Private Security Industry (Hansard, 19 December 1991)

§ Mr. Kenneth Baker

The Government believe that access to criminal records would be an essential ingredient of any statutory scheme for the regulation of the private security industry. They have, however, accepted the recommendation of the recent report on the scrutiny of criminal records that there should be no further extension of the arrangements for access to these records in advance of their computerisation. This is not expected to be completed until the mid-1990s. It is the Government's intention to publish a consultation paper towards the end of next year outlining our proposals for new disclosure arrangements.

For this reason alone, therefore, it is not appropriate at this time to consider statutory regulation of the private security industry. Other factors, however, also support the case against statutory regulation. The present level of offending by private security personnel does not justify the introduction of an inevitably expensive and bureaucratic licensing system. And although the Government recognise concerns about the quality of service provided by some private security firms, it believes that issues such as quality, training and wages are fundamentally matters for the industry and its customers. The Government therefore believe that the most appropriate position is for the industry to strengthen the existing self-regulation mechanisms.

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The industry has already made considerable progress in self-regulation. Recent important developments include: the merging of the National Supervisory Council for Intruder Alarms and the security systems inspectorate of the British Security Industry Association to form the National Approved Council for Security Systems; the formation by the International Professional Security Association of the British Security Registration Board; and the involvement of the International Professional Security Association in plans to reconstitute the manned services inspectorate of the British Security Industry Association to make it independent of its parent body, thereby allowing it to offer its inspection services to non-members of the British Security Industry Association, as well as to members.

The adoption of standards, and the invocation of sanctions against those who fail to meet them, are an important part of the the industry's work in this area.

The Government commend the industry's efforts to develop self-regulation, and in particular the projected enhancement of the manned services inspectorate. The extent to which the new arrangements achieve their objectives will, however, be monitored and the position will be reviewed when computerisation of the criminal records has been achieved.

The Government reserve the option of requiring the industry to pay for any statutory regulation from its own resources should self-regulation prove ineffective.

The Government's position is set out more fully in a background paper which has been placed in the Library and which is being sent to all interested parties in the industry and to the Association of Chief Police Officers.