Fraudulent practices within the security industry have been unveiled, involving training courses producing ill-equipped security guards who protect public events. Such shocking revelations were made after a journalist, working covertly in the guise of a trainee, was able to condense the mandated six-day security course into a day and a half, thus omitting critical first-aid training.
Lessons administrators instructed him to fill out timesheets for all six days as if he had attended, giving him solutions to the multiple-choice questions beforehand. The evidence produced hinted at deceit within the industry prompting regulation bodies to take urgent action.
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is now in alliance with organizations who govern the suspect training companies, with intentions of further scrutinizing the gathered evidence. They disclosed plans of referring the issue to the law enforcement authorities for further investigation.
This illicit activity resurfaced after eight years since a separate probe unveiled how security guards could buy false qualifications with cash. The investigator approached twelve firms, proposing Level 2 SIA door supervisor courses for a fee between £200-£300. While the average program runs for six days, four companies allowed the undercover journalist to undertake an accelerated course that breezed through crucial lessons within one-and-a-half to three days, directly disobeying standard regulations.
Nearly half a million security guards in the U.K hold valid licenses from the SIA, with over 170,000 certificates granted annually. However, legal counsel to the investigation into the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, Paul Greaney KC, expressed grave concerns about the safety of the public attending events, revealing that proper security training could have significantly altered the course of the tragedy.
At Steps Institution, one of the implicated training schools in east London, the fraudulent practices were blatantly displayed. In addition to offering the reporter a truncated course, the lessons included violent anecdotal stories of killing and harming others, none of which form part of the approved curriculum.
Inconsistent training standards were debunked in other institutions such as the Caetop College, east London, further pointing towards questionable training methods. An instance arose where, instead of a final exam, candidates sat through a session where they were instructed on which multiple-choice questions to answer, and were even prompted to provide different answers to maintain an illusion of credibility.
This slate of findings is particularly worrying and has triggered shockwaves in the industry. Ex-employees have come forward to divulge their experiences about working with unfit individuals. The negative impact of these activities on public safety has sparked outrage, with individuals like Kelsey Hutchinson, sister to deceased security dog handler, Gaby Hutchinson, calling for improved standards within the security industry.
The SIA, created by the Home Office in 2001, while not availabel for an interview, expressed its commitment to assess the evidence and take necessary action. They assured entrepreneurs that any licence holder found to be unsafe would be suspended, and sought co-operation with Ofqual, the regulator of qualifications in England. As per their statement, both SIA and Ofqual are resolute in penalizing fraudulent activities and upholding safety standards across the industry.
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