THE director of a security company based in Wadebridge has been ordered to pay more than £1,600 after acting as both the director of a security company and as a security operative without a licence for either activity.

Dean Lanyon, director of Trouble Free Security Ltd, was questioned by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary at an event near Wadebridge on July 6, 2024. Trouble Free Security Ltd were providing security for the event and Lanyon was working there as a security operative, where he initially told police he held a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence.

Police checked the SIA Public Register of Licence Holders, which showed that Lanyon was unlicensed, and referred this to the SIA.

Between October 10, 2024 and October 31, 2024, Lanyon failed to respond to repeated requests for information relating to Trouble Free Security Ltd.

SIA records showed that Dean Lanyon had never held an SIA licence, despite having made four historic applications to the SIA to obtain a licence where each had expired without payment.

On April 2, 2025, Lanyon pleaded guilty to offences under both Section 3 and Section 19 of the Private Security Industry Act. He was ordered to pay a £400 fine for each offence, a victim surcharge of £320, and prosecution costs of £500, totalling £1,620.

Kirsty Grant, criminal investigations officer at the Security Industry Authority, said: “A vital part of the SIA’s role in protecting public safety is ensuring all security directors and operatives are adequately licensed to perform their roles. Dean Lanyon, despite knowing the SIA licensing requirements through his historic applications, decided to put people at risk by working without a licence.

“Both the SIA and the police conduct regular inspection and enforcement operations across the country to make sure regulations are followed, and any unlicensed operatives are found.”