Security bosses fined after deploying unlicensed door supervisor
The directors of a security company have been fined after a door supervisor was found working at a Bristol nightclub with a suspended licence.
Security Industry Authority (SIA) officers were conducting checks in Kingswood on 7 October 2023 when they found Mohammad Nazar working at a nightclub.
Mr Nazar was deployed by Titan Security Services 24/7 Ltd. The SIA had suspended his licence in February 2023.
Following further investigation, the SIA prosecuted Titan Security Services 24/7 Ltd, and its directors, for deploying Mr Nazar without a licence. Mr Aaron Williams and Mr Ashley Fido claimed that they did not realise online licence checks existed, despite being in the security industry for 20 years.
Mr Nazar, Mr Williams, and Mr Fido all entered guilty pleas at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 8 July 2024.
Nicola Bolton, Criminal Investigation Manager at the SIA, said:
Our robust licensing system is there for a reason: to protect the public. Door supervisors play a vital role keeping people safe and are specially trained to respond to dangerous situations and safely de-escalate conflict. When security companies and individuals flout these regulations, they put people at risk.
These convictions show that we are always vigilant for those disregarding these important regulations. We conduct regular checks to make sure anyone flouting the rules will be punished.
Mr Williams, Mr Fido, and Titan Security Services 24/7 Ltd were all fined £753 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £293 plus prosecution costs of £342, making a total to pay of £1,388 each.
The court imposed a Community Order on Mr Nazar for a period of 12 months with a requirement of 40 hours unpaid work. It additionally ordered £400 to be paid towards prosecution costs, plus a victim surcharge of £114.
Notes to editors
By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence. Read more about SIA enforcement and penalties.
Further information
The Security Industry Authority is the regulator of the UK’s private security industry. Our purpose is to protect the public through effective regulation of the private security industry and working with partners to raise standards across the sector. We are responsible for licensing people who do certain jobs in the private security industry and for approving private security companies who wish to be part of the voluntary ‘Approved Contractor Scheme’. We are marking 20 years since we were set up in 2003 and issued the first SIA licences in April 2004.
The SIA is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Home Office. For more information, visit: www.gov.uk/sia.
You can also find us on LinkedIn @Security Industry Authority, Facebook @theSIAUK, YouTube @TheSIAUK and X (formerly known as Twitter) @SIAuk.