星空传媒

"You鈥檙e entirely right. It will,鈥� proffers Andy Drane, 鈥渂ut I must stress that regulation isn鈥檛 aiming for that.鈥�

Drane continues: 鈥淲hat the market does in response to the SIA is up to the market itself. We want to make sure that everything we do is equally applicable to the smaller companies as it is to the larger ones. It鈥檚 not in our interests to create and preside over a situation wherein security is only deliverable by the larger companies. Businesses need to be born and nurtured, don鈥檛 they?鈥�

Encompassing the whole market

At this juncture, Drane adds a poignant footnote to our discussion. 鈥淟et me make it perfectly clear that the SIA is not here to secure the market share of the big players in the guarding industry. Obviously, I wouldn鈥檛 blame them for attempting to use regulation to achieve that scenario, but we are clear in that we want what we are doing to be applicable to the whole market, not just a handful of security companies.鈥�

One of the tests you can use to deduce a guarding company鈥檚 worth is by how much they have 鈥榖oycotted鈥� BS 7858. For what percentage of the workforce has the standard been waived? The 鈥榙irectors鈥� sign-off' is the crucial factor. If, say, 5% of officers are grouped under this 鈥榮ign-off鈥�, then that鈥檚 just about acceptable. Anything above that figure and you need to begin questioning the validity of such a business.

Views of contractors

Drane has necessarily visited and spoken to a good many contractors, so what is his basic perception of UK security companies?

鈥淭here are probably three groups,鈥� he says. "There are the cowboys. They will be forced to transform or die. At the other end of the scale are the companies who preach quality and deliver on their promises. Then, occupying the middle ground is a big group of service providers who talk about quality but rarely deliver. They will actively try to bypass BS 7858, for example.鈥