The Home Office has appointed two interim Directors General to lead the new immigration commands as announced by the Home Secretary, Theresa May on 26 March. Sarah Rapson will lead UK Visas and Immigration, bringing her experience of managing a successful customer-focused organisation as Chief Executive of the Identity and Passport Service. David Wood will lead Immigration Enforcement, drawing on his background with the Metropolitan Police and as Director of Operations for UKB Mark Sedwill, Permanent Secretary said: "The Home Secretary has been clear that the new commands will have dist...

Checks on door staff working in Bedford town centre on Saturday night (13 April) found all operatives working legally as they all held a valid Security Industry Authority licence. SIA investigators and representatives from Bedford Borough Council carried out inspections across 12 venues, checking 53 door supervisors. The venues included pubs, night clubs and late night fast food outlets. Although all those checked had valid SIA licences, five warnings were issued to door staff for failure to notify the SIA of a change of address, which is a breach of SIA licensing conditions. Intelligence w...

Interconnective Security Products (ISP0) will be showcasing their smarter security products at this year’s Counter Terror Expo (CTX) on the 24th and 25th of April 2013, on stand Q40. ISP will also present prototypes of the new Partner LWD (lone worker device), which is currently undergoing end user testing, in our ISP Future Lab. The ISP stand will feature the following innovative products: • Jack Ellis Body Protection All Jack Ellis Body Armour is certified to HOSDB 2007 standards and withstands the five most violent threats - ballistic, stab, spike & needle, shrapnel and blunt trau...

The Security Review Committee of the MPS and partners met yesterday following the bomb attacks at the marathon in Boston yesterday. After reviewing all available information they decided that the threat level remains unchanged. As part of this process the policing and security plans for the funeral of Baroness Thatcher today, and for the London marathon on Sunday have been reviewed by the respective command teams. The MPS, British Transport Police and City of London Police are used to dealing with large events and proportionate policing plans are in place for both of these events. Police ask...

Since February this year, anyone renewing an SIA Door Supervision licence with a qualification from before June 2010 must also hold the Up-skilling for Door Supervisors award, or alternatively renew to a Security Guarding licence. The change means that door supervisors need to complete training in physical intervention skills as well as demonstrating knowledge in areas of first aid, awareness of terrorist threats and considerations in dealing with children and young people. We have written to door supervisors whose licences are nearing renewal to explain how to renew their licence. We...

UK security exports to Russia are growing steadily, according to members of the BSIA’s Export Council in research conducted ahead of this month’s Moscow International Protection, Fire and Safety (MIPS) exhibition, which takes place at Moscow’s Expocentre between 15th and 18th April. The largest industry event in Eastern Europe and Russia, MIPS brings together major security companies looking to reach out to thousands of buyers interested in CCTV, IT security and industrial health and safety. As the trade association representing the UK's private security industry, the British Securi...

A Buckinghamshire-based security director has been found guilty for deploying an unlicensed security operative against previous SIA guidance. On Thursday the 4th March, Michael Andreou of, Donnay Close, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, was found guilty at City of London Magistrates Court. Andreou’s company, European Security Services Limited, was also found guilty of the same offence. Since 2010, Michael Andreou, 64, received clear guidance from the SIA on how to manage the licensing of his staff to ensure they were all compliant with the law. During an SIA and Metropolitan Police o...

In a profound effort to transform the provision of security services away from a bundle, commoditised approach, The Shield Group, the UK’s tenth largest security business provider , with nine regional offices, over 2000 employees, and 500 nationally and internationally recognised brands within the commercial, industrial and public arena, has launched four new strategic business verticals to implement innovative, streamlined and specialist security services, products and consultancy to customers across the UK. By combining traditional man-power and innovative technology, the strategi...

The  British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has welcomed the release of a new report entitled ‘Roads to Success: SME Exports’, published last month by the House of Lords Select Committee on Small and Medium Enterprises. The report, to which the BSIA submitted its own evidence, summarises the results of the committee’s inquiry into what role the Government can play in helping over 4.8 million UK SMEs to boost their export sales, acknowledging the important role that exporting plays in assisting economic recovery. Recognising the potential of British SMEs, in particular their �...

One of the newest and smallest Chartered Registers celebrated in the biggest style with one hundred and twenty security professionals and their guests attending a formal dinner at the House of Lords on Friday 22nd March. The event, arranged to mark the success of the Register, also provided an opportunity to introduce the quality its represents to other organisations that are impacted by the security profession, who will benefit from the gold standard that the Register represents. The bitterly cold weather and rain could not dampen the warm welcome from host and CSPRA Chairman Lord Carlile ...