Tackling Serious and Organised Crime Working with buyers to target - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Buying Private Security Tackling Serious and Organised Crime Working with buyers to target harden the industry

Ed Bateman Deputy Director Partnership and Interventions

Overview

• The SIA in numbers
• Enforcement approach
• Serious and Organised Crime

– What is it? – What is it’s association with the private security industry? – What are the SIA doing about it?

• Working with buyers to target harden the

industry

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The SIA in numbers

• 382,377 licences held by 339,940 people

– Door Supervisors 58% – Security Guarding 24% – Close Protection 4%

• Over 1,000,000 licences issues since 2004
• 5000 intelligence feeds each year
• 4000 businesses in licensable sectors but….
• 760 businesses Approved Contractor Status (ACS)
• 33,945 licence revocations; 22,722 refused (6 years)
• 2013: 17 prosecutions; 337 Written Warnings; 59

improvement Notices

• 98% compliance

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Enforcement Approach

• Aim of a regulator is to achieve optimal compliance
• Enforcement an important element but …….
• Investigative activity is risk driven
• The SIA has an effective response to suspected non compliance

– Field teams and Formal Investigation – Desk based teams – Intelligence and Risk team

• Considerations when investigating non-compliance
• Regulator’s Code
• Range of offences and sanctions
• Prosecution…..a last resort

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Serious and Organised Crime What is it?

‘Organised crime is a threat to our national security. It costs the UK £24 billion each year, leads to loss of life and can deprive people of their security and prosperity. Crime groups intimidate and corrupt and can have a corrosive impact on our communities’ HM Government Serious and Organised Crime Strategy

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Serious and Organised Crime Association with the industry?

• Industry in a much healthier place than pre regulation

but…

• Organised Crime Group mapping identifies OCGs

associated with the security industry

• Experience of OCG owned companies buying or

taking over ACS businesses to win contracts

• Impact on industry and communities

– North West example

• Modern slavery and exploitation of illegal immigrant

labour

– SIA on cross government task forces – Illegal Working Campaign June 2014

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Blue Feathers

‘Woolwich-based ringleaders of £6 million Erith illegal worker scam jailed for six years’

The Home Office’s immigration enforcement criminal investigations team, said: “These two men duped contractors out of millions of pounds in illegal working wages and ruthlessly exploited their employees, preying on their immigration status in the UK “It was a cynical attempt to circumvent immigration rules but, working with our partners at the Security Industry Authority our

• fficers smashed their web of deceit”

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Serious and Organised Crime What are the SIA doing about it?

• Disrupting serious and organised crime is a key aim
• f the SIA
• Partnership work with NCA, Regional Organised

Crime Units, police forces and other HMG agencies

• Success increases commensurately with the number
• f agencies in the room – Al Capone approach
• Contracts worth over 1 million lost to OCG associated

business when ACS withdrawn following investigation

• SIA aim is to attend/facilitate workshops with OCG

police leads in every region during 2014/15

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Working with buyers to target harden the industry

• Please provide information through our website –

whistle blower at Blue Feathers contacted buyers but…..

• New ‘working with buyers to improve standards’

initiative

– SIA approach buyers in construction industry to discuss price of contracts for guarding services – Where the price likely to result in below minimum wage payments, other HMRC offences, SIA will work with buyers referring to SIA website and approved businesses – Should after SIA advice buyers continue to hire-in from businesses offering unrealistic prices, the SIA will initiate an investigation together with HMRC, DWP etc. – Secure intelligence of rogue security providers

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Buying Private Security Tackling Serious and Organised Crime Working with buyers to target harden the industry

Ed Bateman Deputy Director Partnership and Interventions