In light of the announcement of the first ever prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter Act, security clients and contractors need to give real consideration to the implications for their relationship, warns leading manned security company Wilson James. Wilson James human resources director Gemma Quirke comments: “The security sector exists to manage and minimise risk so negligence can bring devastating results – and the partnership between security clients and contractors means that both can fall foul of this legislation. Sadly, and perversely, the continuing drive to cut margins amon...

SectorGuard plc, the AIM listed provider of security and fire protection services, is proposing to change the name of the Company to 'Legion Group plc' and to strengthen the Company's balance sheet by the conversion into ordinary shares in the capital of the Company of £1.845 million of indebtedness currently owed to Mark Higgins, the Company's Chief Executive Officer. In a release to the London Stock exchange, SectorGuard Plc (The Company) announced; Change of Name: When the Company acquired Legion Group plc ("Legion Group") in March 2009, the Directors stated an intention to retain t...

The British Security Industry Association has published new advice to Northern Ireland's business community ahead of the introduction of regulation of the security industry. From 1st December 2009, it will be illegal to work in certain designated security roles in Northern Ireland without a licence. This includes working as a contract security officer, door supervisor or a cash-in-transit courier. "Businesses should be ensuring that any contract security officer or door supervisor that works on its premises has a licence from the Security Industry Authority," says BSIA Chief Executive, Joh...

The threat of a terrorist attack is now a very real and serious danger. The traditional view of a terror campaign being targeted at government locations has changed and it is now acknowledged that it is the public which is often the terrorist’s target - in particular crowded locations, such as public transport and shopping centres, where large numbers of people gather, have become key targets. It is essential for those involved with safety and the security industry to have realistic and objective training to confront this threat. Rutherford Training Consultants have tackled this issue and wi...

A man acting as a door supervisor in Bridgend has been fined for working without a licence. Craig David Howe, 21, of Brackla, Bridgend, Mid-Glamorgan, pleaded guilty to the offence (under Section 3 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001) at Bridgend Magistrates Court last week (Tues 19 May). He was fined a total of £475 - a £600 fine which was reduced to £400 for an early guilty plea and £75 in other costs. Police were alerted by staff at a venue in Bridgend, where Howe had been working, as they believed he was unlicensed. Howe had been using a photocopy of another individual’s licen...

A valuable and interesting debate was had around the work and future of the SIA at its annual conference yesterday. SIA vice chairman Robin Dahlberg welcomed delegates to the event -The SIA Journey: Have we gone far enough? held at Manchester Central. The introductory speech was delivered by SIA chairman Baroness Ruth Henig, who spoke on customer services, enforcement activity, and the future of regulation and particularly focused on the importance of stakeholder engagement. She said: "The SIA is not a lone traveller on the road to higher standards. We achieve the most when we work together a...

Speaking at the Security Industry Authority Annual Conference, Chairman Baroness Ruth Henig today announced the appointment of Bill Butler as Chief Executive. It is expected that he will take over from SIA Acting Chief Executive Andy Drane later in the summer. Bill is currently Director of Corporate Services at the Gambling Commission where he has been part of the team that has led the establishment of this successful new regulator. He was previously Finance Director at the Healthcare Commission and held a number of senior roles at the Audit Commission. He is a member of the Chartered institut...

Skills for Security are pleased to announce the approval by SQA, of the new Scottish apprenticeship framework. Skills for Security spent time liaising with Scottish employers operating in the alarms, CCTV and access control arenas, understanding their needs and what would be required from an apprentice, in order to develop a fit for purpose framework. Apprenticeships are a great way of gaining skills because they involve technical study and practical, on-the-job training in the workplace. This means that the apprentices benefit for learning the latest techniques from qualified instructors whil...

Staff from Bournemouth-based Innpacked Training attended a prestigious lunch and presentation in London to receive the ‘Door Supervisor Training Award’ in the 2008 BII NITAs. The BII NITAs are the national training awards for the licensed retail industry, recognising and rewarding training excellence. Innpacked was announced winner of the ‘Door Supervisor Training Award’ category in January. Along with the ten other category winners, Director Ian Crockard was invited to attend the 2009 BII Annual Lunch to officially receive the trophy in front of almost 1,000 of the licensed retail ind...

The ex-director of a Peterborough security firm was yesterday (Thurs 14 May) given an 18-month community punishment order and ordered to pay 20,000 in costs after pleading guilty to 33 offences. During the hearing at Peterborough Magistrates Court, Paul John OMahony, who had acted as director of Central Security (East Anglia) Ltd, pleaded guilty to 33 counts of supplying or employing unlicensed security guards (under Section 5(1) of the Private Security Industry Act 2001) between November 2007 and February 2008. This was by way of Section 23 (1) of the Act which provides for personal criminal ...