Pat Allen, pictured, the chairman of the Fire and Security Association (FSA), looks at the issue of regulation in the security systems industry.
Has the time come to look at introducing more regulation into security systems industry? The SIA has been attempting to introduce business licensing for public space surveillance companies for a number of years now, and that debate has stalled because of the wide number of issues that it creates.
These same issues are present with the issue of regulation in the wider security systems industry. Many firms already undergo regular certification by established industry bodies like the NSI and SSAIB, regular UKAS auditing or have membership of a trade association as proof of their commitment to delivering high-quality service. These companies shouldn’t be forced to undergo any additional expense or bureaucracy by any future regulations. What we should be doing is looking to formalise what we have already – to develop light touch regulation based on what the leaders of the industry are doing to ensure that the high standards they aspire to become the minimum standards for everyone.
The current reality is that anyone can open a security systems business, and for those businesses who make a conscious effort to provide proof their commitment to delivering high standards, there will always be a number who do not. As a result, we’re in a situation where those firms who aren’t as committed to high standards could potentially undercut legitimate businesses and put customers at risk of sub-standard installations. But introducing regulation or business licensing into our industry wouldn’t be a simple process and is an over simplistic way of solving this much bigger issue.
Very careful consideration needs to be given to what form it would take – so that it helps, rather than hinders businesses, but how it should be administered and who should administer it is also something that requires a lot of thought. I believe that we would need a separate organisation to manage any licensing of our industry – something akin to a charity who can reinvest any surplus it makes into supporting businesses and educating the public about using a licensed security systems installer. This is not to denigrate the SIA, or downplay the success it has had to date in introducing licenses into other aspects of the security industry, but I think our needs would be better served by a small, dedicated organisation.
Ours is a specialist industry – and a specialist industry that sits across the engineering, electrotechnical and security industries, so I believe that any potential regulatory body should be a lean organisation that is dedicated to and understands our specialism, and our market. But is regulation necessary? It might surprise you to know that I don’t think it is – at least not at this stage. While anything which raises overall standards within the industry is welcome, the reality is that we already have an accreditation system in place that works.
As an industry we need to continue doing what we have done – committing to customer service, investing in the right accreditation, and educating customers about the benefits of high-quality security installations, so they understand that choosing a quality system is an investment, not a cost. If we do this, if any future government tries to regulate our industry we will be able to make a compelling case for a light touch approach – one that formalises what we have now and doesn’t burden businesses unnecessarily.
