FOI release

Request for information about a specific security company

Published 25 June 2026

Request

For the period 1 January 2023 to the date of your response, please provide:

1. Whether [COMPANY NAME REDACTED] has been an SIA approved contractor in this period, and if so: the full legal name and company number, and the dates ACS approval was held.
2. The number of complaints, investigations and enforcement actions involving [COMPANY NAME REDACTED] or staff employed by them, with for each: the year; a short description of the issue (for example: unlicensed working, vetting concerns, misconduct), and the outcome (for example: no action, warning, licence revoked, prosecution).
3. A copy of, or a link to, any SIA guidance that sets out what vetting or screening checks private security companies are expected to carry out on SIA-licensed staff.

Response

The SIA holds the information that you have requested.

Question 1

[COMPANY NAME REDACTED], [COMPANY NUMBER REDACTED] has been an SIA approved contractor continuously since 21 September 2015. [LINK TO COMPANY ENTRY IN THE SIA REGISTER OF APPROVED CONTRACTORS REDACTED].

Question 2

We neither confirm nor deny that we hold the information you have requested. Section 30(1) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) states that:

“Information held by a public authority is exempt information if it has at any time been held by the authority for the purposes of –

(a) any investigation which the public authority has a duty to conduct with a view to it being ascertained –

(i) whether a person should be charged with an offence, or

(ii) whether a person charged with an offence is guilty of it,

(b) any investigation which is conducted by the authority and in the circumstances may lead to a decision by the authority to institute criminal proceedings which the authority has power to conduct, or

(c) any criminal proceedings which the authority has power to conduct.”

The information you have requested, if held, would fall into the category described in Section 30 (1)(b) FOIA.

Section 30(3) confirms that we are not required to confirm or deny that we hold information if it would be exempt from disclosure under any of the criteria set out above. However, we must carry out a public interest test to weigh whether the public interest favours confirmation or denial.

In this case the public interest factors favouring confirmation are transparency in respect of the manner in which the SIA undertakes its statutory functions.

The factors against confirmation are that disclosure under FOIA might alert individuals who are under investigation and may prejudice the conduct of such investigations.  Disclosure is likely to place stress and mental anguish on those being investigated.  Disclosure has the ability to damage the manner in which the SIA conducts its investigations by revealing tactics, resources or partnership working.

Having weighed up the factors tending for and against disclosure, it is not in the public interest to disclose this information for the reasons set out above. 

We are therefore satisfied that we can rely on section 30 to neither confirm nor deny that we hold the information you have requested

Question 3

We do not stipulate what vetting or screening checks should be undertaken by private security companies on SIA-licensed staff. However, one of the conditions for SIA approved contractors is that the British Standards must be followed and that pre-employment screening must conform to British Standards 7858 for the company to remain approved. It is a requirement that private security companies verify that all security staff being deployed to carry out a licensable role hold a valid SIA licence. The simplest way to do by using the SIA register of licence holders to check whether an individual has a valid SIA licence. The register of licence holders can be used by the public.

[Ref: FOI 0612]