The Security Industry Authority has released the following update on their new licensing system. "The total number of decisions made since the new system was introduced has now risen to over 20,000. "Our results from September show that we made decisions on 72% of applications within 25 days. This is below our 80% target. (The calculation is not from the date that a person submits their initial application; the measure starts when we receive a correctly completed application which includes all necessary documentation and payment). "We have continued to offer workshops to businesses to ...

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has begun a new initiative to raise awareness amongst private security companies of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), particularly in the night-time economy. The SIA worked with Nottinghamshire Police, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Board to bring members of the security industry to the table for an event that was the first of its kind. The SIA began working on this CSE initiative after SIA investigator, Matthew Murchington, attended the Nottinghamshire Authorities Licensing Group in late 2015. At this meeting, the county’s L...

The Security Industry Authority has released the following update on their new licensing system. "This update is about the latest week of activities connected to the SIA new digital licensing system. We’d like to start by thanking people in the industry for their continued patience and forbearance. We know that for a number of people this continues to be a frustrating process and we do assure you that we are doing everything that we can to rectify the situation as quickly as possible. "We have received a new software release from our supplier that addresses a number of areas. "We hav...

Having served a number of London’s most prestigious educational and cultural institutions for a number of years, CIS have again been successful in their recent tender for the LUPC Framework Agreement. CIS consider the educational security market a specialist one, requiring specific training and sensitivity to the end users. Customer experience is paramount and following their recent investment in IT systems and customer service programs, not to mention recognition in the 2015 and 2016 BIFM Awards, The London-based security company are keen to share their successes in the education sector to...

The security industry came together in London on 22 September to celebrate the growing contribution women make to the sector. Award nominees at the black-tie event, which took place during the Security Institute’s Conference Dinner, included women working in a variety of fields, from Westminster Abbey to Microsoft. The winner of the Security Manager category, Edit Bori who is Deputy Head of Security & Emergency Planning at Westminster Abbey, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be the recipient of this year’s WiS Security Manager Award. It is paramount that we set good examples to...

Police and security experts were on hand yesterday to provide valuable advice to businesses in the North West, as the relaunched Manchester Security event returned to the city. Organised by Manchester City Centre Crime Prevention Panel with the support from Greater Manchester Police, Manchester City Council and Atmaana Business Consulting, the event succeeded in helping businesses protect their people and property from crime and terrorism. This year’s event was the best-attended in the event’s history, attracting over 200 delegates, including representatives from well-known city-centre r...

The Security Industry Authority has released the following update regarding physical intervention and door supervision. "The Security Industry Authority has begun a new public consultation that seeks to resolve important questions affecting people with disabilities within the security sector. "The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is running the consultation on two aspects of physical intervention in door supervision. Firstly, how having a disability might affect a person’s ability to be a door supervisor. Should the SIA assess a door supervisor’s ability to physically intervene, a...

The Security Industry Authority has released the following update on their new licensing system. "This is the next update from the SIA about the new licensing system. It follows on from the briefing sent last week (shown below), so we will try to keep the repetition to a minimum. "As you are already aware we are working hard to deal with the higher than expected number of customer messages that we are currently receiving. We’ve identified that a large number of messages involve applications that we cannot progress because: payment is still outstanding or, the instruction asking p...

Wharf Guards Limited, a Cambridge security company, has been sentenced following a Security Industry Authority (SIA) investigation that uncovered the use of unlicensed security officers. At Cambridge Magistrates Court on 8 September 2016, the company along with Richard Kinyanjui, director of Wharf Guards Limited, were sentenced to providing unlicensed officers between June and August 2015. The operations manager, George Kalemera was also sentenced for failing to supply information relating to the investigation. Their sentences follow an investigation in August 2015, during which SIA investi...

The full programme has been announced for the upcoming ‘Manchester Security: Safe and Secure for Business’ seminar, which will focus on providing businesses in the North West with valuable insights into current security issues facing the region. The programme will include: Formal opening by Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan QPM – the seminar will be chaired by Jim Battle, Greater Manchester Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole, Head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, on the changing face of terrorism and the importance of pl...