Guidance

The SIA: setting the record straight

Published 25 April 2025

Business licensing

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Why is there not business licensing?

We have previously recommended that standards be improved by introducing compulsory licensing of private security businesses, most recently in response to a recommendation of the Manchester Arena Inquiry.

In 2023 the Home Office advised us it was not persuaded that mandatory business licensing for all companies that supply licensed security was a proportionate regulatory measure, and that the SIA should continue to use a voluntary business approval scheme to raise standards in the industry.

The introduction of business licensing must be approved by ministers as it would require a change in legislation.

As the regulator we only enforce the law. We can make recommendations and proposals to improve standards in security that help strengthen public safety, but ultimately decisions on changes to regulation are taken by government.

We remain committed to playing our part to strengthen public safety. We continue to work with the private security industry, the police, and the Home Office in the pursuit of this goal.

The SIA’s Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS)

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The ACS is a box-ticking exercise

Our ACS provides a recognised hallmark of quality within the private security industry. Businesses that apply undergo a rigorous assessment (including criminality checks) to ensure that they meet our specified quality standards. Not every application gets approved.

In the financial year 2023 to 2024, we processed 106 new ACS applications, accepted 85 new ACS applications, and rejected 29. We approved 33 new businesses under the scheme.

Approved contractors must continue to conform to the ACS standard for the duration of their approval period. Where companies do not conform, we provide support and guidance to highlight the improvement we require. If companies do not meet our requirements, they become subject to our sanctions framework. During 2023 to 2024, we withdrew approval from 38 businesses.

Check which companies are SIA approved.

Find out more about our ACS.

Approved contractors are sub-contracting to non-approved contractors

Unless we have given them permission to do otherwise, SIA approved contractors must only sub-contract to other SIA approved contractors. In exceptional circumstances, we may allow approved contractors to sub-contract to a company we have not approved. This requires our permission, and the customer must also agree to it.

We consider the specific situation and only give permission if we agree that the circumstances are exceptional. Approved contractors found to be breaching our requirements will become subject to our sanctions framework.

Read more about SIA approved contractors sub-contracting outside of the ACS.

SIA licensing

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Why does the SIA not license dog handlers?

We do not have a specific licence for dog handlers. However, dog handlers are not exempt from SIA licensing.

If a dog handler is undertaking the licensable activity of a ‘manned guard’, then they will still need the relevant SIA licence. If they are working as a security guard, then they need a security guard licence. If they are working as a door supervisor, then they need a door supervisor licence.

If I call myself a ‘glass collector’ or a ‘security consultant’ I can get round the requirement for a licence

This is not true. Whether you need an SIA licence to work legally depends on the activity you will be doing, not your job title. A person who undertakes the licensable activity of a manned guard, a vehicle immobiliser, or a key holder without a licence is breaking the law.

The SIA sometimes consults with ‘experts’. Who are these experts and who chooses them?

We work closely with the private security industry to develop policies and improve standards across a broad range of issues falling within the scope of our regulatory authority. Our policies are informed by consultation with the private security industry and other sources such as coroners’ observations and findings from public inquiries.

When we call on outside expertise, we rely on those who are properly qualified and recognised for their expertise in their field.

Licence-linked training

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The licence-linked training does not cover everything that it should

We set entry-level standards on the knowledge and skills required to attain an SIA licence. The licence-linked qualification for door supervisors and security guards is a level 2 award, which is the equivalent of a GCSE. The licence-linked qualification for close protection operatives is a level 3 award, which is the equivalent of an A level.

The licence-linked training gives operatives the skills and knowledge they need to safely and effectively carry out their duties. For many front-line licence holders this includes drugs awareness, queue management, crowd management, conflict management, and physical intervention.

We keep training requirements under constant review to reflect the current risks that a licensed security operative may come across in their work. We recognise that skills fade over time and that threats to public safety evolve. We recently introduced a refresher training requirement which focusses on terror threat awareness.

It is the responsibility of individuals and their employers to build on their licence-linked training with further training during their employment.

The SIA is doing nothing to address the poor quality of the licence-linked training

We set the competency standards for the licence-linked qualifications and specify the qualifications for licensing. We do not run training courses or grant qualifications.

We endorse the awarding organisations that develop qualifications and operate the examination system against the SIA specifications. Awarding organisations are regulated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual).

The public safety role of SIA licence holders means that the quality and integrity of the training they receive at the start of their career is critical. We are determined to ensure poor practices are rooted out and support the majority who operate to good standards.

We work closely with awarding organisations to improve the quality of qualification delivery. We have reviewed the assessment methods for the new qualifications to help ensure they are delivered in line with the rules.

We conduct unannounced visits to training providers across the UK to reassure ourselves that training is being delivered to the required specifications. We feed our recommendations back to the awarding organisations for their information and action.

We are working alongside partners to overhaul current arrangements to ensure a more streamlined and joined-up approach to tackling training malpractice across the private security industry.

Combatting training malpractice requires a concerted effort from all parties involved. If you have concerns about a training provider, please report them. Find out how you report training malpractice.

Find out what we are doing to combat training malpractice.

The SIA is giving licences to people who cannot speak English

All SIA licence holders should be able to communicate effectively in English. Non-UK citizens must also prove to us their right to work in the UK.

Before putting learners forward for training and assessment, training providers must ensure that all learners have sufficient English-language skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening.

If you are concerned that an SIA licence holder is not able to communicate effectively in English, and you suspect training malpractice, find out how to report it.

The SIA’s finances

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The SIA is only interested in making a profit

We are a government body. We are not expected to generate a profit and we do not operate with the intention of doing so. Our focus is on carrying out our responsibilities efficiently and providing value for money to licence holders and applicants. We return any surplus revenue to HM Treasury.

