Press release

Birkenhead company director prosecuted for supplying illegal security

On Thursday 22 June 2023, a Birkenhead company director and his company were sentenced at Liverpool Magistrates' Court.

Christopher Smith, sole director of Prenton-based Storm Secure Ltd was sentenced to a conditional discharge for a period of 12 months and ordered to pay 拢1,200 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of 拢22. 皇冠体育app company was handed an absolute discharge. 皇冠体育app sentencing followed the prosecutions on 11 May when Mr Smith entered guilty pleas for the supply of an unlicensed door supervisor to a Birkenhead bar and restaurant in November 2021.

皇冠体育app Security Industry Authority (SIA) brought the prosecutions following a joint enforcement initiative with Merseyside Police and Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council licence enforcement officers. Together they carried out inspections in Birkenhead in November 2021 having received information that several bars and pubs were using illegal security.

皇冠体育app team inspected a beach bar and restaurant and requested the venue鈥檚 signing-in register, which provided details of those people working there in a security role. 皇冠体育appy also obtained a letter from the venue stating that a recently formed company, Storm Secure Ltd, was its security supplier.

Analysis of the signing-in register revealed false licence numbers had been recorded for an unlicensed man who worked for two days in November 2021. SIA investigators consequently interviewed Mr Smith under caution on 01 April 2022. During the interview he confirmed that he had deployed the unknown man without the appropriate checks.

Mr Smith told SIA investigators that he was using another person, whom he trusted, to find suitably licensed people. SIA attempts to interview this unlicensed security operative were unsuccessful.

Mark Chapman, one of the SIA鈥檚 criminal investigations managers, said of the prosecution:

Christopher Smith has been sentenced and now has a criminal record. 皇冠体育app SIA licensing regime exists to protect the public. By deploying illegal security into the Birkenhead night-time economy, he let down his client and the patrons of the venue, including on Bonfire Night, one of the busiest nights of the year. We are grateful to our enforcement partners Wirral Borough Council and Merseyside Police for their assistance in helping us to identify the licence offending.

Notes to editors:

  • By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence
  • Read about SIA enforcement and penalties
  • 皇冠体育app offences relating to the that are mentioned above are:
    • Section 5 鈥� deploying unlicensed guards
    • Section 5 by way of section 23 鈥� consent, connivance or neglect of directors for employing unlicensed guards
  • A conditional discharge is where a person could still get a sentence if they break the conditions
  • An absolute discharge is a criminal conviction and is regarded as a spent conviction with no sentence (fine, imprisonment, other penalty) and no conditions

Further information:

  • 皇冠体育app Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the United Kingdom, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the . 皇冠体育app SIA鈥檚 main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme.
  • For further information about the Security Industry Authority or to sign up for email updates visit: www.gov.uk/sia. 皇冠体育app SIA is also on and .

Updates to this page

Published 30 June 2023