Wembley man prosecuted for working illegally
On 16 October, Harrow Crown Court ordered Erjon Xhika to pay a £300 fine plus £300 prosecution costs. This follows his guilty plea to working illegally.
The prosecution was brought by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).
The case began when the SIA’s London team of investigators carried out a routine licence inspection in Wembley on 7 July 2021 in the run up to the Euro final at Wembley Stadium. During the inspection they visited an Irish theme bar on Wembley Park Drive and checked the licence of the door supervisor, Erjon Xhika, who was in possession of an SIA licence. The licence appeared to be false although it displayed his name Erjon Xhika, and when he was questioned by the SIA’s investigators, he disappeared from the bar. The investigators held onto the licence for further investigation.
In September 2021, Gentian Dedej, the director of the security company linked to this case replied to SIA investigators but failed to supply them with the information they were seeking about Mr Xhika. SIA criminal investigators invited Erjon Xhika to attend an interview-under-caution in October and December 2021. Mr Xhika repeatedly failed to engage with the SIA’s investigators.
Despite this, Mr Xhika applied for an SIA licence after the offence in April 2022. In his application he failed to declare criminality therefore on 28 May 2022 the SIA refused his licence application.
Nicola Bolton, one of the SIA’s criminal investigations managers, said that this case demonstrates the importance of the licensing regime which is there to protect the public.
Mr Xhika worked illegally at a popular bar in the vicinity of Wembley Stadium in the run up to the high-profile Euro Finals in the summer of 2021 when a lot of people would have been out celebrating. At the time of the offence Mr Xhika was untrained and unlicensed yet he chose to put the patrons in his care at risk. The sentence means that he has an additional criminal record and unable to work in the UK’s private security industry.
Notes to editors:
- By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence
- Read about SIA enforcement and penalties
- The offence relating to the Private Security Industry Act 2001 that is mentioned above is:
- Section 3 – engaging in licensable conduct without a licence
Further information:
- The 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 Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s 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. The SIA is also on LinkedIn Facebook (Security Industry Authority) and Twitter (@SIAuk).