The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is prioritising its use of better regulation principles and has made real progress improving its performance as a regulator, according to a new report published by the Better Regulation Executive.
The report done in January 2009, part of a series of reviews of national regulators, examined how the SIA matched up to the principles of effective regulation set out by Philip Hampton in 2005. The SIA has placed a high priority on implementing these principles across their work. The SIA licences about 300,000 operatives and more than 600 security companies and rising across the UK are SIA-approved.<br><br>The report found that:<br><br>? the SIA’s Approved Contractor Scheme has helped raise standards and encouraged exchange of good practice within the industry;<br>? communication with stakeholders, which had been problematic, had improved as the SIA were engaging constructively and proactively with businesses; and<br>? criminality in the industry, whilst not eliminated, had been reduced through the work of the SIA.<br><br>The report highlighted that the SIA could further improve performance by integrating risk assessment into strategic planning, improving customer focus and some aspects of communication with stakeholders. <br><br>The SIA was quick to respond. New CEO Bill Butler said: “I very much welcome the findings of the review. The positive report reflects the progress we have made and the work we have undertaken to achieve our goals.<br><br>“We have already made many improvements. But of course there is more to be done, and we will continue to address the areas highlighted by the BRE as we strive to further improve our performance as a regulator.”<br><br>The Better Regulation Executive’s full report on the Security Industry Authority can be found at the Department for Business website. Similarly and separately, a report on he Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) came out at the same time.
