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Reported Allegations of Training Malpractice

This is a summary of the malpractice allegations reported to awarding bodies between 1 December 2008 and 28 February 2009, as well as the resulting actions taken by the awarding bodies during the same period.

This page is updated on a quarterly basis; however, please note that it can take up to two months to gather data from the awarding bodies.

Malpractice may include such things as:

  • Training being delivered in less than the required hours
  • Inappropriate support being offered to non-English speakers
  • Inappropriate behaviour during the exam process that leads to candidates having an advantage over other candidates taking the same exam.

A single training and assessment centre may be the subject of several different allegations. In addition, an allegation may refer to a single candidate or to the behaviour of staff at a training centre. This makes it difficult for us to know exactly how many individual qualifications are affected by an allegation of malpractice.

Reported Allegations by Sector

A total of 24 allegations were made during the reporting period. The table below shows a breakdown of these by sector. It also shows the overall number of qualifications awarded in the same period.

Sector Alleged Cases of Malpractice Qualifications Awarded in the Same Period
Cash and Valuables in Transit 0 203
Close Protection 1 379
Door Supervision 15 18,085
Public Space Surveillance (CCTV) 2 2,388
Security Guarding 6 3,985
Vehicle Immobilisation 0 269
Total 24 25,309

Action Taken by Awarding Bodies

By the end of the reporting period:

  • 11 cases were still under investigation.
  • 8 cases had been closed following investigation and remedial action.
  • 2 training centres had been placed under temporary suspension, pending further investigation.
  • 2 training centres had their centre approval status withdrawn.
  • 1 training centre was barred from offering testing or certification, pending further investigation.

Last updated 12 May 2009.