Officers need

As the managing director of a small, specialist security guarding contractor, I must say that the current licensing regime for security officers administered by the Security Industry Authority (SIA), the additional training and the tests now required are a great cause for concern. I feel very strongly about regulation, and I’m fully prepared to go to prison before I am forced into paying-off some of my officers to leave my company because they cannot pass the necessary test.

Before I go into the ‘Why?’, I should offer SMT’s readers some background. I was ‘wiped out’ by the last recession to affect the building industry engendered by the Government ending double MIRAS (Mortgage Interest Relief At Source) for couples buying houses. I ended up penniless in a Bristol bed-sit after 32 years in management within the building and construction industry (and having run my own companies for two decades).

At the time I was 55 years of age, still extremely fit and very experienced in management roles. Despite all that I couldn’t find a job until, as an absolute last resort, I applied for a post as a security officer working 12-hour overnight shifts. That employment saved my bacon, enabling me to earn a wage of £2.30 per hour. I ended up working for three separate security companies – two nationals and one of the larger local organisations.

The first of these – a national company – messed up my pay for 11 weeks in succession. Not until I wrote to the managing director in London were matters eventually settled. I was not in the least bit impressed by having to take such a step.

The specialist set-up

To cut a long story short, after 18 months working for these companies I decided to jump ship and start up my own security guarding operation. Not in opposition, but rather to stop a certain type of crime (that which takes place on industrial estates).

I began the venture in 1992 without a penny to my name, and with no borrowed finance. My customers, you see, all agreed to pay their first monthly invoice by Standing Order in time to cover the officers’ first week’s wages, while a local uniform supplier offered to supply outfits for which payment would be made when those first payments themselves rolled in.

However, I digress. This article is not intended to be about myself. It does, however, provide the perfect backdrop to the situation in which I now find myself in relation to my 40 security officers at Security 2000.

Some of my officers have been with me for over a decade. Most of them are passing the competency test in order to obtain an SIA licence. That said, some of them – and that ‘some’ includes several of my best officers – have already failed at the first attempt.

Most operatives in the security industry’s contract guarding sector joined the ranks by default, as I did. They did not leave school with a specific career in mind, and certainly not one in which they would be working 12-hour shifts, weekends and Bank Holidays when all of their friends and members of their families were either out and about enjoying themselves or in bed asleep. To reiterate, many people join the ranks of private sector security companies by default. It is a safety net for those who want to keep earning a wage. Some stay, others do not.

How can Security 2000 possibly terminate the employment of individuals who have done nothing wrong, who are hugely respected by their employer, their co-workers and the company’s customers and who are excellent in what they do?

In a nutshell, I require reliable and totally trustworthy individuals to work with me at Security 2000. Those are the basic necessities. No other qualifications are needed. We have our own training manual which is specific to the work we do, and was created in-house by myself. I have employed many people to work for me, ranging from the University-educated down to those unable to read or write. The educated have often fallen asleep at work (for various reasons) and moved on, while others have found their niche in life within this industry and always work to a high standard.

Building up a reputation

Those operatives at Security 2000 who cannot pass the SIA tests have been instrumental in my company garnering a reputation for excellence. Crime in those areas we protect is mostly down to zero, and in other areas has fallen by 97%. We have been instrumental in the arrests of 55 villains. In 2002, the company received a glowing commendation from the Judging Panel working on behalf of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – for the way in which we carry out our work, the manner in which we fund that work (by gathering the support of hundreds of companies) and due to our unsurpassed results.

If these few officers cannot pass the test at the second attempt and, therefore, are unable to secure a licence to work in the private security industry, for the life of me I cannot see how I can possibly be expected to pay them off to leave us. They are good people. For some, this would destroy the self-esteem which they have built up over many years by working for a successful crime prevention company, and at the same time contributing to its growth.

Passing the SIA tests

Most of my officers have families to support, but if the Government has its way then those who cannot pass the SIA tests will have to be kept by the State.

I ask this simple question: “How can Security 2000 possibly terminate the employment of individuals who have done nothing wrong, who are hugely respected by their employer, their co-workers and the company’s customers and who are excellent in what they do?” It cannot be done. I cannot – and nor will I – terminate their employment. Yet I appear to be facing a substantial fine or even a prison sentence if I don’t comply with the Government’s wishes.

My customers are supportive of my dilemma. One has already told me that he doesn’t wish to see any other officer or any other company on his site. The same officer that cannot pass the SIA test.

If anyone can advise me on what I can do to circumvent this problem I would be extremely pleased to hear from them.