Security Industry Authority
He was also sentenced to a 12-month community order which requires him to carry out 200-hours of unpaid work and pay a victim surcharge of 95. The sentence follows his guilty pleas on 24 April at Bolton Magistrates Court to numerous counts of fraud and forgery.
The prosecution followed a criminal investigation by the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Zahkier Hussain submitted an application for an SIA door supervisors licence on 21 November 2021. The SIA rejected his application due to his previous criminality; the Private Security Industry Act 2001 allows for an individual to appeal against the SIAs decision within 21 days and he took up this opportunity.
As part of Zahkier Hussains appeal he supplied two-character references. On 29 March 2022 he falsified a character reference from an individual with an address in Bolton which he submitted to the SIA. On 4 May 2022 he falsified another character reference from a second person and sent it to the SIA as part of his appeal. The addresses on both of the references were part of a claim that the people were neighbours of Zahkier Hussain and that they were former colleagues.
SIA investigators identified that the actual address was the same as that of Zahkier Hussain. Further investigations found that the second named person also lived at the same address as Zahkier Hussain. These facts were subsequently verified by Bury Council officials.
SIA investigators invited Zahkier Hussain to participate in an interview-under-caution, however despite receiving this request he failed to respond and did not engage with the SIA during its investigation. This gave the SIA little option but to prosecute Hussain.
Mark Chapman, one of the SIAs Criminal Investigation Managers emphasises that the purpose of the SIAs licensing regime is to keep people safe.
Zahkier Hussain deliberately sought to evade the rigorous verification processes that the SIA uses to assess whether someone is fit and proper to be an SIA licence holder. Zahkier Hussain tried repeatedly to get a licence but failed due to his previous history. His guilty pleas to the counterfeiting and fraud offences and last Mondays sentence and financial penalties reflects the seriousness of the charges brought. It is highly unlikely that he will be able to work in the UKs private security industry in the future.
Notes to editors:
- By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence
- Read about SIA enforcement and penalties
- The offences relating to the Fraud Act 2006 that are mentioned above are as follows:
- 2 x Section 7 - making or supplying articles for use in frauds
- The offences relating to the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 that are mentioned above are as follows:
- 2 x Section 3 - using a false instrument
Further information:
- The Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the United Kingdom, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIAs main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme.
- For further information about the Security Industry Authority or to sign up for email updates visit: www.gov.uk/sia. The SIA is also on LinkedIn Facebook (Security Industry Authority) and Twi