SSAIB News

The WorldSkills UK National Finals medal ceremony will broadcast live today (Friday 26 November) at 4pm, celebrating the talent and skill of students and apprentices across the UK.

Hosted by top TV presenter Steph McGovern from her Channel 4 Packed Lunch studio, the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners of this year’s WorldSkills National Finals for Security apprentices will be formally announced during the medal ceremony.

‘’It will strengthen the construction products regulatory regime, with new requirements to make sure more products are safe, while paving the way for a National Regulator for Construction Products to oversee and enforce the rules.’’ Building Safety Bill, 5th July 2021

As a direct result of the findings of the Hackitt Report and subsequent government focus on the recommendations for the wider fire safety environment, FIREX International, the UK’s leading fire industry tradeshow, has taken the decision to fully commit to supporting and promoting third-party approvals, independent accreditation and competency for construction products and services. 

No fewer than ten SSAIB firms have been shortlisted for the 2021 Security and Fire Excellence Awards, which recognises the outstanding achievements throughout the industry over the last 12 months.

The awards ceremony – ran in partnership with IFSEC International and FIREX International, of which SSAIB is the Official Installer Partner for both events – takes place on Tuesday November 23 at The London Hilton on Park Lane.

And there will be a host of opportunities for SSAIB-certified firms to celebrate their success on the night, with the ten companies gaining an impressive 23 nominations in total – across 13 awards – between them.

Following the announcement, SSAIB chief executive Alex Carmichael was quick to point out that this success should be celebrated even more than usual, due to what has been a unique 12 months for everyone.

Alex revealed: “It gives me great pleasure to see so many SSAIB firms shortlisted for the 2021 Security and Fire Excellence Awards. Awards such like this are imperative for acknowledging those that have gone above and beyond, but after what has gone on this last year, it’s even more of an achievement for those that have been shortlisted.

“The pandemic only helped to prove what we already knew about the security and fire industries being key workers, so that only goes to show how exceptional those that have made the shortlist for this year’s awards are.

“The ten SSAIB firms that have made the shortlist should be immensely proud of their achievements and, on behalf of everyone at SSAIB, I wish them all the best of luck for their respective categories on the night.”

National organisation SecuriGroup have the most nominations of any SSAIB-certified firm, after being shortlisted in four categories; ACS Champion of the Year, Company Lockdown Hero of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year – with Carbon Net-Zero – and Security Guarding Company of the Year Over £25m Turnover.

A trio of firms – Envision Intelligent Solutions, Reliance High-Tech Limited and VPS UK – are just behind them, with three nominations each.

Envision will go head-to head to with SecuriGroup in the Company Lockdown of the Year category, while the Northern Irish-based firm also appear in the shortlist for Security or Fire Solution Innovation of the Year - with Envision Gateway – and their link-up with North Time and Data 1 is recognised as part of the Security Partnering Initiative of the Year line-up.

Reliance and VPS are also competing together in the brand new Champion of Champions award – set up to highlight the achievements of all previous company category awards winners since the inaugural event 21 years ago, to be judged as the best of the best as the Champion of Champions.

Berkshire-based Reliance also contest the Security Installer of the Year Over £5m Turnover and Security Project of the Year (with Natural History Museum) categories. Meanwhile, VPS have been further shortlisted for the Security and or Fire Solution Innovation of the Year - with Smart Security and Safety Zones to Protect People and Assets in Roadwork Construction – and their Tackling Health and Safety During a Crisis Year idea is recognised within the Security Training Initiative of the Year category.

FGS Security will be hoping to pip their SSAIB counterparts and bring the Champion of Champions award back to Lancashire, as it makes up one of their two nominations alongside their New West End Company Street Patrol Team being considered for Outsourced Security Individual or Team of the Year.

ICTS UK and Ireland and NMCN join FGS with two nominations, with ICTS hoping for success in the ACS Champion of the Year and Security Guarding Company of the Year Over £25m Turnover categories. Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire-based NMCN will be looking to be named Security Installer of the Year Over £5m Turnover or hope their Met Office Security Upgrade initiative is recognised as Security Project of the Year.

