SIA inspections uncover public safety risks in night-time economy
The SIA carried out national unannounced inspections on 21 June, identifying unlicensed operatives, a counterfeit licence and licence condition breaches.
More than 40 officers from the SIA’s Inspections and Enforcement Directorate, supported by policing partners, carried out co-ordinated inspections across the UK on Saturday 21 June 2026. Teams visited 224 licensed premises and conducted 450 licence checks across the night-time economy.
While most operatives were found to be correctly licensed, investigators identified:
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6 suspected Section 3 offences under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (PSIA). These included one individual suspected of using a counterfeit licence, one working while their licence was suspended, and another suspected of working on someone else’s licence, who fled the scene while speaking with investigators.
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Venue staff undertaking or managing licensable activity without holding an SIA licence, which is a criminal offence.
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Multiple suspected section 9 offences relating to breaches of licence conditions. These included failing to display an SIA licence while on duty and failing to notify the SIA of a change of address. Licence condition breaches are serious and are also criminal offences.
Unlicensed security operatives present a clear risk to public safety. The SIA licencing regime exists to ensure that those working in licensable roles have been subject to the required checks, vetting and training. Where individuals fail to follow the rules, the public cannot have confidence that those safeguards are in place.
During the inspections, officers also spoke with security operatives about wider public safety responsibilities — including violence against women and girls, spiking, and identifying and safeguarding vulnerable people.
Pete Easterbrook, SIA Executive Director of Inspections and Enforcement, said:
Where we identify unlicensed activity, counterfeit licences, suspended licences or breaches of licence conditions, we will act. These are not minor technical issues. Licensing is a safeguard that helps protect the public, and where that safeguard is bypassed or ignored, there is a clear public safety risk.
Supplying unlicensed operatives is a serious matter, and businesses must ensure that the people they supply are legally entitled to work in licensable roles.
Almost all of the issues identified could have been prevented through stronger management oversight and a clearer understanding of legal responsibilities. Effective supervision is not optional — it is fundamental to operating lawfully.
Our proactive and intelligence-led activity will not stop. We will continue to rigorously inspect individuals, businesses and training providers, to keep the public safe and protect the integrity of the regulatory regime.
The SIA undertakes both intelligence-led inspections and proactive inspection activity. This proactive inspection focused primarily on people working in the night-time economy. It forms part of the SIA’s wider inspection regime, which also covers security businesses and training providers.
Over the next week, SIA teams will contact the businesses supplying the unlicensed individuals identified during the inspections to determine their liability. Supplying an unlicensed security operative is a serious criminal offence and the SIA will take action where appropriate.
Background
The operation covered six regions:
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North: Bolton, Huddersfield, Durham
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East: Lincoln, Chesterfield, Sheffield
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West and South West: Gloucester, Southampton
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Wales: Wrexham
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South East: Southend-on-Sea, Milton Keynes
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London: Soho, Covent Garden, Camden
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Scotland: Glasgow, Edinburgh
By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence. Information about SIA enforcement and penalties can be found on GOV.UK/SIA.
The offences relating to the Private Security Industry Act 2001 mentioned above are:
Section 3 – engaging in licensable conduct without a licence
Section 9 – contravening licence conditions
Licence conditions
SIA licence holders are required to display the front of their licence card at all times while engaged in licensable activity. The purpose of the licence card is to assure members of the public that the operative they are dealing with has been properly checked and vetted by the SIA.
Licence holders are also required to notify the SIA of any changes to their personal details, such as their name or address. Failing to comply with licence conditions is a criminal offence.
The SIA is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS).
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