Today (30 April 2024) the Security Industry Authority announced the award of £72,000 from its grant for good causes fund to 7 registered charities and community interest companies across the UK. This brings the total grants awarded by the SIA using cash confiscated from criminals to over £250,000.
Through this fund, the UK's private security industry regulator distributes money recovered through proceeds of crime confiscation orders. Grants are used to benefit the private security industry and improve public protection.
Grants awarded in the 2023 to 2024 financial year will help young people to secure employment in the private security industry, educate about the dangers of knife crime and signs of human trafficking, and improve the personal safety of people in vulnerable circumstances.
Paul Cartlidge, Chair of the grants panel, and Investigations and Enforcement Head of Operational Support at the SIA, said:
As we mark 20 years of SIA licensing, I'm delighted to announce that we have been able to support 7 good causes across the UK with over £72,000 of funding.
This is thanks to the confiscation orders we have secured following successful prosecutions.
Our teams work hard to make sure that those who engage in criminal activity within the private security industry do not financially benefit from their crimes.
The grants awarded for 2023 to 2024 are:
- £23,000 to Diverse FM Community Media & Training Ltd (registered charity no. 1172543) to provide training and support to help at least 25 unemployed or economically inactive people in the Luton area to secure employment in the private security industry.
- £18,000 to Employment 4 All C.I.C (company no. 13327047) to provide training, job placements and additional support for at least 24 young people to help them secure employment in the private security industry.
- £9,264 to Glasgow Street Aid (registered charity no. SC050704) to train at least 15 volunteers in First Response Emergency Care and buy kit bags to provide pre-hospital medical care for complex cases like dug misuse and serious assault.
- £6,633.24 to Hft (HF Trust Limited, registered charity no. 313069) to provide workshops in personal and online safety for learning disabled adults in Bristol.
- £6,633.23 to Invisible Traffick NI (registered charity no. NIC104713) to provide human trafficking awareness training to frontline staff at ports and airports in Northern Ireland.
- £2,000 to Strut Safe CIC (company no. SC736453) to extend support line service hours to help people walking alone get home safely on weeknights as well as weekends.
- £6,633.23 to The Ben Kinsella Trust (registered charity no. 1126612) to hold at least 14 workshops to educate young Londoners about the dangers of knife crime and help them to make positive choices.
A new case study, also released today, explains how the SIA supported 1000 Black Boys CIC last year to provide opportunities and role models to young people who are more likely to be victims of knife-crime or youth violence in London.
