SIA prosecutes door supervisor

Glen Thompson was found working at Roma’s Bar and Bistro in February 2018 during an inspection by our investigators, who were being supported by the PSNI. He pled guilty to working without a licence, and was fined £400 with £175 costs and an offender levy of £15. 

SIA criminal investigator Pete Easterbrook said, “Door supervisors have a vital role to play in ensuring the safety of the public.  They are placed into positions of trust and responsibility, and it is for this reason that they are regulated by the Security Industry Authority. We mandate effective training, and ensure that licences are only issued to those who meet strict eligibility criteria with regard to criminality and other disqualifying factors.

"The law is very clear that both working without a licence and supplying an unlicensed security operative are criminal offences. Doing so places the public at risk and is entirely unacceptable. There is a small minority of people within the security industry in Northern Ireland who believe that they are above the law, and can do as they wish. This will not be tolerated, and I would urge those people to think very carefully about the consequences of their actions. Compliance with the law is not optional, and those who seek to undermine public safety in this way can expect to be prosecuted.”

Thompson initially claimed that he was working in-house for Roma’s. However, investigators subsequently discovered that this was not the case. 

SIA asked Thompson to attend an interview at Newtownards Police Station at the start of June 2018. Thompson failed to appear, despite assuring investigators that he would be present. He then refused to engage with us, and as a result was summonsed to appear at Newtownards Magistrates' Court, where upon his third appearance he pled guilty.​​