August 21, 2006—The GMB, a trade union with more than 600,000 members, has expressed concern that a number of contractors are still operating without being approved or their employees licensed.
Under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, individuals working in the security, public space surveillance CCTV, close protection, and cash and valuables in transit sectors have had to be licensed since March 20, 2006.
With only 227 contractors approved, the GMB believes there are still many companies, including a number of significant players within the industry, which are operating without approval.
The union believes tens of thousands of security guards are operating illegally without licenses. It says that a failure to enforce the licensing legislation is undermining employers who have invested heavily to meet the licensing requirements as well as general standards.
For more information, see the GMB Web site.
