Dressed in a gun metal grey suit and crisp white shirt, Mike Wilson greets me at the Security Industry Authority’s (SIA) Holborn offices with a very firm handshake and a well-thumbed copy of the Regulator’s Corporate Plan for 2007-2010 – annotated in red pen and luminous yellow marker, no less – by his side.
Having carefully sipped some piping-hot tea from an SIA-branded mug, Wilson wastes no time at all in engaging me with his thoughts on how the chief executive’s role has panned out since he took over the reins from acting leader Andy Drane last September.
“When I joined the timing felt absolutely right,” opines Wilson in beautifully enunciated Queen’s English. “There were six months of the ‘old’ business year to run, during which time I could sit down with the Board and agree the strategic direction for the organisation over the next three years [the length of Wilson’s contract, in fact]. Everything looked to be straightforward enough.”
Sometimes, life doesn’t run true to plan, and Wilson duly found some spanners in the works. “As Harold Macmillan once said: ‘Events, dear boy, events’…” The Managed Services Provider 2 (or MSP2) programme brought in to provide a more efficient, effective and user-friendly licensing regime wasn’t quite up to scratch. “There were fundamental problems with the delivery schedule for the computer system, which led to delays in processing peoples’ applications. A combination of factors then led to the Contact Centre being inundated.”
Among the functionality not being delivered lay the fairly crucial online application procedure, and Wilson expressed “disappointment” that the implementation periods agreed in the contract for MSP2 – decided upon with “a major blue chip player” – hadn’t been achieved. Then, of course, the ‘right to work’ issue exploded across the national media. It never rains but it pours.
“Right to work checks are essentially the employer’s responsibility,” asserts Wilson, “but ill-informed members of the public and businesses – perhaps those who found themselves with individuals on the books that didn’t have the right to work in the UK – were quick to pass the buck in our direction. We received a lot of bad press for a situation which, in truth, was not of our making. We responded to it very quickly and effectively, working closely with the Home Office and the Border and Immigration Agency from last June.”
Wilson adds: “It’s perhaps also worth pointing out that it was simply impractical for the SIA to have carried out right to work checks when licensing started because the necessary databases and links simply didn’t exist. There’s now a link to the BIA which allows checks to be carried out through MSP2.”
The Panorama experience
Not surprisingly, Wilson – born in 1943 on the West Coast of Scotland – was extremely saddened by the Panorama documentary ‘Britain’s Protection Racket’, broadcast on Monday 21 January. “It painted the industry as being populated by a bunch of crooks, but that most certainly isn’t the case.”
It transpires that Wilson was interviewed for “at least half an hour”, and yet – surprise, surprise – the former Royal Engineers recruit appeared on screen for all of a couple of minutes. “Panorama’s great revelation was that if you call yourself a security consultant, you can do whatever you want in the industry and don’t have to be licensed. I made the simple point that it’s what an individual does that counts, not what they call themselves. It doesn’t matter whether someone’s on front line duties, a director or a shadow director masquerading as a consultant, as one of the individuals in the programme appeared to be – individuals must be licensed if they are carrying out licensable activities. Perhaps because this assertion destroyed Panorama’s main thrust it was barely mentioned.”
The SIA wasn’t allowed sight of the programme pre-broadcast, and was given only an outline beforehand. Even after the documentary had been shown, Panorama’s research team was loathe to share any of the additional footage alleged to contain malpractice in breach of the Private Security Industry Act 2001.
“What’s sad about it all,” continues Wilson, “is that many people who watched this programme then harboured the not unreasonable expectation that, the very next day, we would be out-and-about locking up the individuals and companies caught on camera. Immediate outcomes like that just aren’t possible. Proper investigations and consequent actions also have to be conducted by the appropriate authorities, not just the SIA. Some of these investigations continue.”
Wilson adds: “There’s a range of sanctions short of criminal prosecution that can be used to disrupt the activities of people who may be breaking the law. Those sanctions must be used proportionately and intelligently. To an extent, Panorama achieved a positive result for us in that those caught out have been identified and marginalised.”
Graduating from the military
Wilson’s father was a civil engineer whose military connections came courtesy of being called up to help build the Mulberry Harbours (temporary, pre-fabricated structures developed during World War II to offload cargo on the beaches as part of the D-Day Allied invasion of Normandy). Wilson himself would follow in his father’s engineering footsteps, but his route to the military was a tad more circuitous than you’d have imagined.
