At last, the Olympic Games are with us.
Over the past three years, I have referred regularly to the preparations that we have been making for the Games and, so far, the private security industry position has been, for want of a better expression, mixed.
The final run-in to the Games was marked by some good work by the industry as the Torch Relay – a huge undertaking, enjoyed by millions – passed off safely with the industry playing an important role alongside the police.
The start of the Games raised some major issues but it would not be proper for me to speculate on these.
The SIA’s responsibilities are to ensure that those who need to be licensed – at Games venues and beyond – are licensed properly, promptly and consistently, and to ensure that compliance levels are maintained.
I’m pleased with how this has gone, with some very good results achieved both in terms of the licensing itself and around compliance.
Industry sectors targeted for compliance visits
We have been making sure that licence applications from all sources continue to be processed within our target times and, with the police and other partners, we have carried out a range of compliance visits.
To this end we’ve targeted a variety of industry sub-sectors (including security officers, door supervisors, CCTV and close protection) for specific compliance visits. Our work in this area has continued throughout the Games and we will take action against individuals and companies wherever necessary to protect the investment individuals and the industry have made in regulation.
Last month we held the security buyers’ network meeting in London. This forum brings together businesses and organisations – among them universities, banks, media and entertainment operations – who buy security services from private sector providers.
We’re trying to develop this forum to ensure that buyers have the opportunity to air their views on developments in private security regulation. Any buyers interested in attending future events should e-mail their contact details to: [email protected]
Bill Butler is chief executive of the Security Industry Authority
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