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security industry. Their purpose is to ensure that the individual is capable of performing their duties in a manner that will not cause harm to themselves or any member of the public. The qualifications are meant to address the core areas of the role; they are not intended to cover all of the training that an operative could possibly have.
357:(which any SIA licence allows). On 31 July 2013 the Home Secretary announced that the SIA will be regulating private investigators. No deadline was given, although the announcement stated that "The regulation of private investigators will be introduced as quickly as possible and the new regime will begin next year ".
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It was announced on the 8th
February 2022, in the document called Security Industry Authority Framework Agreement 1 Security Industry Authority (SIA) Framework Document that section 1.2 The SIA has been classified by the Cabinet Office as an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Home Office.
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In July 2016 the SIA shut down its contact centre. This was done partly to reduce the SIA's running costs and partly because of the SIA's plans for private security businesses to take a more active role in supporting the licensing of employees. This decision generated criticism from people unhappy at
412:
The SIA does not run training courses or award qualifications and does not approve or vet training providers. The SIA specifies the knowledge and skills that a licence holder needs to know and be able to do and these specifications form the basis of the qualifications linked to SIA licensing. The SIA
284:
One of the main duties of the SIA is the compulsory licensing of individuals working in specific sectors of the private security industry. Whether or not an individual requires a licence is determined by: "the role that is performed" and "the activity that is undertaken". These are described fully in
662:
published a consultation document entitled 'Consultation on a Future
Regulatory Regime for the Private Security Industry'. The document proposes a regime in which individuals will continue to be licensed but the primary focus of the regulator will shift to a system of business regulation. The future
476:
The ACS scoring system was not designed to be a differentiation tool. However, it can assist when gauging overall quality, provided that its limitations are understood. It is important that the score is looked at alongside other differentiators (such as the contractor's reputation in the marketplace
408:
Individuals applying for a front line SIA licence must prove that they are properly qualified to do their job. If they don't hold one of the SIA-endorsed qualifications then their licence application will be refused. The licence-linked qualifications are intended for individuals entering the private
395:
to investigate the implications of extending the legislation to cover in-house staffed guards once licensing of the private security industry had been in force for three to four years. To meet this obligation the SIA consulted widely through a range of mechanisms. Its assessment of the evidence took
467:
SIA approval is only available for the activities of an organisation that are regulated under the
Private Security Industry Act 2001. Approval is sector-specific, so a company offering two different kinds of private security services may be approved in one but not the other. To maintain approval an
420:
carried out an undercover investigation into the training that candidates were undertaking to obtain their SIA licences. This revealed that mobile phone use and open talking in exams was common practice during the training course and examination that the reporter took. Training malpractice such as
493:
Claiming to be an approved contractor when this is not the case is an offence under section 16 of the
Private Security Industry Act 2001. A section 16 offence includes use of the Approved Contractor Scheme accreditation mark or the use of language that may suggest approval or endorsement, such as
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Companies applying to the scheme are assessed against 89 individual indicators of achievement. The SIA does not normally assess contractors directly, though it may do so in exceptional circumstances. The usual practice is for assessment by one of the SIA's appointed assessing bodies. As of August
352:
without lawful authority. The SIA cancelled most of the vehicle immobiliser licences held by individuals in
England and Wales. Exceptions were made for those individuals wishing to undertake vehicle immobilisation activities in Northern Ireland (where vehicle immobilisation is still legal) or key
440:
One of the main duties of the SIA is to manage the
Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS), a voluntary quality assurance scheme that measures private security suppliers against independently assessed operational and performance standards. Organisations that meet these standards are awarded 'Approved
381:
licence is required for those who manage, supervise and/or employ individuals who engage in licensable activity, as long as front line activity is not carried out – this includes directors or partners. A non-front line licence is issued in the form of a letter that also covers key holding
40:
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this is a matter for the various UK Qualification
Regulatory Authorities. Training malpractice can be defined as any deliberate activity, neglect, default or other practice that compromises the integrity of the assessment process and / or the validity of certificates.
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licence is required if undertaking licensable activity, other than key holding activities (this also covers undertaking non-front line activity). A front line licence is in the form of a credit card-sized plastic card that must be worn, subject to the licence
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into account that regulation should only be targeted where action was needed; that regulation should only intervene where there is a clear case for public protection, and any proposal for further regulation should be proportionate and follow a
400:. Its conclusion is that there is no clearly defined or substantiated risk to public protection to be addressed and that it is unable to make a case which would justify extending its remit to include the licensing of in-house guards.
