Government action sought on SIA Business Licences
Abbey Petkar (right), Managing Director of Magenta Security Services, believes it will be many more months before the legislation in bought into force due to the time it will take to push through Parliament.
He says: “The security industry is an incredibly dynamic sector. But there are still underlying issues which blight us all - rogue traders. These companies who undercut costs but provide sub-standard services. Too many times I have witnessed customers realise they have made a costly mistake by working with these companies. Unfortunately it is not always easy to tell the legitimate providers of professional security services from the rogue operators which is why the industry needs further regulation in the form of business licences.”
“The new regulations would ensure that all legitimate security service providers are licensed at a firm-level in addition to the individual officers but we are still no closer to business licensing being formalised. Business licensing needs Ministerial and Parliamentary approval so it is unlikely to happen overnight but something which is desperately needed,” continues Petkar.
“It was disappointing to see that even under the new Government there was no mention of the SIA Business Licensing in the latest Queen’s Speech. With such a large amount of people operating in an industry, it is necessary to improve regulation in an attempt to maintain the legitimacy, standards and reputation of firms and individuals that provide a quality service. Business licenses won’t just benefit professionals and the industry but the safety of our clients which is why we will keep pushing for its introduction,” he concludes.
