Lancashire security boss must pay £6,548 for supplying unlicensed security or go to jail

April 27, 2021

A Preston man has been ordered to pay a four-figure sum for providing unlicensed security to a school.

On Tuesday, 20 April 2021, Martin Coe of Blackpool was handed a £6,548 Confiscation Order at Preston Crown Court, payable within three months. If he fails to pay he will face a 60-day jail sentence. He was also ordered to pay court costs of £5,000 to us within 12 months.

Tuesday’s decision follows our prosecution of Martin Coe last October. Coe was the former director of Evolution Security Services NW Limited (now dissolved). He was found guilty of two counts of providing unlicensed security to Baines School in Poulton and the Wyre Light pub in Fleetwood.

He was handed a 32-week jail term suspended for 12 months at Preston Magistrates’ Court on 27 January 2021.

The Proceeds of Crime Act order that was given to Coe yesterday marks the end of a lengthy series of hearings.

The investigation started in May 2019 when Neil Reddington and Gavin Macaskill were found working illegally at the Wyre Light. They were discovered by licensing officers from Lancashire Constabulary who referred the case to us. Both men were employed by Evolution Security.

Nathan Salmon, our Criminal Investigation Manager said:

“It’s satisfying to see the outcome of the recent proceeds of crime order against Coe. The £6,548 order illustrates that courts will remove criminal benefit where it can be associated to breaches of security regulation. His business practices would have distorted the market for legitimate businesses providing high-quality security to customers in the North West. Supplying unlicensed people puts the public at risk, and Coe profited from knowingly doing so. He has a criminal record which will prevent him from working in the private security industry.” 

The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (“POCA”) sets out the legislative scheme for the recovery of criminal assets with criminal confiscation being the most commonly used power. Confiscation occurs after a conviction has taken place.

If a person has a POCA Order against them they have to pay it regardless if they serve a jail sentence.

The offences relating to the Private Security Industry Act (2001) that are mentioned above are as follows:

Section 5     by way of Section 23 (a director deploying unlicensed guards through a company)
Section 19    failing to provide information relating to an investigation

•    Martin Coe’s original sentence comprised:
o    Charge 1 (s5 Wyre Light) – 26 weeks custody
o    Charge 2 (s5 Northern Security) – 6 weeks custody consecutive
o    Charge 3 (s19 Evolution NW) – 4 weeks custody concurrent
o    Charge 4 (s19 Evolution) – 4 weeks custody concurrent