Three: Private policing
The recognition that the concepts of ‘police’ and ‘policing’ must be defined and understood separately means that there is now quite a lot of scholarly and practical debate concerning how policing activities take place, which also serves to increase our understanding of how the state and market forces work in this area. However, we need to fully appreciate the problems attached to what many people mean when they refer to the concept of ‘private policing’. The first area for consideration is the regulation of private policing and the organisation known as the Security Industry Authority (SIA).
The Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in England and Wales. It is an independent body that reports to the Home Secretary, under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Its role is to regulate the private security industry effectively, to reduce criminality, raise standards and recognise quality service.
The SIA has two main duties. One is to ensure the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities within the private security industry, and the other is to manage the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme, which measures private security suppliers against independently assessed criteria.
SIA licensing covers manned guarding (including security guarding, door supervision, close protection, cash and valuables in transit, and public space surveillance using CCTV), key holding and vehicle immobilising. Licensing should, it is argued, ensure that private security operatives are ‘fit and proper’ persons who are properly trained and qualified to do their job.
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