Why are these figures published?

A key philosophy of the Approved Contractor Scheme is to foster a culture of self assessment and continuous improvement within the private security industry.

In any assessment process it is important to acknowledge good practice or achievement above the required standard, as well as recognising the potential for further improvement. With this in mind the following generic information is made available to illustrate the overall achievement of approved contractors during the period from March 2006, when the first approvals were granted, up to 30 April 2008.

Background

Private security suppliers seeking approved contractor status must demonstrate their commitment to quality and customer service. Within England, Wales and Scotland we estimate there are approximately 2,000 providers of private security services. As at 30 April 2008 there were 469 approved contractors and the diagram below illustrates the numbers that have taken steps along the route to approval.

Assessing Prospective Approved Contractors

For a security supplier the route to approved contractor status commences with an informal self assessment using the SIA ACS workbook.

This workbook defines the required achievement level for 89 performance indicators across nine broad business areas. A security provider can assess itself as above, below or at the required achievement level for each of the indicators.

View benchmark scores >>