652:– Phased transition to new regulatory regime." The exact nature of this new regulatory regime is yet to be determined. In the meantime the existing regulatory regime remains in place and existing laws will continue to be enforced.
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The
Private Security Industry Act 2001 (as amended) allows for SIA licensing of private investigation activities, security consultants and precognition agents but the SIA does not license these activities. On 1 October 2012 the
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On 11 January 2016 it was announced that a consultation into the future of the SIA was being conducted. The closing date for submissions is 18 February 2016. Organisations and individuals could submit opinions and experiences.
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The
Private Security Industry Act 2001 does not require staffed guards employed in-house to be licensed unless their activities are in relation to licensed premises. The SIA was charged by
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approved contractor must re-register every year and renew approval every three years. This process means that approved contractors are independently assessed on an annual basis.
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industry and to manage a voluntary
Approved Contractor Scheme, which measures private security service suppliers against independently established assessment criteria.
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made an announcement on the future of many public bodies. Its intention for the SIA was stated as: "Security Industry Authority – No Longer an
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464:-accredited assessing bodies are: BSI; Chamber Certification Assessment Services Ltd; NSI (prop. Insight Certification Ltd); ISOQAR; SSAIB.
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to engage in licensable conduct without a licence: if found guilty, the maximum penalty is six months imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine
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codes of practice applicable to the private security industry and conformance to the relevant codes is built into the ACS requirements.
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The two duties of the SIA are to regulate the compulsory licensing of individuals who undertake designated activities within the
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In 2017 it was widely reported that people going through the licence renewal process were experiencing significant delays.
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In March 2011 the SIA was removed from Schedule 1 of the Public Bodies Bill (subsequently, the Public Bodies Act 2011).
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This article is about the statutory body in the United Kingdom. For the trade association in the United States, see
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Contractors with a score of 56 or higher would be in the top half of performance for approved contractors
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has endorsed certain awarding bodies to offer these qualifications and approve training providers.
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494:"SIA registered" or "SIA member". The penalties for committing an offence under Section 16 are:
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Contractor' status. At the end of March 2012, the total number of approved contractors was 729.
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Compulsory licensing of individuals working in specific sectors of the private security industry
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is the statutory organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls
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the SIA revoking the licences of those licence holders who benefited from the malpractice.
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Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
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as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from
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An Act to make provision for the regulation of the private security industry.
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the relevant awarding body or bodies removing the training centre's approval
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The ACS is based upon widely recognised business improvement models:
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Citizenship
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Contractors with a score of 130 or higher would be in the top 5%
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Non-departmental public bodies of the United Kingdom government
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169 permanent staff, 212 staff overall (2009/10 financial year)
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or the quality of its tender response) and not in isolation.
746:"BBC - Press Office - Panorama: Britain's Protection Racket"
728:"BBC - Press Office - Panorama: Britain's Protection Racket"
710:"New regulation of Private Investigators to be introduced"
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made it an offence to undertake vehicle immobilisation in
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Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention
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452:(EFQM) Excellence Model. The Scheme also references the
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Confirmed cases of training malpractice may result in:
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Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office
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The activities defined as licensable by the Act are:
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237:Text of the Private Security Industry Act 2001
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521:or Sheriff and jury trial, an unlimited fine.
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564:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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1091:2003 establishments in the United Kingdom
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597:what they saw as poor customer service.
66:Regulating the private security industry
1096:Government agencies established in 2003
1010:Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
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111:Managing the Approved Contractor Scheme
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663:status of the SIA is not considered.
230:Text of statute as originally enacted
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1020:Biometrics and Forensic Ethics Group
562:adding citations to reliable sources
365:There are two types of SIA licence:
16:Statutory body in the United Kingdom
916:Minister of State for Home Affairs
287:Private Security Industry Act 2001
267:Private Security Industry Act 2001
166:Private Security Industry Act 2001
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513:Upon conviction on indictment at
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285:Section 3 and Schedule 2 of the
261:in 2003, the SIA reports to the
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342:Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
297:Licensable activities (sectors)
25:Securities Industry Association
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404:Licence-linked qualifications
306:Cash and Valuables in Transit
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332:Vehicle Immobilisation (VI)
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990:UK Visas and Immigration
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658:On 20 November 2012 the
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644:On 14 October 2010 the
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811:www.legislation.gov.uk
329:Security Guarding (SG)
289:(as amended). It is a
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604:The future of the SIA
125:Heather Baily (Chair)
558:improve this section
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257:. Established as a
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269:(c. 12).
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47:Founded
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320:(DS)
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