Further nominations for Blackstone Consultancy (Consultancy of the Year), Dardan Security (ACS Champion of the Year) and Land Sheriffs (Security Guarding Company of the Year Under £25m Turnover) help round out the 23 nominations achieved by the ten SSAIB-certified firms shortlisted.

For more information on the Security and Fire Excellence Awards, please visit https://www.securityandfireawards.com/.

Buyers who are serious about protecting the public and rooting out rogue elements in their security provision - at a time when events are restarting in earnest after over a year of lockdowns – should ask their security companies to evidence their approval to the Code of Practice for the ‘Provision of Labour in the Security and Events Sectors’.

Mindful to maximise the benefit industry-wide and in the interest of all security providers and event organisers - and the public attending those events - certification bodies operating in this sector and appointed by the SIA have come together to offer a Labour Provision scope of approval to their approved companies, protecting the public from rogue security workers, and security workers from risk of exploitation.

SSAIB, NSI and ACM-CCAS share the view that the widest adoption of this Code of Practice for labour provision will best serve the public to good effect in deterring rogue labour deployment.

Anyone involved in the delivery of security services – particularly in the events sector – will know the industry is immensely flexible in managing licensed security officer resources to accommodate its clients.

It does this through two key proven methods a) Subcontracting and b) Labour Provision.

The fundamental distinction between the two is often misunderstood or not even recognised by buyers. The second – Labour Provision - falls outside the scope of ACS (Approved Contractor Scheme), even for ACS approved companies - and therein lies the loophole and the risk. A risk particularly in the events sector where their security may unwittingly be being compromised by the deployment of untrained, underpaid, unlicensed, non-security screened or worse – terrorism-motivated individuals.

The risk is compounded by less scrupulous operators undercutting the professional industry in labour provision at rates that strongly suggest immoral and, in some case, illegal employment practices. Social media posts evidencing this are not hard to find.

The over 800 security companies who maintain ACS approval granted by the Security Industry Authority are mindful that ACS signals to buyers a degree of professionalism and competence they rely on. Yet as with all approval schemes the devil is in the detail, and in the case of ACS whilst robust in its assessment process, its reach is limited to Contractors themselves, and not their labour providers. Therein lies the ‘loophole.’

Identifying this as a growing concern over the last few years, and one which many in the sector recognise, a Code of Practice has been developed which has enabled approved companies to specify approval to the Code as a requirement within their labour supply chain.   NSI has also proposed the Code be adopted by BSI in a new industry standard.

Now, any company operating as a labour provider can apply for approval to this scope and will be audited annually against the requirements which include such checks as: PAYE being operated for all staff, National Minimum or Living Wages is being paid, holiday pay and pension being provided, Identity and Right to Work checks, screening to BS 7858 and ongoing SIA licensing checks.

The three assessing bodies will be requiring all approved companies to use only labour providers approved to the Code of Practice or actively audit them to the requirements of the Code – and evidence it – as part of their own ongoing approval.

Entry to the UK Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) is open through to October 4, 2021 and SSAIB are encouraging SSAIB-certified firms to consider entering.

The OSPAs provide the opportunity to highlight the best companies, people and projects that have made a significant contribution in safeguarding communities.

As well as providing the opportunity to say thank you to those in frontline security roles who have demonstrated innovation, flexibility, dedication, and resourcefulness in responding to changing - and sometimes challenging - situations.

Entries are free to submit – ahead of the October 4 deadline - and nominations are invited in 16 categories.

Nominations will be scored by an independent panel of judges - including SSAIB chief executive Alex Carmichael - all of whom have been chosen by supporting associations and special interest groups to represent them. The process is strict and robust ensuring that all entries have a fair and equal chance of success.

Winners will be revealed at a black-tie dinner to take place on February 24, 2022 at the Royal Lancaster London.

The last 18 months have seen both challenges and opportunities for the security industry – as security providers have stepped up to the mark to carry out tasks that would not normally have been expected of them.

Entering the OSPAs provides the opportunity to showcase the exceptional work that is taking place and - as a supporting association – SSAIB urge you all to submit at least one nomination, be it a company, team or individual who has demonstrated outstanding performance.