that allows companies to demonstrate that they meet a wide range of standards and are therefore worthy of being accredited a...

Following the second reading of the Protection of Freedoms Bill in the House of Commons earlier this week, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) is welcoming the positive comments made by many MPs in support of the crime-solving capabilities of CCTV systems. The bill, which ministers claim will protect millions of people in England and Wales "from unwarranted state intrusion in their private lives", proposes that under the new law, the Home Secretary will be required to publish a code of conduct on using CCTV and other surveillance cameras. In addition to this, a new Surveillance...

The transition of the Security Industry Authority has recently taken significant steps in its transition towards an independent regulatory regime. The Chief Executive of the SIA said today; “Working with the industry and other stakeholders, we have developed an agreed framework setting out how we propose the planned transition to a new regulatory regime should take place. SIA chairman Ruth Henig and I met with Home Office minister, Lynne Featherstone, on 16 February to discuss these proposals. The Government has now had the opportunity to consider the plan and, on 28 February, Baroness Nevi...

The Home Secretary today set out the tough decisions that need to be taken to reform the police service, save police jobs and cut crime, in a speech at Central Hall in London. Driving out needless bureaucracy, engaging the public on policing in their community and nationally tackling organised crime, were the key themes of a speech  by Theresa May to policing representatives. The Home Secretary made clear that the aim was to meet the challenge of police reform at the same time as meeting the challenge of reducing police spending, while protecting and improving police services. 'Nobody is ...

A consultation on a new code of practice governing the use of CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems has been launched, Crime Prevention Minister James Brokenshire announced today. Members of the public and operators of these systems can have their say on a range of proposals to make the use of this technology more proportionate and effective. The consultation is the first step towards establishing a formal Code of Practice as promised in the Government's Protection of Freedoms Bill. The proposals include: establishing a checklist of actions to be carried out by CC...

The regional winners of the British Security Industry Association’s Annual Security Personnel Awards 2011 have been announced. The awards recognise the excellent work and vital contribution that those working in the security industry are making across the country, and are presented in the following categories: Service to the Customer, Outstanding Act, Best Newcomer, Best Use of Technology and Best Team. James Kelly, BSIA Chief Executive, comments: "The selection of this year’s regional winners was - as usual - very difficult due to the extremely high standards of entrants. The awards ce...

This week the SIA sent out invitations for the next round of Approved Contractor Scheme forums to be held in April. The six regional events will take place in: Stoke; Friday 1 April Doncaster; Wednesday 6 April Belfast; Friday 8 April Edinburgh; Tuesday 12 April Swindon; Thursday 14 April London; Wednesday 20 April ACS Assistant Director Andrew Shephard said: “Our forums are an important and useful aspect of the Approved Contractor Scheme because they allow companies to exchange ideas and be informed on developments that might affect them. “The April forums will includ...