So another year has come and gone. I’ve been looking back at my blogs to remind myself what I have been up to, as well as looking forward to this New Year.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of my time in 2011 year was spent working on the plans for a new regulatory regime. This gave me the opportunity to speak to a lot of people around the country (and in Scotland and Northern Ireland) at a range of events and conferences. These have included our own conferences in London and Sheffield, our Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) Forums and industry events such as those organised by Doorwatch where I have had the opportunity to debate regulation, present and future, with door supervisors.
We have also embraced the use of social media to extend our communication with those who cannot always come to such events, and have held a number of online chat sessions (most recently in early December). We have had some frustrating technical problems with these, but they seem to work well and we will be holding more this year.
Future of regulation: plans now firmer
The Government’s plans for the future of regulation have firmed up and it seems to me that the key building blocks are now established:
- replacement of the Security Industry Authority with a new independent regulator outside the Government sector
- business licensing supported by robust sanctions and individual registration
We now have to work through the details of how this will come to fruition, and I expect the detailed consultations to take place this year so that we can start work on the changes after the Olympic Games. A summary of the expected changes is available on our website.
The other topic I referred to earlier in 2011 was our accounts and the action we have been taking to reduce our costs. This allowed us to hold our licence fees at 2007 levels until last year, and we have now announced that licence application fees and ACS fees will be reduced by 10%.
In addition to the fee reductions we’ve been improving the service to our customers. This has included issuing over 80% of licences in 15 days or less over the last month of 2011, the introduction of a text messaging service to remind licence holders when renewals are due and the growth of ACS membership.
I have also found over recent weeks that the preparations for the Olympics are becoming increasingly intense. This is an area where we have been working and planning with partners for a number of years, and these plans are now being brought into operation. I have no doubt that the Security Industry Authority and the industry will be kept busy with the Games during 2012. The successful delivery of the Games presents a great challenge and opportunity to us all.
Reduced costs, additional benefits
As stated, I was pleased that we were able to start the New Year with the announcement of licence and ACS fee reductions from 1 January. We had held fee levels since 2007 and, through continuing improvements to working practices, we have been able to reduce our costs further and pass the benefits on to individuals and ACS companies alike.
This will save the industry GB pound 3 million over the next year and, I hope, gives an indication of our commitment to developing and improving the way we work.
As an accountant I have to keep my training up-to-date and, as part of this, in December I attended the CIPFA Central Government Finance Conference. The agenda included a section on changes within central Government finance and the challenges faced in supporting the Government’s austerity measures.
As part of our work to engage with other partners and organisations, I have met with colleagues from the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and the BSIA.
Work in preparing for the Olympics is also well underway and forms a key part of my agenda. We’re working with security companies to ensure they are prepared and ready for the mammoth requirement for private security over the summer and during the Olympics.
At the beginning of January I was invited to speak before the Public Procurement Task Force (Scotland) Group to discuss Security Industry Authority changes and the role of the ACS (and in particular the role played by the ACS in helping to reduce the risk from organised crime).
My presentation gave an overview of the new regulatory regime and provided an opportunity for me to get valuable feedback from those attending.
The Board and I have also visited Northern Ireland. We met with the Justice Minister, attended a networking event with approved contractors and industry representatives and discussed the roll-out of licensing in Northern Ireland with the Justice Committee.
I also spoke on the first day of the GMB Trade Union’s annual Security Conference in Manchester, and was pleased to meet with representatives from across the country and discuss proposed changes to regulation.
I was particularly interested to hear the results of the survey that the GMB has carried out among its members on security industry licensing. Overall, there was continued support for a licensing regime with the overwhelming majority of security officers wanting to see the current system built upon.
Bill Butler is chief executive of the Security Industry Authority