The Scottish security industry has taken a further step towards regulation thanks to the introduction of a new Bill in the Houses of Parliament. The Serious and Organised Crime and Policing Bill 2004 contains a clause to extend the scope of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 to Scotland. The Bill is fast progressing through Parliament, and is likely to gain Royal Assent prior to the predicted General Election in May.

On Wednesday 2 February, the Scottish Parliament passed a ‘Sewel Motion’ which means that the Bill will not have to go through the Scottish Parliament as separate legislation. It will still need final agreement by the Scottish Parliament in order to bring it into effect, but this should greatly reduce the amount of time that’s involved.

Consequently, the Private Security Industry Act could come into effect in Scotland this year, although the BSIA’s Scottish liaison executive John Taylor adds a note of caution. “Even if the Act does come into effect this year, that doesn’t mean it would automatically become law to have a licence,” suggests Taylor. “The Private Security Industry Act 2001 has taken four years to reach the implementation stage in England and Wales. However, a large amount of that time was spent on establishing the Security Industry Authority and consulting on how best to introduce the legislation.”

Taylor continues: “If the Scottish Parliament adopts the Private Security Industry Act without any significant changes, the licensing of Scottish security personnel could then begin in the latter stages of 2006.”

For years, the Scottish security guarding sector has been plagued by the activities of a minority rogue element, most notably in the larger cities. Eric Alexander – the BSIA’s regional security guarding chairman for Scotland – adds: “This news has been well received by the BSIA Member contractors operating in Scotland. It is a first step towards eradicating the criminal element from the guarding sector north of the border. The adoption of the Bill will send a hugely positive signal that the Scottish Executive intends to support legislation. This will benefit both the industry and its client base. We’re looking forward to working in consultation with a view to bringing in licensing as soon as possible.”

Changes for intruder alarm systems

Meanwhile, the intruder alarm sector in Scotland has welcomed the change to the ACPOS Security Systems Policy, which means that confirmation technology will be required for all new alarm systems from 1 April.

Speaking about the changes, Paul Connelly (BSIA Regional Systems Section Chairman for Scotland) told SMT: “The implementation of confirmed systems from April will really help in reducing false alarms. The challenge for the industry, though, lies in educating customers on the added value that a confirmed alarm brings, because installation costs are likely to increase significantly due to surveys taking longer and the resulting paper trail.”

Source

SMT