David Dickinson commented: "People have been asking in the last few months 'what is the role of the BSIA now that part of our industry is subject to statutory regulation?' The key to the answer lies in the fact that it is only part of our industry that is subject to regulation and licensing, albeit representing a large number of people. The other sectors of our industry will continue to be set apart from their competitors by the fact that they subscribe to the standards and ethics of our Association.
"However, to look for a moment at the sector that is regulated; one of the main purposes of a trade association is to seek to protect its members from any adverse conditions that may affect their businesses and that includes overbearing regulation. Now some people may have had their differences with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), but compared with many other regulators they are a model of modernity and consultation.
"The SIA themselves recognise how important the BSIA is for the future well-being of the industry and its relationship with the regulatory authorities. John Saunders said in a speech at the Awards ceremony for the Approved Contractor Scheme 'there was never a more pressing need for a strong BSIA to work for the industry with the regulator'."
"That need will not diminish just because there is regulation in place, nor can the Approved Contractor Scheme act as any kind of representative body for industry practitioners. Nor can we assume, in the changing world of government policy, that our modern regulator will stay in that guise forever. It has already been suggested that the SIA might somehow be subsumed by the Health and Safety Executive. If that were to happen - and we will take every possible step to try to prevent it - then the need for a strong and influential trade association will be greater than ever.
"The need for standards does not diminish with time, and the need for those standards to be constructed by committed industry practitioners meeting together for the common good goes on. The BSIA is 40 years old on 24th January next year. It has not even reached early middle age and there's a long, long way to go before anybody starts to think about obituaries."