The Big Issue

The answer, writes David Dickinson, lies in the fact that it is only part of our industry that is subject to regulation. The other sectors of our industry will continue to be set apart from their competitors as they subscribe to the standards and ethics of this Association.

Looking for a moment at security guarding - one of the sectors that is regulated - the central purpose of this Trade Association is to seek to protect all of its members from any adverse conditions that could affect their business. Some practitioners may have had their differences with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), but when compared with many other regulators it is a model of modernity and consultation. The Regulator also recognises how important the BSIA is to the future well-being of the private security industry.

Indeed, SIA chief executive John Saunders recently stated: "There has never been a more pressing need for a strong BSIA to work for the industry with the Regulator" (‘Awards Ceremony honours first SIA Approved Contractors', SMT, May 2006, ).

That need will not diminish just because there is regulation in place, nor can the Approved Contractor Scheme act as any kind of representative for industry practitioners. Neither can we assume that the Regulator will stay in its present guise forever.

It has already been suggested that the SIA might somehow be subsumed by the Health and Safety Executive. If that were to happen - and we will take every possible step to try and prevent it - then the need for a strong and influential Trade Association will be greater than ever before.

The BSIA is 40 years old next year. It has not even reached middle age. There's a long, long way to go yet before anybody starts to think about writing its obituaries.