Any employer although in this case we happen to be talking about security providers has a legal requirement to ensure that any individual it employs holds the right to work in the UK. Through the Security Industry Authority (SIA), the Government imposed licensing and regulation on an industry that is inevitably the poorest in terms of pay, and yet it has significant responsibilities. In return for GB pound 245.00 (the cost of one security officer’s licence), the Regulator is tasked to ensure that the applicant:
- is over 18 years of age;
- has a proven identity (in doing this the SIA may seek information that the applicant has a right to work in the UK, but will not always);
- ‘passes’ a criminal record check (although the Regulator’s interpretation of ‘passes’ is at times less restrictive than the Act of Parliament dealing with the Rehabilitation of Offenders);
- has the requisite training completed for the role(s) to be performed.
In terms of end users, they must always audit the service that they are receiving in order to ensure they are not being placed at risk.
On top of SIA licensing, all reputable security companies are required to carry out screening in accordance with BS 7858. This also entails a right to work check.
As an industry, we have taken such great strides in terms of the technology that now supports data security, and yet many companies completely forget the human element of the security chain still represents an absolutely critical piece of the puzzle.