SECURITY INDUSTRY AUTHORITY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q & A - General Q.

Why did the SIA chose Hampshire and the IOW to run the pilot / start up? A. Hampshire and the IOW are ideally suited because it has both urban and rural areas with a rich mixture of licensed premises. We run the start up to: ensure that transition from local authority to SIA licences was seamless; to minimise disruption to door supervisors, employers and the industry; to rigorously test technology and application process; and to assess levels of training and competency skills. Q. Local authority licences have worked well in the past. Why change them? A. The standard of local authority schemes varies across the country some good, some not so good, some not at all. Some of the very best local authority schemes have difficulties monitoring training standards, updating & checking criminality, and suspending/revoking licences. The SIA is transforming the security industry, taking it from a largely unregulated business and making it legitimate right across the board. An SIA national licence is a symbol of quality and competency that the public can trust. Q. Havent a lot of door supervisors criticised the SIA licensing scheme? A. There are door supervisors that are very pleased with the new licensing. It is also important to remember that we have the overwhelming support of the industry not a single legitimate security business opposes what we are doing. They, like us, want professional, well trained, qualified door staff working in pubs and clubs, and most importantly so do the public. There are many benefits for SIA licensed door supervisors and door supervisor managers. The SIA licence is a national licence that cuts across all local authority boundaries allowing greater flexibility for individuals and employers; its a recognised symbol of skill and probity, its a mark of trust. Q. How can the SIA justify the cost of 190? A. Firstly, the licence fee covers a three year period, and is a national licence where unlike a local authority badge door supervisors can work anywhere in England & Wales without having to pay for another licence / licences which can considerably exceed 190. The SIA is not here to make a profit the SIA is here to transform the private security industry and taking it from a largely unregulated business to one which is legitimate across the board, ensuring the public feel confident and secure when they enter a pub / club with trained qualified professionals who have been screened. The 190 fee covers; CRB checks, administration of the licence process, communications, SIA infrastructure offices and staff, enforcement and compliance and research & development. Q. How many door supervisors will be out of work because of your new licence? A. There will be some who wont make the grade we make no apology for weeding out the rogues and amateurs but people who dont qualify should not have been in the job in the first place. The new generation of door staff will be trained to deal with the increased demands of overseeing a modern pub or club on a busy Saturday night.

Training and increased professionalism can only be a good thing for the door supervisors themselves, licensees and importantly the public. Q. What will the SIA do if there are not enough licensed door supervisors after 4 June? A. After 4 June it will be an offence to work as an unlicensed door supervisor or to provide unlicensed door staff. A network of SIA investigators will work closely with partner organisations such as the police, local authorities and the industry itself to ensure compliance of the regulations and licensing. They, like us, want to see professional, trained and qualified door staff working at pubs and clubs, and most importantly so do the public. It will be the responsibility of licensed premises to ensure they meet the legal requirements. Q. Will you shut down pubs and clubs that are not using licensed door staff? A. The SIA is not about shutting pubs and clubs. We are about making pubs, clubs and bars safe environments for the public to enjoy. If a licensee chooses to employ unlicensed door staff, he is putting his customers at risk as well as his licence. Q. Who is responsible for enforcement A. The SIA is responsible for enforcement of its legislation, and local authorities will be responsible for enforcement of the Licensing Act 2003, which includes the mandatory condition under section 21 that states that where the licensing authority attaches a condition to the licence requiring door supervisors they must be licensed by the SIA. It is not expected that local authorities will visit premises just to check that door supervisors have SIA licences, however, they may discover problems during the course of an inspection or visit under other legislation, for example the Licensing Act. Where unlicensed door supervisors are found, the local authority can take action under the Licensing Act, if appropriate, and they may also take action under the Private Security Industry Act (PSIA) if they wish. Alternatively the authority may feel that action is not appropriate and simply pass on information that they have discovered to the SIA. Therefore development of an intelligence sharing protocol will be important and LACORS will be involved in this. Any costs to local authorities will be incurred under the Licensing Act regime and will therefore theoretically be covered by this licence fee. There is no requirement for authorities to take action under the PSIA and therefore no additional costs will be incurred. The SIA has offered to support officers who wish to make a bid to utilise part of their authoritys allocated Crime and Disorder Partnership funding for initiatives surrounding door supervisor licensing. This principle equally applies to other enforcement partners (e.g. the Police). Q. Why should local authorities amend their PELs? A. The Licensing Act 2003 includes the mandatory condition under section 21 that states that where the licensing authority attaches a condition to the licence requiring door supervisors they must be licensed by the SIA.

