Birmingham company director prosecuted for security licence infringement

Press release

On Monday 29 November, Muhammad Usman Sardar pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

Muhammad Usman Sardar pleaded guilty to repeatedly failing to respond to Security Industry Authority (SIA) requests for information about his business dealings. Sardar, director of Protect Security Solutions Ltd, was ordered to pay court costs of £500. The court also fined him £84 and required him to pay a victim surcharge of £34.

SIA investigators formally requested information about Protect Security Solutions from Sardar on 25 June 2021. Sardar failed to comply with this requirement of the Private Security Industry Act (2001). He claimed that he didn’t receive the SIA’s request due to it being sent to an incorrect address. Further investigation revealed that it was the correct address. SIA investigators sent a subsequent request that demonstrably did reach Sardar, yet he still failed to respond within the required time. The SIA invited him to an interview under caution which Sardar also failed to attend.

The SIA consequently prosecuted Sardar.

Mark Chapman, one of the SIA’s criminal investigations managers, said:

The Act of Parliament that established the SIA empowers our investigators to formally request the production of documents or information. This is to enable us to effectively carry out our investigations and to ensure that proper standards are upheld and maintained throughout the industry. The defendants repeated failure to comply with requests undermined the SIA’s ability to properly investigate any offending which may have been committed by the defendant or his company. Mr Sardar’s licence has expired, and he now has a criminal record which will prevent him from obtaining a licence in the future.

Notes to editors:

Further information:

  • The Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the United Kingdom, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme.
  • For further information about the Security Industry Authority visit www.gov.uk/sia. The SIA is also on Facebook (Security Industry Authority) and Twitter (SIAuk).

Published 7 December 2021



We hear the world, the world hears us

World news story

British Chargé d’Affaires attends the event dedicated to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Human Rights Day.

On 6 December, John Hamilton, Chargé d’Affaires of the British Embassy, was pleased to join colleagues from the EU Delegation and UN to attend the awards ceremony for the winners of the Public Association Yenme’s essay competition “We hear the world, the world hears us” dedicated to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Human Rights Day. It was empowering to see such wide participation from across age groups, abilities and regions all sharing real life stories to raise awareness of these important issues.

“We know that the strongest, safest, and most prosperous societies are those in which all citizens can live freely, without fear of violence or discrimination, and where all citizens, including people with disabilities, can play a full and active part in society” Mr Hamilton said.

Published 7 December 2021



RPA begins to make payments to thousands of rural businesses

The Rural Payments Agency has paid out just over 97,500 claims, totalling £1.725bn for farmers in the first few days of the payment window, which runs between December and June.

The payments cover the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), Countryside Stewardship (CS) revenue and Environmental Stewardship (ES) schemes. Eligible customers should expect to receive their full payment within the payment window which ends in June 2022.

As announced in the Agricultural Transition Plan, Direct Payments will gradually be reduced over a seven year period, starting from this Basic Payment Scheme year. The biggest reductions will initially be made to the higher payment bands.

The money will be repurposed for schemes which incentivise sustainable farming alongside profitable food production – rewarding farmers for actions that improve air and water quality, and protect wildlife and soil health.

In order to ensure that farmers are adequately supported throughout this journey, the farming resilience programme will be available throughout the first three years of the agricultural transition period to help those most affected by the phasing out of Direct Payments. This will help farmers plan and manage their businesses through the transition to the new system.

RPA Chief Executive, Paul Caldwell, said:

We understand that it has been a challenging year for rural communities, which is why we’re working hard to get payments made as quickly and efficiently as possible.

We have already paid more than 97,500 claims, totalling £1.7bn, but we know there is more to do and we understand the importance of these payments to the rural economy.

Payments are made direct to bank accounts via BACS transfer so farmers should ensure that the RPA has the most up-to-date account details on the Rural Payments service.

