For many years, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has consulted with an amorphous group of security industry “stakeholders” to look at policy, planning and development of the industry. Many would say that during this time, very little change or improvement actually took place, possibly due to the fact that these “stakeholders” were doing very nicely financially, thank you. Change did not suit their business plans. Now, however, the SIA has been placed under the umbrella of the Home Office’s Homeland Security division, and things seem to be changing.
The first recent change was the formation of the new S12, a UK security industry consultation group. The arrival of the S12, “security guarding leadership group”, could not be more timely. With increased demands on the sector caused by the introduction of Martyn’s Law, there is a genuine chance for the organisation to become a catalyst for lasting, practical improvement. Get it wrong, however, and there is a grave danger that an already cynical industry will view the S12 as just another defensive veneer and PR face for the industry, whilst leaving systematic problems untouched.
What Does the S12 Security Guarding Leadership Group Aim to Do?
Officially launched during the International Security Expo at London’s Olympia earlier this month, the S12 is being billed as a cross-industry forum to raise standards, shape policy, and accelerate implementation of key legislation. The group’s main aims include broader integration with policing, the creation of a Security Skills Academy and improved professional standards across the contract guarding sector.
This sounds good so far, uncontroversially so, and indeed the security minister, Dan Jarvis, attended the launch, giving a significant speech to the assembled members. His speech is available in full here.
Who’s In the Room? Meet the S12 Board
The composition of this group is critically important. Credibility depends on it, and the S12 is off to a good start. Highly respected Paul Evans (Carlisle) has been named chair, with equally well-regarded Peter Harrison (FGH Security) as deputy chair; the group includes senior executives from national providers, SMEs and trade bodies, and has observers from the National Security Inspectorate and other governance outfits.
Members are committed to two-year terms and monthly meetings, with each member sponsoring at least one initiative. There is also a commitment to introduce wider ‘sub-working groups’, spreading involvement further across the industry—full list of board members below.
S12 Security Guarding Leadership Group Members
- Paul Evans, CEO, Carlisle Security Services Limited (Chair)
- Peter Harrison, Managing Director, FGH Security (Deputy Chair)
- Gary Culloden, Managing Director, Security, Mitie
- Tim Kendall, President, G4S Secure Solutions (UK&I)
- Rachel Fleri, Managing Director, Specialist Security
- Ahmad Rafique, CEO, SSG Support Services
- Claire Shrosbree, CEO, CYS Security
- Alex Booth, Managing Director, AURA UK Services
- Paul Howe, Managing Director, Venture Security Management,
- John MacAskill, British Security Industry Association (BSIA)
Observation and Governance Roles
- David Ward, City Security Council
- Richard Fogelman, National Security Inspectorate (NSI)
From S10 to S12: A Move Toward Inclusion?
When the initial idea of a security guarding leadership group was announced, it was framed as the S10. This was met with substantial criticism as many engaged individuals were automatically excluded from participation. This led to the group being widely viewed as just a formalisation of the SIA’s ‘usual’ consulting stakeholders. Stakeholders that had achieved little in the way of security industry improvement over the years.
Indeed, I was one of the critics of the initial idea for just that reason. To its credit, these objections were taken on board rapidly, and a more open and inclusive organisation was proposed, with membership across numerous categories being democratically voted to the board.
If the S12 can convert its new and unprecedented access to Government and regulators into positive, concrete change, it will have achieved its goals and gained industry respect.
The Challenges Ahead
There are, however, three quick and uncomfortable truths the S12 Security Guarding Leadership Group must confront:
- Representation is not the same as reach.
The group’s membership includes heavyweights and trade association nominees, but voices from the trenches, small guarding firms, security operatives themselves, and front-line client procurement teams need structured, funded channels into S12’s policymaking. Token representation on a committee is not the same as systemic pulling power over tendering practice, low-margin outsourcing and the use of casualised labour models that corrode standards.
- Standards without enforcement create perverse incentives.
Raising the bar for training and conduct matters, but it must be paired with consistent audit, accessible escalation paths for contract breaches, and proportionate sanctions for malpractice. Otherwise, the market will continue to reward the providers who cut corners on wages, training and supervision. S12’s promise to work with the SIA and regulators is necessary; now it needs to define measurable KPIs and public reporting on progress.
- Perception is policy.
The sector still carries reputational baggage. Ministers and officials will listen to S12, but they will also ask whether its conclusions reflect the real world or merely the interests of larger incumbents. That’s not paranoia; there are already public expressions of scepticism from parts of the industry suggesting S12’s composition risks privileging bigger players. For S12 to be credible, minutes, membership criteria, voting procedures, and conflict of interest declarations should be transparent and easily accessible.
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Setting a 100-Day Roadmap
So, how is the S12 going to get started? Momentum is important, and the industry will be watching, so if I were setting the first 100-day deliverables for the S12, they would look something like this:
- Publish a one-page public roadmap with named owners.
We don’t need vague commitments; we need named people, milestones and measurable outcomes for the Skills Academy, a sector-wide training baseline and proposals for procurement reform. Transparency builds accountability and reduces the ‘closed circle’ perception.
- Launch a rapid-response standards task force focused on contracts and procurement.
Building on the minimum charge rate framework published by the IPSA, and created by John Lambert, the group should produce a short, client-facing code of practice for procurement teams (public and private) that disincentivises the race to the bottom.
It should be short, enforceable, and include simple mechanisms for clients to check whether a provider meets minimum pay, training and supervision thresholds.
- Commit to worker engagement.
Create a standing workers’ panel and fund independent surveys of front-line staff. If the industry is serious about professionalism, it must listen to the people who do the work night after night, day after day. Their insights on rota design, supervision levels and unrealistic client expectations are often the fastest route to meaningful improvement. This is no easy task, and the S12 will inevitably need to work with organisations such as the IPSA, Guild of Security Industry Professionals and IFPO.
Pitfalls to Avoid
The S12 has access to the minister and to regulators. Valuable political capital. But the group must avoid two traps.
First, capture: if S12 becomes a lobbying group for privileged commercial interests rather than a public-interest forum, ministers will move on, and the sector’s window to influence policy will shut.
Second, inaction: announcing committees, working groups, and further consultations is easy; delivering systemic change is not. The political appetite for fixes will be finite unless S12 demonstrates early wins.
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Closing Thoughts: Can the S12 Earn Industry Trust?
This industry is capable of self-improvement. We have competent professionals, committed firms, and a regulator that can be constructive despite historically being hindered by its Home Office overlords. The S12 might just be the mechanism that turns scattered initiatives into a coherent, credible programme that elevates guarding from a poorly regarded tactical commodity to a recognised, respected, trained profession that serves public safety.
Credibility and respect need to be earned. The S12 must be brutally practical, setting target outcomes, not stating aspirations. It needs to publish data, not PR platitudes. Crucially, it needs to show that the UK security industry can effectively protect the public whilst advancing the legitimate commercial interests that sustain the workforce.
If it does that, politicians will listen and reputations will mend.
If it doesn’t, it will become just another ‘old boys club’, fuelling more cynicism and achieving nothing for nearly half a million workers in the sector.
Either way, the industry will be watching.
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