During the transition period of current licensing schemes to the introduction of the Licensing Act, LACORS has advised local authorities to amend their PELs to include this condition. This will enable police and local authorities to target venue operators who choose to ignore the law. Q. Can the SIA prosecute? A. Anyone can bring a private prosecution for a breach of one of the offences created by the PSIA; this includes partner organisations such as police and local authorities. The SIA will have its own prosecution capability and will be able to prosecute in its own right. Q. When will you start enforcement? A. From the 4 June 2004. We already have planned a programme of visits to licensed premises by a team of SIA investigators, the police and local authorities. Q. What are the penalties for working without an SIA licence? A. Any individual who carries out the duties of a door supervisor in the Hampshire or IOW vicinity after the 4th June is at risk of prosecution under the Private Security Industry act 2001, the penalties for this can be either: Summary conviction at a Magistrates Court where the maximum penalty is 6 months imprisonment and/or a fine up to 5000. Trial on indictment at the Crown Court where the maximum penalty is 6 months imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

If you receive a warning or caution for working without a valid SIA licence after the 4th June offence date, this may be taken into consideration in any subsequent licence application. This could result in you not being considered to be a fit and proper person to be licensed and your application rejected. Please note that as the 190 is a licence application fee, it is not refundable in the event of the licence being rejected. Q. Have there been any problems with processing and the CRB checks? A. It takes 4-6 weeks to process a correctly completed application form and this includes the CRB check. We have had some teething problems which have now been addressed. We have made a commitment that everyone who meets the criteria and has submitted a valid application by 7 May will receive a licence by 4 June. Q. Have there been any problems with lost documents or the PO Box listed on the application return envelopes? A. All SIA printed envelopes have the correct postcode. Mail has been received correctly at this address. There have been reports from less than 1% of applicants that they have had a problem with the postal service resulting in lost documents or post being returned.

Q. Why is there a lack of information on overseas record checks? A. Information relating to applicants who have spent time overseas has been available for some time on our website and was also contained in the original A5 Get Licensed booklet issued October 2003. The new A4 Get Licensed booklet was updated to contain more detailed information on both this and relevant criminal convictions and was released in February 2004 and distributed to all local authorities. The SIA was able to send information directly to those who had asked to be included on our mailing list. Q & A TRAINING Q. How could door supervisors in Hampshire complete their training in time, when there has been insufficient courses? A. Firstly, training has been available since January 2004. There has been ample time and training capacity for all door supervisors within Hampshire. Despite widespread SIA, Local Authority and Police communications together with trainers / colleges marketing their courses, many courses were cancelled due to lack of interest e.g. Farnborough College were forced to cancel no less than six flexible courses in February and March. Training in this period would have left sufficient time to request / submit an SIA application. This lack of interest did lead to additional training providers e.g. Isle of Wight College withdrawing their planned training application, however this did not effect capacity as other trainers were available both during and prior to this period, and have been prepared to arrange further courses upon demand. Q. Why is there a lack of choice in training providers e.g. the Isle of Wight, which means it is difficult and expensive for door supervisors to get the training? A. Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight there are thirteen training providers that provide the new Level 2 National Certificate, some of which are flexible and able to travel where demand exists. As stated above, this figure would have increased if there had not been a lack of interest from door supervisors. The lack of choice on the Isle of Wight is a direct result of the lack of interest, as the local college cancelled its plans and offers from outside trainers to provide courses on the island were initially rejected. Q. Why have the SIA not taken into consideration the difficulties the training providers have had with the new training regime, that have caused them to withdraw from the market ? A. Firstly, training providers have not withdrawn from the market due to difficulties with the new training. As detailed above, some training providers cancelled courses or withdrew plans to enter the market due to the lack of interest from door supervisors. Despite this, there was still sufficient training capacity. There were some technical difficulties experienced by some training providers e.g. Farnborough College at the beginning of February. However, they were able to quickly resolve the difficulties, and continued to run courses unfortunately many of these were then cancelled due to lack of interest.

Q. Why have the SIA allowed training providers to charge different fees? A. The SIA does not run training courses or give qualifications. The SIA endorses Awarding Bodies BII, City & Guilds and NCFE who offer the qualifications and approve the trainers. The SIA cannot dictate the cost of training or promote any specific training provider. The SIA has listed the contact numbers of all trainers that provide the new Level 2 National Certificate, in order for door supervisors to find the best available course. Q. Why are the training fees so high? A. The cost of training can range from 140 to 350, and the contact numbers of trainers are available in order for door supervisors to find the best available deal. The SIA have obtained funding support from the Learning and Skills Council who offset training costs by 102 per person for those door supervisors who do the full training. The SIA booklet / website also contains details of qualifications which provide an exemption. The new qualification is recognised nationally and covers the role and responsibilities of a door supervisor and communication and conflict management skills that ensure the public feel safe and secure with qualified professionals. Q. Are the SIA aware of the delays in the examination process caused by the NCFE, which means applications cannot be returned in time for door supervisors to work on 4th June? A. For the management of training for the SIA licensing, three awarding bodies (BII, City and Guilds and NCFE) are working together as a consortium, each with their own clearly defined responsibilities to ensure effective delivery of the approved training course. It is correct that NCFE approved training providers are required to send their completed examinations to BIIAB for marking, these are then in turn returned back to NCFE, the college and then back to the candidate. The SIA has been closely monitoring examination return times, which has ranged from 4 to 14 days. We have been communicating with all stakeholders for many months, informing them of training requirements / dates to complete training and apply, urging companies and door supervisors not to leave it to the last minute. Training has been available, and only those who have left it to the last minute are affected by the examination process time. Applicants do not have to wait for their certificate, the reference number is all that is needed and this can be obtained from the trainer once the exam result is known.

