If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email different.format@hmrc.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.
News story
We are updating the qualifications needed for an SIA licence.
From 1 April 2021, we will:
From October 2021, door supervisors and security guards will need to complete top-up training before they renew their licence.
We have developed this top-up training to make sure current Door Supervisor and Security Guard licence holders have the same basic skills and knowledge. The top-up training will also bridge the gap between the existing and new qualifications, as it will include elements of the new content that we are introducing.
Published 16 October 2020
News story
We are proposing a code of conduct for security operatives.
We intend to introduce a code of conduct for security operatives. When we do, all licence holders and licence applicants will have to follow the code.
We have not set a date for when this will happen. We are still working out what the code of conduct should include.
We have a legal responsibility to make sure that only “fit and proper” people hold an SIA licence. The Private Security Industry Act 2001 uses this phrase but does not explain exactly what it means.
A code of conduct will describe how a “fit and proper” person should behave. It will improve standards within the private security industry and help to keep the public safe.
Published 16 October 2020
Christopher Church, 37, of Lowestoft, was patrolling the construction site on the night of 20 September when two passers-by alerted him to a man with a stab wound to his neck. He spotted the man and called out to him as he ran towards the beach. Christopher shone his torch light and saw him running into the sea. Immediately, he went after him.
Christopher is an SIA licensed door supervisor. He is being featured in our #SIAHeroes campaign because of his life saving actions. The campaign highlights the efforts that security operatives are making to serve their communities across the UK and most recently, during the COVID-19 crisis.
Christopher realised that the man was attempting suicide, and persuaded him to walk out of the sea. He was still holding the blade, but Christopher managed to keep him calm and give him life-saving first aid. At this point a passer-by came over and called the emergency services. Christopher stayed with the man until he was taken to hospital.
When we spoke to Christopher, he said:
I tried to calm the man down. He was in an agitated state, but I successfully convinced him that I was there to help him. The whole thing was pretty terrifying. As he made his way towards me I could see that there was a lot of blood, which was pouring from his neck wound.
When he came out of the sea I took hold of him, laid him down on the beach, and put direct pressure onto the wound. I held his head and neck with one hand, and applied pressure to the wound with the other. I kept talking to him to keep him conscious.
The emergency services arrived at about 10.30pm, removed the man’s wet clothes, and wrapped him in a thermal blanket. He was put onto a stretcher and taken to the ambulance while he held Christopher’s hand.
Christopher added:
He kept thanking me and telling me I’d saved his life. The patient is still in hospital and is now in a stable condition. You can’t really prepare for these things until they hit you, but I knew what I was doing because of my first aid training.
After the incident Chris went back to work until his shift ended at six the following morning.
Chris is qualified in Emergency First Aid at Work, and is an HM Coastguard on-call volunteer.
Adam Harding, director of the site’s security company, Phoenix Events, said:
I’m so proud of Chris for what he did that night. He’d have been well within his rights just to call the ambulance and wait for them to arrive, but he didn’t. He saved a man’s life.
There are over 400,000 licensed security operatives in the UK, and like Chris many continue to work as critical workers and keyworkers, guarding hospitals, sheltered accommodation, supporting social distancing in supermarkets, and other essential operations.
Ian Todd, our Chief Executive, said:
It’s important to remember that many in the security industry are working as critical and key workers during this emergency. Christopher’s story is testament to the fact that despite the challenges, many operatives and businesses are going the extra mile to serve their communities”.
The SIA is promoting the industry’s dedication and commitment through the #SIAHeroes campaign. It is sharing inspiring stories of security operatives who are keeping the public safe and secure at this critical time.
Read all of our #SIAHeroes stories online here.
Further information:
World news story
Delivered by Nicola Murray, Deputy Head of Delegation, at the OSCE Permanent Council on 16 October 2020.
Thank you Mr Chair.
I thank the French delegation for raising this current issue on the situation in and around Nagorno-Karabakh and for sharing the 13 October joint statement by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
The United Kingdom welcomed the announcement of a humanitarian ceasefire and we are dismayed to see that it is not being respected. We condemn the reported continued shelling of civilian areas and we are alarmed by further reports of civilian casualties. We offer our condolences to the families of those who have lost loved ones. The humanitarian situation continues to worsen and we are particularly concerned about the impact on children.
It is therefore imperative that the parties to the conflict stop the violence immediately, abide by the 10 October agreement and return to substantive negotiations under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
The United Kingdom urges all external parties and friends of both States to redouble their efforts in support of an end to hostilities and to refrain from taking actions that risk further exacerbating the crisis.
As we have stated previously, a comprehensive resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is overdue. That can only be delivered through a negotiated settlement and not through military action. All parties must urgently return to the negotiating table to work toward this aim without preconditions.
The UK reiterates our support for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in their role in mediating negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we fully support the recent joint statements by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and their countries’ representatives. We are also grateful to Ambassador Kasprzyk and his team for their ongoing work.
Thank you.
Published 16 October 2020