As 2020 draws to a close, I want to send a message on behalf of the whole of the SIA to the 367,000 licence holders and the businesses that employ them. The security industry has every reason to be proud of the way it has responded in this, the most extraordinary of years.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on you individually, as an industry, those businesses you work with and for, as well as the public you protect. You rose to those challenges and the uncertainties the pandemic and 2020 brought.

Security operatives went about their daily, and nightly, work with professionalism and determination. Some door supervisors from the closed pubs and nightclubs moved to supervising a nervous public in supermarket queues or stood guard at the new Nightingale hospitals. Others met unusual situations with exemplary courage. There are people across the UK this year who owe their lives and safety to quick-thinking licence-holders putting themselves in harm’s way. We’ve been inviting the industry to tell us these stories, and sharing them more widely as SIA Heroes features, which you can read here.

This year has demonstrated once again that security is not simply a business overhead, or a compliance activity. Dependable, well-trained, professional security is an essential part of a service to customers.

Whether you were involved in the extraordinary and stand out acts of bravery or support, or you were part of the quiet heroism of all the operatives who carried on going out to work to protect the public and premises when the pandemic has been at its worst; you and your roles have been highly valued by communities across the UK, as well as local and national businesses. We also remember those within the security sector that have been affected by COVID-19 themselves, including those who lost their lives.

2021 brings hope for the future and an acknowledgement that the shape and size of the sector and workforce has and will continue to change. The impact of the pandemic on some sectors particularly in the hospitality, the night-time economy, festivals, and events industries has been felt hard and it is likely that recovery will take some considerable time.

As the regulator, we have also had to adapt. We have prioritised keeping our core licensing services working smoothly and supporting the industry with changes where we were able, including the virtual training pilots. We are proud to work with an industry that has risen to the challenges of this year and has demonstrated its commitment to protecting the public. Whatever the future holds, we share a dedication to quality and the pursuit of best practice in the security industry. On behalf of everyone at the SIA, and with deep appreciation for your hard work this year, thank you all.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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. Our 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).
• ​​​​​​Media enquiries only please contact: 0300 123 9869, media.enquiries@sia.gov.uk

This follows the regulator’s disqualification of a former trustee, Mr Huzaifah Khaled, who has admitted misappropriating charity funds. The probe has been escalated after other trustees failed to ensure that he no longer had control of the charity’s bank account.

The charity’s purpose is to relieve poverty among homeless people, by dispensing free food through centrally located vending machines.

The Commission opened a compliance case into Action Hunger in August 2018, after another of the charity’s trustees submitted a serious incident report alerting the regulator to concern that money had been taken from the charity’s bank account.

The regulator probed this matter and in a statement to the Commission, the former trustee, Mr Khaled, admitted misappropriating £49,671 of the charity’s funds. As a result of this serious misconduct, on 4 May 2020, the Commission disqualified him from acting as a charity trustee or senior manager for a period of 10 years.

Investigators have since found that £50,324 was transferred out of the charity’s bank account to a private company connected to at least one of the charity’s current trustees. The Commission established that Mr Khaled and a former trustee were the individuals who had control of the charity’s bank account and the transfer was apparently made without the consent of the current trustees. The Commission has concerns about how these funds may have been used.

The Commission therefore escalated its case to a full statutory inquiry on 10 November 2020 to further examine this matter. An inquiry gives the regulator access to the full range of its legal and enforcement powers. The inquiry will also look at wider concerns around the charity’s financial management and the trustees’ compliance with their legal obligations.

Amy Spiller, Head of Investigations at the Charity Commission, said:

Mr Khaled’s conduct and clear abuse of his position at Action Hunger goes against everything we associate with charity, and it is right that he has been disqualified from serving as a trustee.

We are concerned that there may be wider issues in the administration of this charity. We will now examine these further through a full statutory inquiry and ensure, where necessary, action is taken to uphold public trust in charity.

The Commission may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were.

Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.

Ends.

Notes to editors:

1. View the charity’s entry on the register of charities.
2. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its purpose is to ensure charity can thrive and inspire trust so that people can improve lives and strengthen society.