GovWire

SIAinvestigatorslaunched theday of actionon 31 Octoberinpartnership withHome Office ImmigrationEnforcement,targeting 11 locationsspanning the length and breadth of the country.

Twopeoplewere arrested by Home Office Immigration Enforcement (HOIE) officers for overstaying their visasduring the joint investigationin Yeovil and Ilkeston. Oneindividualin Ilkestonwasalsocautioned under section 22 of the Private Security Industry Act (PSIA).

Thesynchronised,unannouncedvisitswereaimed at disrupting potentialorganisedcriminal activitylinked to security company staff workingat construction sitesthroughout the country, from the south coast tothenorth-west.

Theextensive enforcement and intelligence-gatheringoperation wasdevisedafterthe SIAs Intelligence teamreceivedallegationsof serious criminal activity, includingSIA licence fraud,organised immigration crime, labour exploitation and money laundering.

Pete Easterbrook, Head of CriminalEnforcementat the SIA, said:

Thisoperationwasa result of intelligenceoriginatingfrom within theprivate security industry whichwasdevelopedandanalysedby our Intelligence teamandinvolvedcollaboration byour Criminal EnforcementandCompliance and Inspectionsteams.Investigatorsfrom the SIAand Home Office Immigrationworkedtogether toplan andexecute intelligence-led enforcement action up and down the country, fromEast Sussex to Lancashire.

Thanks to these combined effortswehave struck a significant blow against thoseseekingtouse the private security industry as a vehicle for criminality includingtheexploitationofvulnerablepeople.

Operationslike thisare vital in our mission to protect thepublic by ensuring that those whoseektoseriouslyundermine the regulatory regime are brought to justice.Our message is clear.There is no place for criminality within the UK private security industryand wewilltake action to disruptcriminaloperations and bring offenders to justice.We are resolute in our efforts to safeguard both the public and legitimate security operatives from these illegal practices.Where we get credible intelligence of illegal activity,wehave the will and capabilityto actdecisivelyandtake robustaction.

Investigators targetedlocations in:

• Yorkshire
• Somerset
• Norfolk
• Derbyshire
• Staffordshire
• Eastand WestSussex
• Berkshire
• Lancashire

Eddy Montgomery, Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime at the Home Office, said:

Exploitation of illegal workers within the UK construction industry is on the rise, with rogue employers showing complete disregard to the safety and rights of legal foreign workers who contribute significantly to this sector.

Our Immigration Enforcement officers are working closely with other government agencies to intensify efforts to tackle illegal working in construction as part of a broad series of operations across multiple sectors.

I would like to thank the Security Industry Authority for their effective collaboration in cracking down on fraudulent employers who are violating laws, impacting public finances, and exploiting vulnerable people for financial gain.

This is part of wider enforcement activity the SIA is conducting as part of Operation Empower to tackle labour exploitation within the private security industry.

The SIAisunable togivefurther detailsof thearrestsat this stage, given the potential impact on any future criminal prosecutions.

Anyone who is concerned about labour exploitation within the private security industry can?report it to the SIA and other agencies.

Note to editors

The SIA is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of thePrivate Security Industry Act 2001. The SIAs main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS).

For further information about the SIA or to sign up?for email updates visitwww.gov.uk/sia. We also post articles and updates onWordPress. The SIA is onLinkedIn,Facebook (Security Industry Authority)andTwitter (@SIAuk).

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