THE KEIGHLEY director of a security firm has pleaded guilty to repeatedly deploying an unlicensed doorman to venues around Leeds.

Haidar Mumtaz, a former director of 2 B Secure, sent Steven Hare from Bradford to work as security at the Baracoa, the Rosse and the Bierkeller 24 times between December 2018 and February 2019.

Hare was not properly licensed at the time, and as a result the pair were prosecuted by the Security Industry Authority, which regulates private security firms in the UK.

Mumtaz also neglected to inform the SIA that in February this year he had been charged with a number of offences relevant to his own status as an SIA licence holder.

Failure to do so is an offence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

Mumtaz was last month ordered by Leeds Magistrates’ Court to undertake 120 hours of unpaid community service, to be completed in 12 months. He must also pay costs of £633, plus a victim surcharge of £90.

Hare, who appeared before the magistrates in September, was fined £80. The court also ordered him to pay costs of £629.33, plus a victim surcharge of £30.

Pete Easterbrook, of the SIA's Criminal Investigation Team, said: “The court rightly took the view that unlicensed and unregulated security staff are a significant risk to the public.

"Both Mumtaz and Hare, as employer and employee, had a responsibility to ensure that licensable activity was taking place in accordance with the law. They failed in that duty.

"Mumtaz also committed a clear breach of the conditions of his licence by failing to inform us that he had been charged with relevant offences earlier this year. This came to light due to a routine formal disclosure to us by West Yorkshire Police.

"Licence holders in a similar position are reminded that they are required to notify the SIA of any charge or conviction obtained whilst they are licensed. We will always consider the circumstance of any notification in line with our published approach, however failing to notify the SIA at all is a criminal offence and one which we will treat seriously.”

Hare had been issued with a Licence Dispensation Notice (LDN) by an SIA Approved Contractor.

Mr Easterbrook added: "We authorise approved contractors to issue an LDN in order to deploy security staff while their licence application is being processed. An LDN is not transferable, and therefore Hare was committing an offence by working for a company other than an approved contractor who issued him with the LDN whilst he did not hold a full licence."

2 B Secure, which supplies security services to 14 venues throughout West Yorkshire and employs 60 licensed door supervisors, was also taken to court by the Security Industry Authority regarding the same incidents.

The company was fined £10,000 at Leeds Magistrates’ Court and required to pay costs of £778.40 as well as a victim surcharge of £181.

Mumtaz was a director of the company when he supplied Hare’s services but resigned his directorship of 2 B Secure in May this year. The company then installed two new directors, Mark Bateson and Andrew Brennan, who resigned following pursuit by SIA investigators. Brennan was reappointed to 2 B Secure on November 6.

Mr Easterbrook said: “The severity of the fine 2 B Secure Ltd has incurred reflects the poor conduct displayed by the former directors of the company.

"All of whom sought to avoid the consequences of their actions by resigning at various stages during this investigation. These actions were designed to limit the ability of the SIA to prosecute the company – this approach was ill-judged and quite clearly did not have the desired effect.

"This prosecution should act as a reminder that the consequences of supplying unlicensed security operatives are serious and we will always take appropriate action where regulation is undermined and the public are put at risk."