For a long time we here at Regency Security have noticed a rapid decline in the amount of new applicants coming through, making recruitment extremely hard. A report released on the 18th August supported by the FSOA and the UKCMA has shown that since 2013 there has been a 40% drop in licenses being renewed.

Industry bodies have called for more support for the private security sector to combat the “diminishing numbers” of qualified personnel in the UK

Britain is facing the prospect of a shortage of qualified event security staff following a sharp drop in the number of Security Industry Authority (SIA) licences being reissued.

Licence renewals have fallen almost 40% since 2013, according to a report published by the United Kingdom Crowd Management Association (UKCMA) – a situation which, if allowed to continue, could have a “dramatic” effect on safety at venues and large events in the UK.

“Given the ongoing heightened security threat levels, the traditional government security services are heavily supplemented by private providers,” reads the report, which follows a February 2017 survey by the University of Derby, backed by UKCMA and the Football Safety Officers Association (FSOA) that sought to explain the “diminishing numbers” of stewards in the UK. “The impact of diminishing numbers of trained security personnel could be dramatic.”

“The six key reasons cited for the difficulty in retaining security workers are poor rates of pay; irregular work patterns; the casual nature of the workforce; competition; the cost of qualifications; and the availability of qualified staff. The report suggests the event security sector “seems to be struggling with financial viability, which is impacting on pay and training budgets”.

The Regency Security Group are committed to working with our security personnel and clients to make a career in the private security sector an appealing prospect. If you have any views on this please contact Kate Gray, Commercial Director on kateg@regencysecurity.co.uk