Concern over door security application delays

May 14, 2008: The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) has expressed concern that door stewards are experiencing delays in applying for registration to comply with the requirements of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 which became law in Scotland last November.

The association was commenting after writing to the chief executive of the Security Industry Authority (SIA), Michael Wilson, on behalf of its members, stressing the difficulties the hold-ups were causing pub operators in
Scotland.

In a response, Mr Wilson suggested that "primarily" the current problems had been caused by applicants not submitting applications by the November deadline.

He added: "Those entering the industry since November 2007 — and particularly between November last year and January this year — may well have been disadvantaged by the current processing issues, for which I reiterate my apologies."

Patrick Browne, chief executive of the SBPA, said: "There is continuing concern amongst our members about the operation of the SIA in Scotland and Mr Wilson's response does little to resolve those issues.

"Mr Wilson has now issued three apologies to the SBPA in as many months for the poor performance of the SIA, not just in Scotland but across the UK as a whole... Pub operators and SIA applicants in Scotland don't need apologies, they need action to resolve the problems which seem to have plagued the SIA since its establishment."