The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people in all walks of life, including the private security industry. Some have fallen ill with COVID, unable to work as a result. Others have watched loved ones suffer - and in some cases, die.
Crisis fund
In 2020 the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals took action to support those affected by the pandemic. They created a crisis fund for security operatives, the police and emergency services, and the armed forces.
The fund offers grants of:
- £250 for someone hospitalised due to COVID
- £500 for the family of someone who has died of COVID
People can apply for themselves, and businesses can apply on behalf of their employees (the funds are paid directly to the employee).
By the end of 2021 the crisis fund had helped:
- 13 people hospitalised from COVID
- 12 families who had lost a loved one
Claire Palmer, Chair of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals Charitable Trust, said:
Research conducted early in the pandemic showed that those working in front line security had been particularly affected by COVID-19. We wanted to do something about that. Whilst the sum granted to individuals is relatively small, to those applying for the grants it is a vital form of support.
Grant for good causes
In March 2021 we granted £9,372.23 to the crisis fund.
The grant came from money we received through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The Act allows us to:
- investigate the financial activity of people who have committed a criminal offence
- confiscate the proceeds of crime through a court-issued confiscation order - this requires that the person pays back any money they have made through their criminal acts
We receive a portion of the money we recover through confiscation orders.
Pete Easterbrook, the SIA's Head of Criminal Investigation, said:
It was really pleasing to support such a worthy cause by investing funds taken away from those involved in crime. The purpose of confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act is to ensure that crime does not pay, and it feels like suitable restorative justice to return money to individuals in the private security industry that was originally gained illegally.
