The future of the UK security sector’s regulatory regime is still unclear, despite years of talk of a “phased transition” to a new regulatory regime.
Since being earmarked for closure in 2010, the Security Industry Authority’s precise future has been shrouded in a cloud of Whitehall-generated smoke. Successful lobbying from the security industry itself kept the SIA going with the now famous promise of a phased transition to a new regulatory regime being made in October 2010.
This new regime was designed to allay fears that deregulation of security officers would lead to legitimate public safety concerns. It would see the industry taking a more active role in its own regulation under a business registration scheme, leaving the SIA to focus on compliance and criminality — something the SIA has been successful in cracking down on since its 2003 inception. In other words, businesses will be regulated by the SIA, while individuals will have to register for their SIA licenses from their employer or another approved organization.
However, almost three years later, that phased transition is still rattling along, with the latest information indicating that first phase will be in place “by the end of 2013.”
Private investigators to be regulated
Now, the BSIA are getting tired, as the government announced new regulation of private investigators in the UK last week. The SIA is set to issue the new private investigator licenses, and it will become a criminal offense to operate as an investigator without one.
James Kelly, the chief executive of the BSIA, issued a statement yesterday, emphasizing that while the BSIA welcomes the regulation of private investigators, it is “ironic” that the security industry is still awaiting clarity on the future of licensing in the sector. He continued:
It surely makes sense to include the private investigation industry into the new business licensing regime that is close to implementation for the wider security industry. However, despite unprecedented consensus across industry stakeholders, we remain deeply concerned that the proposals forged jointly between the industry, its regulator and the Government will not be capitalised upon.
As an industry, we are in a state of limbo, where companies are attempting to make business forecasts with no idea of the cost or administrative implications of a new regulatory regime. We need confirmation from the Home Secretary as to the Government’s intentions in terms of introducing the primary legislation necessary to effect this change, and I will be writing to her directly to seek clarity on this matter.
Kelly went on to explain that the BSIA will be meeting with senior politicians in the autumn at the Conservative and Labour conferences. Tellingly, they didn’t mention whether they would be at the Liberal Democrat’s conference.
While the BSIA continues to seek clarity from the government, the SIA’s advice on finding out about when the new regime will take effect remains simple:
There will be a managed transition to any new regime, and both individuals and businesses will have plenty of time to adjust. We will communicate widely any changes to the current regime, but we encourage you to register with us to receive our regular updates.
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