Be aware of fraud

Claimants are also urged to remain vigilant against fraud. They should remember:

  • Your bank, police or the RPA will never ask you to reveal your online password, PIN or bank account details or ask you to make a payment over the telephone.
  • Never disclose personal information to someone you don’t know or open unknown or unexpected computer links or emails.
  • If in doubt, call the organisation back, ideally on a different telephone, using a number you are familiar with or you know to be official. You can find this on the organisation’s website, correspondence or statement. Contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 without delay for advice and to register your concern
Published 7 December 2021
Last updated 7 December 2021 + show all updates

  1. Paul Caldwell quote amended.

  2. First published.



Open letter to industry on the CMA’s licence modification appeal rules and guidance

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a call for views on whether to make changes to its rules and guidance for licence modification appeals.

We are also seeking views on the rules and guidance to apply to new appeals regimes in water and air traffic services.

Deadline to respond

We welcome submissions to licenceappealsproject@cma.gov.uk from interested parties by the end of January.

Next steps

Following completion of the process of stakeholder engagement, we will consult on rules and guidance for the new functions described in our letter and will consider whether consulting on changes to the existing rules and guidance is appropriate.

Our current intention is to complete this process by Spring 2022.

Your responses

The information stakeholders provide in response to this open letter will help inform our project.

In accordance with our policy of openness and transparency, we will publish non-confidential versions of responses on our webpages. If your response contains any information that you regard as sensitive and that you would not wish to be published, please provide at the same time a non-confidential version for publication on our webpages which omits that material and which explains why you regard it as sensitive.

When handling personal data (like your contact details), we comply with data protection law, as set out in the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 and other law designed to protect sensitive information.

For more information about the CMA’s statutory functions, how the CMA processes personal data and your rights relating to that personal data (including your right to complain), please visit the CMA’s Personal Information Charter.



IPO launches call for views on Standard Essential Patents (SEPs)

A patent that protects technology which is essential to implementing a standard is known as a standard essential patent (SEP). Without using the methods or devices protected by these SEPs, it is difficult for a manufacturer (or ‘implementer’ of the standard) to create standard compliant products, such as smartphones or tablets.

Standards and patents can span across multiple disciplines and sectors. Access to such patented technology on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms for both the SEP holder and implementer (the business using it) is essential to ensure the market functions effectively.   

The rise in the use of wireless technologies (3G, 4G and 5G) in telecommunications and the automotive industry (for example, in navigation systems), has seen greater interest in the licensing of patents and use of standards.  In many emerging and high-growth markets, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI, products from different manufacturers need to be able to seamlessly ‘talk to’ each other to provide functionality for the consumer.  In some cases, meeting these technical standards will require the use of specific technologies protected by SEPs.

We recognise that overcoming some of the challenges may require global collaboration to reflect the fact that business is global, and business does not operate in isolation.

The purpose of the call for views is to better understand how the current SEPs framework encourages innovation and promotes competition.

The call for views will gather a wide range of evidence on the following:  

  • the link between SEPs, innovation and competition and how these  elements interrelate with each other  
  • the functioning of the market, and whether there is an imbalance between the licensor and licensee   
  • transparency in the SEPs ecosystem
  • the efficiency of SEPs licensing, functioning of the patent  framework and  FRAND litigation

The IPO’s Chief Executive Tim Moss said:

The Innovation Strategy sets out the government’s long-term plan for delivering innovation-led growth, in which SEPs play an important role. We want to ensure the UK’s framework remains robust and continues to be regarded as one of the best in the world, while keeping pace with global developments and challenges around SEPs and FRAND licensing.

The call for views will enable us to hear a broad range of views around the challenges faced by industry. It will help us better understand how our IP framework supports the SEPs ecosystem, while ensuring a fair balance is achieved between all entities involved, and the maximum benefit to UK innovation.

The call for views will run for 12 weeks, closing on 1 March at 23:45. After it closes, the government will assess the responses it receives and publish a summary of responses. These responses will inform the government’s decision on any next steps and action that may be required.

You can respond to the call for views via the document published on GOV.UK.

Note to editors:

The UK’s Innovation Strategy, launched in July 2021, is the starting point for the government’s long-term vision of how the UK will cement its role as a global leader in innovation and deliver the target of research and development (R&D) investment at 2.4% of GDP. This strategy recognises a strong IP system creates the confidence on which this long-term and sustainable success is built.