Q & A Name on SIA Licence Q. Why did the SIA decide to have names on SIA licenses if they knew it was a controversial move? A. We recognise that some security staff will be concerned about the having their name on the front of the licence card. But the SIA is accountable to Government and the public, to carry out its statutory functions, including the purpose of protecting the public. The inclusion of the name improves the accountability of security operatives to the public and the SIA.

Q. Why cant licences have a number on the front and the door supervisors name on the reverse? A. We considered that approach. However, both the name and the licence number are required to appear in the Register of Licence Holders, which is open to the public. This is required under the legislation. The public will not be able to use the Register fully if they cannot check a licence on the name or the licence number. Q. The police are identified by a number why should door supervisors put themselves at risk by displaying their name? A. This is debatable. The Police are historically identified by their number. However, increasingly, as a public service, they are identified by name badges as well. Q. Isnt it more difficult to read a name from a distance, especially a foreign name, rather than a series of numbers or letters and numbers? A. It may be and we have given prominence to the number in the space provided on the licence. For the reasons given above we consider it appropriate to include the name on the licence. Q. What will happen if a door supervisor wears his licence with the photo and name turned to their chest? A. The conditions of the licence state that the card should be displayed, and must not be defaced. The licence number and name do not appear on the reverse. If someone turns their licence around it cannot be confirmed that they are licensed staff and they are in breach of the licence conditions. Contravention of the licence conditions is a criminal offence under section 9(4) of the PSIA. Q. What information about door supervisors licences will be available on the SIA website? A. The register of licence holders will contain information on the licences held by each licensed individual. It will contain: First name, middle initial, surname. Date or birth licence number Licence sector (e.g. door supervisor) for which the individual is licensed. Role (e.g. frontline operative)

An individuals addresses will not appear on the public register. Q. Will anyone be able to access that information? A. It will be a public register.

Q. Wont this move alienate door supervisors when the SIA is trying to encourage them to take training and to get licensed? A. It is important that everyone employed in the different sectors of the private security industry understands that it is an essential part of the SIAs role to continue to drive up standards and to increase accountability and public confidence in the regulation of the industry. This applies to all sectors of the industry. Door supervisors are simply the first sector for which regulation has been introduced. Q. Local Authority registration does not require the inclusion of my name. Why doesnt the SIA learn from them? A. Your Local Authority may not include the name on the licence but some do. Our research has shown that whilst Local Authorities recognises your concerns, many consider that the inclusion of the name is in the best interests of the regulation of the industry. In the majority of cases the Local Authority registration schemes are not required by law. The PSIA introduces standards for England and Wales, making registration and the display of names a legal requirement. We understand this approach may result in criticism from people employed in the industry but making door supervisors more accountable will improve public confidence and will be in the interests of driving up standards and customer service. Q. By putting my name on the licence card I can be traced to my home address, and you are putting my personal safety at risk A. The only detail that we are making public, as required by the register, and as it appears on the licence card, is your name. Your address does not appear on the card or the SIA register. Someone would not be able to trace your address solely from SIA public information. Tracing may occur if someone was able to identify your home address from the telephone directory, or the council tax register. If you are concerned about that possibility you should contact the owners of those directories to arrange for your name and address to be removed from the public directory. We cannot do this as far as the SIA register is concerned because it is required by law. Q. Ive already been trained as a door supervisor as part of my local registration scheme. Is that enough? A. Many door supervisors will have completed training courses and hold a qualification. Some of these qualifications will exempt door supervisors from further training and qualifications. Not all local training schemes are to the same standard as that required for an SIA licence. However, as a minimum, the holder of a currently valid local authority or police registration badge is exempt from some of the training but none of the assessment. Even if you are fully exempt from the new SIA approved training or qualification, you will need to exchange your current certificate for the new one called "Level 2 National Certificate for Door Supervisors" before applying for your SIA licence. Q. Do I need a licence to work as an event steward? A. Most people working as event stewards may perform only safety activities that are not licensable under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

However, those working at events undertaking licensable activity will require an SIA licence. Licensable activity is defined as... Guarding premises against unauthorised access or occupation, outbreaks of disorder or damage Guarding property against destruction, damage or theft Guarding one or more individuals against assault or injury

If anyone undertaking licensable activity works at a premises or area within the arena/stadium/venue holding a Justices on-licence under the 1964 Licensing Act, they will require an SIA door supervisor licence. Those working at events or premises with the following type of licences... Occasional licences, within the meaning of the Licensing Act 1964 Licences under the Private Places of Entertainment (Licensing) Act 1967 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 London Government Act 1963

will also require a door supervisor licence in the future. If anyone undertakes licensable activity under a contract for supply of services at a premises or area within the arena/stadium/venue not licensed under the 1964 Licensing Act or other provisions shown above, they will require an SIA security guard licence when licensing for this sector of the private security industry is in force. This is currently projected to start in 2005. Those providing security services at events working on a wholly voluntary basis will not require an SIA licence. A volunteer must not receive any reward, benefit or payment in kind.