Defence Matters campaign hosting fringe event at Conservative Party Conference in Liverpool on Tuesday 5th October at 12.30pm. Practically every Parliamentary constituency has a connection to the defence and security industry and Defence Matters wants to highlight to Conservative Party members how the sector contributes to the UK's national well-being. The fringe event "Defence Review 2010: Afghanistan and Beyond" will take place from 12.30pm to 2pm in the Dods Marquee 3 in the ICC. Chaired by David Robertson of The Times newspaper, the panellists are:Peter Luff MP, Minister for Def...

By Bill Fox – Executive Chairman - Maybo Friday saw the loss of a man who did so much to promote the personal safety of workers and the public in potentially violent encounters. Peter is best known for his contribution to Officer Safety, for which he was awarded the Queens Police Medal. His pioneering work however extended across many work sectors and he was respected as a leader in his field in North America and Europe. I had the pleasure of working with Peter on Officer Safety and then at Maybo, before the Taser project demanded his full time commitment. He worked incredibly hard and alw...

Party members should look hard at impact of cuts on troops, UK security, trade & manufacturing. A|D|S, the UK’s AeroSpace, Defence and Security trade organisation today (Wednesday) called on the delegates at the Conservative Party conference to ponder the widespread implications of forthcoming defence spending cuts before it is too late.World-class, battle-winning capabilities for our armed forces are at risk.  Over 300,000 private sector, high-value, sustainable jobs are represented by the UK defence industry with the sector having a reach into almost every Parliamentary constituen...

The next Close Protection Network meeting will be held on Friday 5 November 2010 in London. Delegates working within close protection will have the opportunity to discuss and explore issues about the industry and regulation with others from the industry and with representatives from the SIA. The meeting is being organised and facilitated by representatives of the close protection sector with the support of the SIA, forming part of the SIA’s stakeholder engagement strategy. If you would like to attend the meeting, please visit www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/cp-network to register your interest ...

 The State Department has alerted U.S. citizens to the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe and the risks of travel to the Sudan. In respect of Europe the State Department warned; “Current information suggests that al-Qa’ida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks.  European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions. Terrorists may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests.  U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential...

Industry-wide consultations on the new draft National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Locksmiths and the revised NOS for Security & Loss Prevention and Community Wardens are now live in a special area on the Skills for Security website. Skills have asked “Do they fully reflect the job roles within these sectors of the industry? Are they up to date and fit for purpose? Specialist working groups from these sectors have created the drafts and it is now up to you, the practitioners out there, to have your say.” They believe that it is essential that these consultations reflect a UK-wide...

Securitas has become one of the Top 3 three UK security companies with the announcement of the agreed acquisition, subject to European Commission consent, of the Reliance Security Group operations with an estimated turnover of £200 million for a estimated purchase price of £43 million. Reliance Security Services is one of the leading security services providers in the United Kingdom employing 8,000 staff.  The company has a well diversified contract portfolio with a stable customer portfolio within guarding, mobile services, aviation security and security specialist services. With this ac...

Logue Corporate assisted Churchill Services Group - providers of soft bundled services – with their acquisition of Knighthawk Security Limited, based in the South West.  This follows on from their recent acquisition of North East based IPC, Churchill Services Group - providers of soft bundled services - has announced the acquisition of Knighthawk Security Limited, based in the South West.  Logue Corporate’s Bobby Logue said: “Once again our industry focus has assisted our client in selecting the right target with the right geographical fit to develop their soft bundled services stra...

This week, Brian Sims and Bobby Logue will join forces with key industry stakeholders in sending a letter to the Home Secretary concerning the SIA’s future. Brian Sims – the Editor of SMT Online – and Infologue.com’s Editor Bobby Logue plan to approach the key security industry stakeholders in order to agree the content of a joint letter to be sent to Home Secretary Theresa May requesting her to allow them space to debate the future of the regulated security industry. Sims and Logue strongly believe that while a move towards ‘smarter regulation’ – characterised by lower costs a...

Over the weekend, Brian Sims and Bobby Logue garnered further industry opinion on the possible axing of the SIA. Here are some of the impassioned comments now being aired. Although now retired and no longer an active member of the security community, Bob Doyle – former commercial services director at Skills for Security – keeps a keen eye on developments. By his own admission, he was “somewhat taken aback” by last week’s reports on SMT Online and Infologue.com that the Home Secretary is considering deregulation of the industry, and wanted to add his thoughts to what has already bec...