FOI release

Questions about a security company from members of a protest

Published 25 November 2022

1. Request

You have requested the following:

1. What is the security status assigned to [REDACTED] and personnel?

2. Are they SIA qualified and trained?

3. Who are the security at [REDACTED] managed by?

4. Who is the security agency or company managers or authorising body?

5. What is the responsibility of the security agency or company employing [REDACTED]?

6. What are the responsibilities and/or duties of [REDACTED] personal individually?

7. What is [REDACTED] measured boundary of their security authority verbally and physically?

8. Being that [REDACTED] is an American-owned company and a private company, what is the boundary of authority for [REDACTED] security to give instructions on a public road?

9. What is the given metric boundary of authority for [REDACTED] boundary?

10. What is the authority of [REDACTED] security personnel on a public road?

11. Is there a clause for SIA authorisation or any other security company to use private mobile footage and compile for any reason?

12. Is there a clause for SIA personnel or non SIA personnel or any other to have dog handlers and dogs on a public road lunging and barking at [REDACTED] supporters in a public place within lawful injunction boundary for the supporter?

13. Is there a clause for SIA personnel or security company to place illegal barbed wire in a public place?

14. Is there a clause for SIA personnel or security company to remove property not on [REDACTED] land and remove to [REDACTED] land?

15. Is there a clause for SIA personnel or security company to manage traffic not on their land?

16. Is there a clause for SIA personnel or security company to assign fictitious name tags on their black vests?

17. Is there a clause for SIA personnel or security company to instruct members of the public on a public area when it is not [REDACTED] property as per land deeds, where to stand or what to say when it is a public place?

18. Who is the regulating body for SIA status or any security company?

2. Response

I can confirm that the SIA does hold the information you have requested. Each question will be dealt with in turn below.

1. The SIA is responsible for licensing people who do certain jobs in the private security industry and approving private security companies who wish to be part of our Approved Contractor Scheme, which is voluntary.  I can find no record of [REDACTED] in the public Register of Approved Contractors. 

2. All current licence holders appear on our Register of Licence Holders. If by searching by name and date of birth the register delivers no results, this is a clear indication that the individual in question does not hold a current SIA licence. Any current licence holder with those details would be shown.

3. The SIA does not hold this information.

4. The SIA does not hold this information.

5. The SIA does not hold this information.

6. The SIA does not hold this information.

7. The SIA does not hold this information.

8. Please be advised that the Act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. We are not required to create new information to respond to a request or give a judgement or opinion that is not already recorded. As your request is asking for an opinion it falls outside the scope of the Act.

9. The SIA do not hold this information.

10. The SIA do not hold this information.

11. Public space surveillance using CCTV is a licensable activity. More information about whether an individual needs a licence can be found here: Find out if you need an SIA licence. Further information on the use of CCTV by businesses can be found here: Data protection and your business: Using CCTV

12. Please be advised that the Act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. We are not required to create new information to respond to a request or give a judgement or opinion that is not already recorded. As your request is asking for an opinion it falls outside the scope of the Act.

13. Please be advised that the Act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. We are not required to create new information to respond to a request or give a judgement or opinion that is not already recorded. As your request is asking for an opinion it falls outside the scope of the Act.

14. Please be advised that the Act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. We are not required to create new information to respond to a request or give a judgement or opinion that is not already recorded. As your request is asking for an opinion it falls outside the scope of the Act.

15. Please be advised that the Act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. We are not required to create new information to respond to a request or give a judgement or opinion that is not already recorded. As your request is asking for an opinion it falls outside the scope of the Act.

16. If an individual is working in the private security industry as an SIA licence holder, they must abide by conditions for holding an SIA licence. One of the conditions of the licence is that they must wear their licence where it can be seen at all times when engaging in designated licensable activity. You can report security staff working in the private security industry that you think are breaking the law, for example if you think they are using a fake licence via our online reporting form. If you’re using the form to report a crime, you should report it to the police first. You can enter the police crime number when you fill in the form.

17. Please be advised that the Freedom of Information Act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. We are not required to create new information to respond to a request or give a judgement or opinion that is not already recorded. As your request is asking for an opinion it falls outside the scope of the Act.

18. The SIA was created by the Private Security Industry Act 2001 to regulate the UK’s private security industry. The Act sets out what we can and cannot do.

We are responsible for:

• licensing people who do certain jobs in the private security industry
• approving private security companies who wish to be part of our Approved Contractor Scheme
• conducting inspections
• monitoring the activities of people operating within the private security industry and taking enforcement action where necessary
• setting and approving standards of conduct and training for the private security industry
• making recommendations on ways to improve standards in the private security industry

Further information on the SIA can be found here: Security Industry Authority - GOV.UK

[Reference: FOI 0367]