Copyright Digger Magazine August 2009,
Ruchill Security try to stop us from telling you A notorious security company has hired media lawyers to gag us from telling you that the directors running it have been banned from the industry.
Ruchill Security founder Bobby Dempster, nicknamed The Devil' had his licence suspended by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) on May 21, even though it was due to run until October 20, 2010. Dempster, 60, was licensed as a non-frontline security guard but the SIA suspended his licence after a police raid on his sites in April.
But we can reveal that Dempster is listed as a director of Ruchill Security and has replaced Des Stewart, who no longer appears on their paperwork at Companies House. But because Dempster's lost his licence he can no longer officially run the company.
The Digger can also reveal that the only other director Francis Anderson, 52, also had his licence pulled by the government quango in June. This effectively means Ruchill Security has no officers who can run it.
Unlicensed
Also Dempster's sons Barry and Robert were taken out of commission by the SIA a month later than their dad, on June 22, despite being licensed until September next year.
In a desperate bid to keep this qujet the Dempster family including Stewart have hired Levy & McRae to stop us from telling you this. Stewart's sister Veronica Rodden is on the board of management who hired Robert Tamburrini to be the director of North Glasgow Housing Association. He sued us in the courts for two years but failed to shut us down. Levy & McRae also represented him.
A source told The Digger: "Dempster wants to put The Digger out of business and he thinks if he throws in enough money he can succeed.
"They weren't190 happy when the case against Tamburrini ended in a settlement."
Robert and Barry worked for Ruchill Security and were both licensed to work as frontline security guards prior to their suspension, which permits them to look after construction sites.
Many of their sites have gone up in flames. One site in Lambhill, which was burnt down, had links to the Lyons crime family in Lambhill. Barry is only in his 20s but already owns a house on pricey Dowanside Road in the West End.
The SIA gives suspended security workers 21 days to appeal the decision.
A spokesperson for the Security Industry Authority said: "We only consider suspension where there is a clear threat to public safety."
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 Peter Watson, Scotland's Solicitor of the Year, is acting for Ruchill Security's Robert Dempster |
| Its website states that: "This usually means that a serious offence has allegedly taken place, where a licence holder has been charged but bailed. We will suspend a licence in other circumstances if it is in the public interest to do so." It's not clear why the Dempster family had their licences suspended but Ruchill Security sites have been raided by police in the past. Stewart posted a letter, which he received from Christy Hopkins, a representative of the head of investigations at the SIA, on the company's website in March, boasting that the SIA hadn't caught any of his employees in a crackdown on dodgy security companies guarding construction sites across central Scotland.
Banned
We looked at the company's website, which reproduces the private letter. It states: "Ruchill Security are proud to present this letter to all quarters as it confirms that during this deployed action no one working for Ruchill Security under the company umbrella were (sic) found to be working illegally or unlicensed.
"We feel this letter goes a long way to showing our commitment and total co-operation to the SIA and everything it stands for and hope to continue a mutual respect (sic) relationship.
But none of Stewart's ramblings mention that the only two directors of the company have now been temporarily banned from running a security company.
And both of Dempster's sons also lost their licences three months after the Stewart's letter from Hopkins. This is a deliberate attempt to mislead the construction industry and the source of Ruchill Security's money.
On Monday, Levy & McRae, who act for the Police Federation and represent rank and file police officers right up to the Chief Constable, wrote a letter informing us that one of its partners Peter Watson was acting for all three Dempsters and Stewart.
Two months ago, Watson convinced Tamburrini not to accept any damages as long as he got over £20,000 from The Digger. Maybe Watson can teach Dempster a thing or two about protection? |
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