Securitas became this years Best Guarding Company of the Year at last night’s Security Excellence Awards (SEA). Other finalists in this category included; previous winners The Shield Guarding Company, and VSG  as well as AFC Group, Axis Security, Cardinal Security, Carlisle Security, Ecovert FM, Magenta Security Services,  and PCL Whitehall Security Group. Probably the best SEA’s to date saw the following winners walk away with the coveted awards at a glittering event:ACS Champion Of The Year Winner FGH Security Special Commendation UK Security FacilitiesSecurity Innovation O...

Integrated Security Consultants Ltd (ISC) has been awarded the NSI Guarding Gold Accreditation, re-affirming the company’s long term track record of exceptional performance, reliability and stability in its provision of security services.The award compliments ISC’s growing portfolio of professional accreditations gained through continued efforts to proactively raise company standards and practices, including SAFEcontractor, a health and safety based accreditation, and the Carbon Smart Blue award, awarded for ISC’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts in reducing its carbon footpri...

Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished guests, colleagues, industry partners – welcome to the inaugural national conference of the Fire and Security Association.  There is a Roman proverb that says; “Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis”.  Roughly translated this means that the times change and people change with them. From my personal perspective I would certainly concur with the proverb, as little did I realise when I joined the contracting sector eighteen years ago that I would undertake such a journey through such a changing industry and that I would find myself here, in the wond...

Tony Morgan, the founder of the Wessex Group of companies received, last night, the Peter Greenwood Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Security Systems Industry. The award, which is sponsored by the Fire and Security Association (FSA) and awarded by the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals (WCoSP), was presented to Tony by the Master of the WCoSP, Don Randall and Una Riley, Past Master and guardian of the award, at the FSA’s annual dinner at the magnificent Drapers Hall in the City of London. The event, which was sponsored by Norbain, followed the FSA’s highly successful n...

The Fire and Security Association has today announced that Steve Norman, Station Manager of A28 Station, Dowgate in the City of London has become the first recipient of the FSA Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Fire Systems Industry. The award was presented to Steve by the President of the Electrical Contractors’ Association Diane Johnson and the Chairman of the FSA Steve Kimber at the FSA’s annual dinner at the magnificent Drapers Hall in the City of London. The event, which was sponsored by Norbain, followed the FSA’s highly successful national conference and was attended by ...

A number of key organizations in the security sector have joined together as The Security Alliance – a ‘think-tank’ set up to work together on key issues facing the profession. Initially The Security Alliance hope to be assisting the SIA with the implementation of their new strategy based on ‘lighter-touch‘ regulation, and the licensing of security companies.Membership of the Alliance is by invitation only, and organizations currently represented are The Security Institute, the British Security Industry Association, the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals, ASIS Chapter 2...

Two brothers pleaded guilty to working as security guards without holding the required Security Industry Authority licence. George Michael Hannah, 57, of Alcock Avenue, Mansfield and Kevin Hannah, 52 of Shirland Drive, Mansfield, were each fined £150 and ordered to pay £100 towards costs during the hearing at Chesterfield Magistrates Court in Derbyshire on Wednesday [13 Oct]. Security guards working under a contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence. This means they have passed an approved training qualification and undergone vetting such as criminal record and identity checks. Th...

Following the recent press release regarding Andrew White’s forthcoming retirement, the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) has announced that Jeffrey Little has been appointed the Chief Executive with effect from the 1st December.  Brigadier Jeff Little, OBE, MBA, will joins NSI from his position as Business Development Director with Universal Engineering Company (Charlestown), a company specialising in the design and manufacture of components for safety critical environments such as defence.  Commenting on his impending appointment as NSI Chief Executive, Jeff stated, “NSI carries a...

Brian Sims and Bobby Logue offer their latest response in relation to the Government’s decision on the future of the Security Industry Authority. As the Editors of SMT Online and Infologue.com, we believe the UK’s regulated security industry was only hours away from being deregulated until a last-minute reprieve as a result of appeals to Government ministers, MPs and comments made in the trade press. Information received from sources within the Government suggests that the decision was changed on the evening before the day of the announcement on the fate of the Security Industry Authorit...

The Beginning of an a new era?  That is the question being asked by many security professionals after the government’s announcement that the Security Industry Authority is  No Longer an Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB) - Phased transition to new regulatory regime. What does this really mean?  I think that the devil will be in the detail shortly, however the notes in the document state “No longer an NDPB (or where appropriate non ministerial department or public corporation) - subject to the spending review and, where appropriate, to impact assessment and consultation these bodi...