Having been educated in Uganda and Kenya, Wilson returned to Glasgow with the intention of attending university. The young man ended up enrolling at the Paisley College of Technology to read marine biology. A strange choice? “Yes, it was,” laughs Wilson. “I swiftly realised there had to be more to life than shuffling test tubes around a laboratory.”
In 1964, Wilson was commissioned into the Royal Engineers (and wouldn’t leave the military until 1996, by which time he’d attained the rank of major general within the defence intelligence staff and served in not just the UK but also the US, Germany and Africa). His basic training included instruction on bridge building, road construction, minefield laying and explosives demolition.
At that time, the Royal Engineers had an important role in support of the Royal Air Force, repairing damaged runways. “You learned how to work with people and equipment, and how to plan and deliver projects. Those skills are appropriate for any business in today’s environment.”
Prior to joining the SIA, of course, Wilson served as chief executive of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), an organisation designed to curb the exploitation of workers and reduce fraud on the Exchequer by those who supply labour in certain industry sectors.
Over the years, various attempts had been made at regulation in this area, but none were entirely successful. The Morecambe Bay tragedy in February 2004 – when 23 Chinese drowned – changed all that. “By chance, there was a Private Members Bill on the books at that time courtesy of Jim Sheridan, the Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North,” explains Wilson. “The Government supported the Bill with some changes, and the Gangmasters Licensing Act 2004 was born.” The GLA opened for business in April 2006.
Presumably the GLA role prepared Wilson nicely for what was to come at the SIA? “One of the lessons we learned is that the actual process of licensing doesn’t much change the way people and businesses behave,” suggests Wilson. “Licensing simply checks whether individuals have the necessary qualifications and weeds out the obviously criminal and unsuitable, which ought to be pretty straightforward,” he continues, before pausing for a second.
“Maybe it seems a bit hollow for me to say this given all the problems we’ve had of late in relation to licensing. The importance of that process is that it underpins compliance and enforcement which, together with good standards, will lead to positive change.”
Wilson was attracted to the SIA role when the advertisement ran the first time around. “It seemed like a challenging task. I wasn’t in a position to apply then, but I always kept an eye on what the organisation was doing.”
Wilson didn’t have any expectations of the industry as such, but he firmly believed his background would engender a genuine contribution to the cause. “Having arrived at the SIA, my inclinations that the organisation was adopting a rigorous approach to regulation administered by professional members of staff were confirmed.”
Demonstrably good for business
Plans in the near future include further promotion of the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS). “To date, the ACS has been a great success,” enthuses Wilson, who describes his managerial style as honest, open and approachable, “but there are a couple of things we have to do to continue that success.”
There is a recognition in Holborn that “more work is needed” to make the ACS demonstrably good for business. “Companies may have joined the ACS because it’s a good standard that’s recognised within the private security industry and gives them a tick in the box,” states Wilson. “The real incentive for companies to strive for ACS is when it’s shown to be good for their business. To this end we will work with central and local Government with a view to having the ACS recognised and adopted as the Government’s standard for security, perhaps with the ACS being stipulated as part of their tender documents. There may be legal constraints involved with this.”
The Manual of Protective Security – described by Wilson as “the Government’s Security Bible” – indicates that if security is to be provided through a private company, then that company should be approved. The only problem is there’s no explanation of what this means. “We want the ACS specified as the standard for Government security when the Manual is rewritten for this coming October.”
Wilson’s desire develops the tenets of the SIA’s own Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Association of British Insurers a stage further. “The Government has spent a lot of time and money setting up its own regulatory body for the security sector. To me, it seems odd that it doesn’t expect its own organisations to make use of this facility. The ACS must be recognised as the industry standard for Government.” SMT is fully supportive of that view.
Idea of compulsory registration
The other element of the ACS to be addressed centres on whether or not Wilson and his colleagues can sell the idea of compulsory registration to ministers. “One of our difficulties at the moment lies in communicating with the wider industry,” sighs Wilson. “Unless a company is ACS-listed they’ll not necessarily be on our radar. We can contact individuals, but it’s more difficult to pinpoint the other businesses that we need to know about and communicate with.”
Some form of compulsory registration is being explored. Although the SIA’s leader “cannot put any flesh on the bones” at the moment, registration might include reviewing the kind of information already collated at Companies House, and carrying out some sort of ‘fit and proper person’ check on directors.
“Compulsory registration would better enable us to spread the word on the ACS, on current industry trends and issues and to obtain feedback from a wider element of the private security industry.”
