With the support of Europol, 56 suspected members of a major network of payment card fraudsters (38 in Bulgaria, 17 in Italy and 1 in the Netherlands) have been arrested in a coordinated raid across Europe this week. This major police operation was led by Italy and Bulgaria and was coordinated from the Operational Centre at Europol headquarters in The Hague. Earlier arrests carried out since the investigation started brings the total number of suspects arrested up to 105. During the successful operation, the key suspects involved in the organised crime group were arrested and an illegal pay...

The Security Industry Authority supported law enforcement partners on Friday night [07 Dec] as part of a Metropolitan Police crackdown. Operation Condor is aimed at combating illegal activity in the night time economy across all London boroughs. This is the latest police operation targeting those who flout licensing rules, including shops, pubs, clubs and unlicensed mini cabs. SIA investigators were on the ground or in control rooms to support police teams working in Hackney, Havering, Redbridge and Sutton. In total, 20 pubs, clubs and bars were visited with 82 individuals checked. Wh...

The British Security Industry Association (BSIA), the Fire Industry Association (FIA) and Telecare Services Association (TSA) have agreed to work together to ensure that members of all three trade organisations are represented and supported in light of current telecommunication changes to both landline and mobile networks in the UK. So-called ‘next generation networks’ (or NGNs) is a term referring to the current evolution of communication infrastructure in the UK, with the Government actively supporting the need to provide “super fast” broadband access across the UK by setting spec...

Four men have pleaded guilty to working as unlicensed door supervisors, receiving convictions under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Shane Khan, Christopher Braisdell, Craig Talbot and Richard Wooley worked for an enterprise known as SK Security created by Khan. He was the point of contact for customers. In March 2012, officers from West Mercia Police were responding to an incident at a venue in Whitchurch. They spoke to Khan and Braisdell who were working as door supervisors at the Red Lyon pub. The officer also spoke to Talbot and Wooley who were working as door supervisors at the B...

The winners of the national Tilley Awards have been announced today at a special ceremony in the Houses of Parliament hosted by the Minister for Crime Prevention, Jeremy Browne. The awards, now in their fourteenth year, recognise innovative crime fighting projects where local councils, police, community groups and the public successfully work together to deal with local problems. Gang and youth violence This year's first prize was awarded to a team from Enfield, London who set out to tackle gang and youth violence in the area. The unique approach saw gang members invited to a ‘Call In�...

New legislation will close some loopholes which have allowed criminals across the country to make money from the theft of metal ACPO lead on metal theft Deputy Chief Constable Paul Crowther, said: “Despite recent reductions in offending, metal theft remains a serious threat to the infrastructure of Great Britain and we will only make a real difference if we continue to take positive action in conjunction with strengthened legislation. “For several years metal thieves and unscrupulous metal recyclers have exploited outdated legislation to make profit from criminal activity. This stops ...

Research undertaken by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has revealed that BSIA members consider the security industry to be a viable career option for those with a disability. This follows a recent survey launched to gauge the industry’s perceptions of equality and diversity, coinciding with the International Day of Disabled People, which aspires to raise awareness about disability issues, celebrated annually on December 3rd. According to statistics from the Office of Disability Issues, the Labour Force Survey discovered that those with a disability are less likely to be in ...

The CSEW is a face to face survey in which people are asked about their experiences of crime, attitudes to crime and policing issues and perceptions of the police ACPO lead on local policing and partnerships Chief Constable Simon Cole said: “The public perceptions of policing statistics for 2011/12 published today make promising reading, particularly in the context of crime falling by six per cent for the 12 months to June 2012. “There has been a clear upward trend in the rating of police performance over the past nine years. In 2011/12 just under two thirds of adults thought their lo...

More action on gang and youth violence has been announced a year after riots devastated the UK. The government has published an update on the Ending Gang and Youth Violence report detailing progress and setting out the next steps. Riots Home Secretary Theresa May said: 'The riots of 2012 saw some of the worst violence on our streets in decades. In response, the Government launched its Ending Gang and Youth Violence report. 'One year on, this document reflects on our achievements, and sets out our commitments for the next year and beyond.' The report reveals government progress in...

The Standards Development team at Skills for Security has been working with representatives from Event Security companies to develop new National Occupational Standards (NOS) for this growing sector. It is now time for the wider consultation and all practitioners in the sector are invited to have their say. This is an important part of the process to ensure industry-wide support for the final version of the NOS and all comments will be considered by the working group. The purpose of the consultation is to: Establish whether the draft NOS reflect the outcomes of competent performance ac...