Security company director fined for ignoring industry regulator

District Judge Shaw imposed a fine of £230 plus a victim surcharge of £32. The director of SecureSec Security Solutions Ltd, Warren has also been instructed to pay costs of £500.

Also known by the forenames Kevin and Keven, Warren changed his plea from not guilty to guilty at the hearing at which he represented himself. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) brought the prosecution after Warren stopped engaging with requests for information to be supplied in line with Section 19 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Requests made under the Act place the recipient under a legal obligation to respond. Not to do so is a criminal offence.

The SIA originally wrote to Warren on 18 March last year with a request for information relating to the contracts undertaken by SecureSec Security Solutions Ltd between October 2019 and March 2020. Warren replied the following day, and again three days later, showing that he had received and understood the SIA’s request. However, he failed to provide the requested information and the SIA has had no response from him since 22 March 2020.

Pete Easterbrook of the SIA’s criminal investigations team stated: “It’s very important that those within the industry understand requests for information from us cannot be ignored. Working within a regulated sector carries certain responsibilities, one of which is engaging with the regulator when asked to do so. If you work in the private security industry and ignore a request from us, you could find yourself in court.”

Further, Easterbrook warned: “A conviction will almost certainly mean the end of your career in the industry. If we contact you, please engage with us for your own sake. Ignoring the regulator is not worth the damage realised to reputation and livelihood that might well follow.”