The real truth is that no-one really knows.
The recent acknowledgement by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that anything up to 10,000 immigrants could be working within the security industry (either as illegal immigrants or without any right to work in the UK) and that 5,000 or more may have been granted a licence by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) emphasises the potential risk to employers.
Some of the individuals granted an SIA licence are believed as reported in the national media and in Security Management Today (‘Private security sector rocked by news of immigrant licences’, News Update, SMT, December 2007, p7) to have been ‘guarding’ sensitive Whitehall locations, working on Metropolitan Police Service contracts and at ports and airports.
One has to ask a fundamental question here. How could this happen?
Research carried out prior to the introduction of the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) in April 2006 confirmed that there was something in the region of 2,500-3,000 security service providers operating in the UK. The aim of the ACS was to introduce a set of operational and performance standards for companies supplying security services. Security providers would then be measured against a set of independently assessed criteria.
It’s fair to say that the introduction of the ACS has been a success. However, only just over 400 companies have been accepted on to the scheme, leaving (potentially) many hundreds of security providers failing to achieve the necessary operational and performance standards.
It would appear that far too many security companies are still not adhering to BS 7858 when screening and vetting their staff. Quite rightly, the Regulator has defended its reputation by stating that it’s not its job to ‘vet’ an individual’s right to work when that individual applies for an SIA licence. Rather, the SIA’s role is to ensure the individual is who they say they are, holds the necessary qualifications and doesn’t have any criminal convictions. The responsibility for screening and vetting is very definitely that of the employer.
Given such high levels of illegal working throughout the UK, in combination with the constant threat from terrorism, we at Employment Mutual Protection Services (EMPS) believe that it’s now vitally important a far greater emphasis is placed on screening and vetting security staff.
It’s hugely concerning that many security providers are still actively recruiting illegal immigrants on or below the National Minimum Wage. Those providers who do so continue to give the industry a bad name at a time when so many professional companies are striving to help the sector enter a new era.