Worcester man prosecuted for working illegally at a Worcester pub
On Friday 11 August 2023, Vikramjit Sharma from Worcester was prosecuted (in his absence) at Worcester Magistrates' Court.
He was caught working illegally as a door supervisor on 4 November 2022 during a routine inspection by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and West Mercia Police.
Sharma was sentenced to a £250 fine, required to pay a victim surcharge of £100 and the court ordered him to pay the full £1,663.80 prosecution costs and a collection order was imposed. Sharma now has a criminal record.
The case began when West Mercia Police joined SIA investigators to carry out a routine inspection of Worcester’s night time economy on 4 November 2022.
The investigators approached a well-known pub chain where two men were working as door supervisors. Sharma was one of them and he was displaying his SIA licence. Checks revealed the licence had been revoked by the SIA on 5 September 2022 as Sharma had no longer any right to work in the UK.
Sharma was contacted several times and told that his licence had been revoked and he was given 21 days to appeal the SIA’s decision. The SIA also told him to return the licence.
During the inspection on 4 November 2022 the SIA’s investigators established that Sharma had made an entry in the pub’s signing in-book. The venue had a security contract and had sub-contracted to another company. It was this company that employed Sharma to the venue and they remain under investigation.
Sharma was interviewed on the night and he told SIA investigators that he had no knowledge that his licence had been revoked. Yet evidence showed that he had accessed his online account repeatedly during the period. SIA investigators took Sharma’s licence off him.
SIA investigators sought to further interview Sharma under caution but he failed to engage with them. He was also due to appear in court on 23 June 2023 but failed to attend.
Mark Chapman, one of the SIA’s Criminal Investigations Managers, said:
The SIA licensing regime is there to protect the public. SIA licence holders must be ‘fit and proper’ people to protect the public. Sharma’s licence had been revoked. A simple online test by employers can check on our register of licence holders to assess whether a licence holder is legitimate and remains active. He is now unable to work in private security and has a criminal record.
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).