Selling ideas to ministers and gaining their acceptance is all about cultivating a solid working relationship. Given that the SIA’s dealings with the Home Office haven’t always been as smooth as the Regulator would have wished, are these new proposals likely to fall on receptive ears?
“From the moment I joined the SIA, our relationship with the Home Office has been excellent,” states Wilson. “From the minister right down to the range of officials we deal with on a daily basis, it works very well.” That’s very welcome news indeed. “The right to work issue and how we dealt with it most certainly put us in Vernon Coaker’s good books. Right now, Vernon is concerned about the problems we’ve had of late, and he has every right to be. He wants them put right as fast as possible. So do I. That’s my job.”
Also part of Wilson’s remit is his stated desire to “revisit” the licensing of directors. “There’s a study we’ve been doing that’s due to report on how we might strike a more reasonable line between what Parliament intended [which is that all directors involved with private security provision should be licensed] and the situation prevailing today, whereby directors all the way up to the heads of holding companies [who can be a long way removed from security] are required to be licensed. We want to know if the Act allows us to draw a more sensible line in the sand.”
Buy-in from the outside
Support for the Regulator from influential bodies within the private security industry is equally important. Without their buy-in, life could be very difficult indeed. “The British Security Industry Association understands our difficulties,” suggests Wilson. “They don’t necessarily accept them, and that’s fine. They have a furrow to plough on behalf of their members, but David Dickinson has been nothing less than hugely supportive of what we’re trying to do.”
To achieve buy-in and engagement from the widest possible audience, Wilson has been nothing if not purposeful on the communications front. First of all, organised ‘walkabouts’ have taken place in Guildford, Lancaster and Birmingham (to name but three areas). The Lancaster visit on 11 April was organised by Peter Harrison – managing director of FGH Security – and involved Wilson touring popular nightspots including Revolution and the Vue Cinema to learn all about the issues facing door staff. Wilson was accompanied by Inspector Steve Anderton of the Lancashire Constabulary.
“It was a real eye-opener,” exclaims Wilson, clearly impressed by the door supervisors he met (among whom were graduates and even a PhD). “The security industry today is light years away from what it used to be. That difference is recognised in terms of the type of individual now being attracted, particularly in door supervision. These people are so far removed from the characters the national media still loves to portray.”
In the words of Michael Caine, not many people know this but Wilson is actually a qualified door supervisor in his own right. “When I discovered I was going to be the SIA’s new chief executive, I determined to acquaint myself with what the licensing process looks like from the customers’ end of the telescope. I found out who the Awarding Bodies were and contacted them all. I completed the training in Lincolnshire under the tutelage of Mick Armfield, an ex-policeman. It was excellent, and a great experience.”
Pausing for a moment to reflect once more on the SIA’s Corporate Plan, Wilson adds: “I’d like to think that security is now recognised at the individual level as a worthwhile career that’s not something people just drift into. I’m not convinced the industry and what it does is recognised sufficiently well, though. We have to persuade business leaders that security isn’t a little bolt-on ‘extra’ for which you simply recruit ex-military and police personnel. It has to be part-and-parcel of the business.”
Reaching performance targets
One of the salient lessons Wilson learned from his mother – who instilled in him a fairly traditional range of values that included a strong work ethic – was to see matters through to the end. “You write a Thank You letter, and don’t stop until you put a stamp on the envelope and post it.”
Wilson has been writing lots of letters – two of them to the security industry, explaining the difficulties with licensing of late and what the Regulator is doing to solve them. Although the time taken to process applications is dropping, the target of 80% of decisions being completed within six weeks of receipt of a valid application hasn’t been reached. Apparently, “most” applications are being processed within six-to-eight weeks. “Assuming demand remains level,” Wilson chips in, “we should reach our target this month, with performance improving thereafter.”
May also sees a return to the standard level for the secure return of documents. In addition, the number of Contact/Processing Centre staff has been increased by 20, while more part-timers are helping out.
Given that Wilson served in the Army for over 30 years before setting up the Defence Vetting Agency, it comes as little surprise to learn that he enjoys reading military tomes in his spare time. Just now, it’s a book from a trilogy by Siegfried Sassoon entitled ‘Memoirs of an Infantry Officer’.
“A beautifully-written, factual account of life in the First World War,” Wilson tells me, “that covers the most horrific of situations.”
Having spoken at length with this eloquent fan of The Independent, it’s clear that although Wilson’s own battle to elevate the private security sector’s status and quality has only just begun, it’s a ‘war’ that will be fought until it’s well and truly won.
