Home Office Minister Announces Introduction of ACS

Home Office Minister Paul Goggins, today (12 January 2006) announced to Parliament the Government’s decision to introduce an Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) for the private security industry.

In a written statement to the House of Commons, Paul Goggins announced that following public consultation, the ACS will include elements from two of the options in the consultation paper: Option 3, which requires companies to possess one or more of a list of specified existing standards, and Option 4, which would introduce a new standard defined by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

These two options were the most popular in the consultation, with over 90 per cent of respondents expressing a preference for one of them. By adopting a mixture of the two options, security companies who have already achieved existing standards can take credit for that, without requiring other companies, particularly smaller ones, to go through that procedure. It also introduces a new SIA national standard for the private security industry.

Full details of the scheme, including the fee structure, will be announced by the Home Office as soon as possible to allow companies to plan and prepare for implementation. Detail of the ACS will be subject to annual review.

You can read the Minister's statement to the House here.