When Molly Meacher and John Saunders officially launched the Security Industry Authority (SIA) just over two years ago, they knew the task at hand – regulating a sector sadly dominated by long hours, low pay and a rather poor public image – was nothing if not gargantuan.

In the wake of Molly’s departure and the subsequent appointment of current chair Peter Hermitage, the SIA has consulted widely and at length, and swiftly begun the task of helping to transform door supervision and security guarding into recognised professions rather than the stop-gap ‘filler roles’ of yesteryear.

Not surprisingly, the critics have had their say at almost every turn. The licence fee is too high... Our clients will not pay up... Why are in-house personnel to remain untouched by Government legislation?

Of course, everyone involved in this process has a right to their opinion, but unless these views are based in fact they do not hold water. Take those of some in the leisure industry, for example. For months on end, constituents of the British Institute of Inn Keeping, the Bar Entertainment and Dance Association and the British Beer and Pub Association have been trying to suggest that the SIA’s ‘period of grace’ for licensing was the end result of the Authority’s own lack of publicity among the door staff community. Utter nonsense.

The facts of the matter are spelled out in no uncertain terms by John Saunders in this month’s edition (‘For the public good’, pp18-20). People have been spending too much time on political brinkmanship and concocting flimsy excuses rather than paying attention to what they should have been doing – facing up to the real world, and making sure door staff and venue owners heeded the message.

That regulatory message has been omnipresent. Look at the SIA’s fiscal comms statistics for 2004-2005. 19,000 venues targeted with a two-phase direct marketing campaign. 82 Group headquarters – responsible for 900 outlets – targeted twice. 32 ads across nine separate trade publications with a combined audience of 200,000 readers. 350 door staff companies targeted by four separate mailings.

Unless members of the leisure industry have spent the past 18 months in outer space there is no way they could not know about licensing, its timetables and what they needed to do.

The SIA must be listened to and appreciated, not vilified.

Source

SMT