littlewoman

'Fairer and Flexible Criteria' for Licence Applications
6 October 2008: From today, applicants applying for a Security Industry Authority (sia) licence and those renewing their licence will benefit from new, streamlined criminality criteria checks.
The SIA always carries out a criminal record check on anyone who applies for a licence. If an applicant has a criminal record, it does not necessarily mean that they will be refused a licence.
However, if an applicant has convictions, warnings, cautions, absolute/conditional discharges, admonishments or charges awaiting trial for offences, the SIA will make a decision according to the seriousness, relevancy, sentencing/penalty and recency.
The new criteria introduce new convictions and allows greater flexibility in the licensing decision.
Nick Smith, Assistant Director, Government and Legal said:
"The revised system builds on the previous criteria by maintaining our commitment to public protection. We believe by including consideration of the actual sentence or disposal received for a conviction it has a greater flexibility and increases fairness."

• Get Licensed - sia Licensing Criteria is available in PDF on the SIA website.
• The sia has temporarily suspended the criminal record indicator. This is so the SIA can bring it up to date with the new criminality criteria that came into effect on 6 October 2008.

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Above bit is copied from the sia webpage (ie its not my words)

If anyone has had a license refused they might like to examine the new criteria and if appropriate ask the SIA to reconsider the application under the new criteria.

yoda

Thank you for the post littlewoman,

Fingers crossed that this is not another mess up for the SIA, but a step towards better standards and common sense.

All the best.

VICTORMACE

Would like to think it was a step towards fairer consideration, when looking at people criminal records, some records aren't as criminal as they look. In all due respect cautions hardly constitute a criminal offence neither do warnings or any kind of discharge, when you take into consideration what security personell have to face sometimes.GBH, ABH are more realistic reasons to refuse a licence. I sure someone will object to my point of view. I welcome comment.

ozblu3

interesting

yoda

Hi VICTORMACE,

GBH yes i agree with you, surely ABH it will have to be on an individual case bases surely. For ABH you don't have to make contact any more to get charged.

All the best.

VICTORMACE

Actually I know that, was charged with ABH for shouting at someone a drunk doctor and his wife who at 2 in the morning were refusing to leave, police called me arrested because they felt threatened, me charged. In mean time she decided she wants to have a baby and case believe or not put back a year, after the baby born she feels shes not ready to face court various excuses put forward for them not attending another year passes, it finally gets into court, they dont attend police dont attend, judge throws it out for lack of evidence, I am exceedingly annoyed at 2 years wasted time, and you know i couldn't even tell you what they look like.

Redwolf

I had once asked a question about security clearances on another site and was informed that a record does not necessarily mean you cannot get a clearance, that you may have a chance to explain your crimes?
If one has a non - violent felony, only one which was 20 yrs prior will this automatically mean you are not qualified? The only reason the conviction ever stood was the police lied and you plead guilty to a lesser sentence to avoid a lenghty sentence only because you lacked the money for a good lawyer and the one you did higher was an idiot who kept asking for money so you said screw it, took a guilty plea to save your family 30,000 dollars more, after spending 15 grand and maybe avoid a longer sentence? Im about to lose 2 friends who may go south of the border to work for the bad guys to support their familys since their company went out of business and lost their homes.They cant afford a lawyer to get their felo nies expunged so they are risking everything to support their families. The charge was drug possesion, only they had no drugs, they just would not leave the area/home of a friends sister when under cover officers tried to sell, give credit also and they denied so they came out the back rooms, arrested them, they didnt have them on camera buying drugs, they supposedly found drugs on another person who also bought drugs on camera, so they decided to put the drugs on the innocent guys who had nothing to do with this exept being the first people in the apartment for a new sting operation and some state assemblyman and his cronies were there to witness this operation. And since they were not trying to buy drugs, they entered the room saying to other officers "GET THE GUN", since they told the people they had no money so they would stop trying to sell them drugs. When they were arrested and put in the back room, they were both searched and had money on them, this pissed the cops off even more since they couldnt use it for evidence.
It goes on but, you get the picture, even the first police report had the guys name on their report who originally had the drugs but, that file mysteriously dissappeared when they saw it and decided to get a real lawyer who didnt even try and find that report,.ok. enough.

littlewoman

Redwolf,
You're in the US and the sia only regulates the UK industry. You'd need to check with your local authorities about what their criteria is, it might vary from state to state. Some of the other US people on here might be able to advise you.

hippy

Always been a bit woried aout the criminality criteria... Not worried about my conviction for armed robbery, but always been concerned the 'parking on a double yellow' might one day become an issue....

littlewoman

Parking on a double yellow became a decriminalised offence some years ago and is dealt with by Parking Wardens. Unless you got a PCN (parking ticket) issued by the police because you were also causing an obstruction (parking blocking the pavement, too near a junction etc.) in which case its still a crime. Although neither will stop you getting your sia license.