Five arrested in rogue security firm raids

Oct 9 2007

FIVE MEN have been arrested after police raided seven addresses as part of a crackdown on rogue security firms.

Police, working with the Department for Work and Pensions, said the five men, aged 53, 19, 51, 45 and 50 were from the Kensington, St Helens, Toxteth and Wavertree areas.

The latest arrests follow the launch of Operation Seahog by Merseyside Police in August last year and in that time the Force has had some considerable success in its war on security firms,which fail to adhere to regulations set down in the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

Since the police activity started in 2006, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has seen a 40 per cent increase in applications by security firms applying to the Approved Contractor Scheme. There has also been a significant increase in the standard of security across Merseyside in terms of the number of licensed security guards working across the county.

The crackdown was prompted by tactics used by the rogue firms, which are believed to have included setting fire to building sites which refused to take their services.

In the last year officers and representatives from partner agencies have carried out visits to 620 construction sites and executed 56 warrants. A total of 51 private security companies have been investigated for offences

contrary to the Private Security Industry Act (PSIA) and 138 people have been convicted of PSIA Section 3 offences (working without an SIA licence).

Two men, Andrew Moore and Craig Moore, from Halsbury Road, Kensington and Winslow Street, Walton,  have also been found guilty of blackmail offences and are due to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on 12 October 2007.

The Force has been working alongside representatives of Liverpool City Council, Wirral Council, Sefton Council, the Health and Safety Executive, Department of Trade and Industry, Inland Revenue, Immigration, Merseyside Pathfinder (New Heartlands) and construction companies themselves to weaken the influence of those security companies which are not being run legitimately.

Chief Inspector Ray Beirne, explained: "Merseyside Police will not stand back and let security firms that are not being run legitimately, get a foothold in Merseyside at the expense of legitimate businesses. Those

security firms that fail to comply with the Private Security Industry Act

will be attacked from all angles by Merseyside Police and its partners.

"Those arrested today are believed to have fraudulently claimed state

benefits whilst working in the security industry and it is believed that

one individual alone may have claimed more than £100,000 in benefits over

an extensive period of time. Merseyside Police is committed to tackling

security firms which are not being run legitimately and today's operation

shows how we can work with our partner agencies using different types of

legislation to make a difference."

The five men arrested today have been taken to police stations on

Merseyside where they are being questioned by detectives.