Were you aware Petty Criminals will be employed as 2012 Olympic Security Guards
Posted on Wednesday 16th May, 2012
The Telegraph wrote a worrying article concerning security at the Olympic venues. The article reports security services will be supplemented with students who have criminal records www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8676586/London-2012-Olympics-criminals-may-get-chance-to-work-as-Olympic-guards.html.
The Olympic organisers plan to use 8,000 students to help trained security staff. Under a scheme called 'Bridging the Gap', the students will be required to have some kind of accreditation, but not the Security Industry Authority License (SIA License) which all security guards must have to be employed. This is worrying as these students will make up half of the total security for the Olympics.
The students will still be subject to Criminal Records Bureau checks (CBR) but having a criminal record will not necessarily exclude the students from acting as security for the Olympics. It was felt people with convictions for minor offences should be given a second chance.
There will be police supplied to each venue as well has having security contractors, which includes the students. With last years riots and the on going terrorist threat, it hardly seems right to train students with any kind of criminal record for such an important job. It is believed these students will not even reach the minimum standards required of the security industry which is depicted by the SIA.
Isn't it about time children raised in this country were made to understand cause and effect. If they do something bad, it will come back and bite them, from not getting the job they want to not being allowed into another Country. Shouldn't the thousand's of unemployed who have the aptitude and the right back ground be fully trained to cover the Olympic Security and have the chance at getting a good job at the end of it?
The vast majority of the security for the Olympics is also being provided by volunteers. We have actually been training some of them, a few have been excellent. However, a huge amount of them are useless. Maybe security hasn't been taken that seriously as the Olympics are obviously employing security on the cheap.
The SIA license is also open to every migrant worker who is over 18, whether their spoken English or understanding of English law and customs is good or bad. The security industry is still, even after the SIA was implemented, seen as menial job, the working hours are long often 12 hour shifts whilst the pay is still the minimum wage.
For those of us in the industry it does seem to make a joke of the SIA License which has in fact made it more costly and more time consuming to train and process staff as well as producing poor quality staff, because as you can see above, anyone can do it!
If we were to plan an event, we would be expected to provide SIA licensed personnel, but apparently the government can waiver this for the Olympics.
We would be interested to hear your views on this subject.
The VIP Team
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