We are currently using surplus funds from previous years to subsidise the licence fee to keep it as low as possible. It is now cheaper to apply for a licence than it was in 2004 because the licence fee has not increased in line with inflation. In fact, the cost of a licence has gone down.

The SIA only brings in extra training so that it can get more money

We do not receive any money from training. We bring in extra training when we see a need for it that is critical to public safety or when we are asked to do so by the industry we regulate. We do not run training courses or receive any money from the fees that operatives pay to training providers.

Our funding is generated from licensing fees and the fees associated with the ACS. You can see more about our funding and expenditure in our annual report and accounts.

The licence fee keeps going up

The licence fee is less now than it was when we first introduced licensing 20 years ago. In 2004 the licence fee was £190. As of April 2023, it is £184. In real terms it is now considerably cheaper to apply for a licence than it was in 2004, since the fee hasn’t increased in line with inflation. If adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index the fee would today be £418.

The impact of regulation on the private security industry

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SIA regulation has not made the private security industry any better

The private security industry was unregulated before the SIA was set up to prevent unsuitable people from working in the industry. Since then, the SIA has set national standards and worked with the industry to professionalise the sector.

The private security industry has matured since the introduction of the licensing regime in 2003. Our research into public trust and confidence in the private security industry has found that 60% of respondents trust security professionals. 70% agree that security professionals are necessary to maintain order and improve public safety.

Most people feel safer with a private security presence at concerts, sporting events, banks, hospitals, venues in the night-time economy, and retail premises. This includes increased trust from law enforcement. Police often see security operatives as a valued first responder in major incidents.

The SIA does nothing for the licence holder

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The SIA should lobby to get better pay for security operatives

We are the regulator of the private security industry. We are not a trade union or a trade association. We exist to protect the public from the risks that an unregulated private security industry would represent. As such we have no power to set standards of pay within the industry.

If you are concerned that you are being treated unfairly, for example by being denied the National Minimum Wage, please report it. Find out how to report labour exploitation.

If it comes to our attention that a business is buying or selling security at a rate that indicates they are not paying their staff the minimum wage, we will act. We work closely with HMRC to make sure that buyers or providers of security that are underpaying their staff cannot continue to do so.

The SIA should do more for us. We pay your wages!

We are the regulator of the private security industry. We are not the employer of security operatives and we are not a membership or trade union for security operatives. We were established by Parliament under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 and we fulfil the responsibilities assigned to us under that act.

Licence holders protect the public but who is protecting them? Why don’t you protect security operatives who are abused at work?

We are not the employer of security operatives, and we are not a membership or trade union organisation for security operatives.

It is the responsibility of venue providers and security employers to take a strong approach to assaults on operatives. We expect them to report assaults on security operatives and support them to report these incidents.

Any violence against a frontline security operative is unacceptable. It is a criminal offence which must be reported.

The SIA should ban ‘one man doors’

This is not in our power. The number of door supervisors at a venue should be calculated as the result of a risk assessment by the venue and discussion with the local licensing authority.

It would be impossible for us to know the specific risks attached to every single venue, on every night, for every form of entertainment, across the entire country.

Enforcing SIA regulation

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The SIA is not properly vetting foreign nationals

We only grant a licence after completing a range of robust criminal record checks on an applicant to ensure they are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence. On top of these checks, all front-line licence applicants must complete specially designed training courses to ensure they have the skills needed to protect the public.

All licence applicants are subject to a criminality check by a UK disclosure body. Any applicants who has spent 6 continuous months or more outside the UK during the 5 years before their application must provide evidence of a criminal record check for each country in which they lived, or must provide a sworn oath and character reference.

It is not always possible to obtain a certificate from some countries. For example, the government of that country may have collapsed, or the country will not provide a criminal record check to someone who does not live there. Applicants who are unable to provide us with evidence of an overseas criminal record check can ask for an exception and provide a sworn oath and character reference. To obtain an exception they must explain why they cannot get an overseas criminal record check. We must be satisfied with that explanation. We robustly verify the credentials of the referee and test their knowledge of the licence applicant.

The SIA does not do anything when I report people working without a licence

We evaluate all the intelligence and reports we receive. The information you provide is important to us. However, we are not able to provide updates or details of any actions we may take as a result of a report. Releasing information about an investigation might prejudice our ability to take effective action.

We will only publish information about active investigations if one or both of the following points apply:

• we believe it is in the public interest to do so
• the subject of our investigation has already made it public

Read our policy on publishing details of SIA criminal investigations and prosecutions.

The SIA does nothing to enforce the licensing regime

We devote significant resources to enforcing our licensing regime. You can see the evidence of that in:

• the list of people we are prosecuting
• the list of people we have prosecuted over the last 12 months
• our enforcement report

We have also published information about:

• the number of SIA licences revoked and suspended since 2004
• SIA licences revoked on the basis of non-conviction information

You can find out more about how we enforce SIA regulation.

The SIA never check people’s licences

We do check licences regularly. Our operations are intelligence-led, which in practice means we focus our resources on areas known to be problematic or to pose the greatest risk. We also work closely with our enforcement partners, like the police and local authority licensing officers, who also have the power to check licences.

We undertake spot checks across the country where we check the licences of security officers on the premises – usually we find a compliance rate of 98%. We regularly prosecute people who we find working without valid licences. You can find out more about our recent prosecutions.

The SIA only goes after the operatives, never their employers

We routinely prosecute businesses that deploy unlicensed operatives or who otherwise break the law. Some examples of prosecutions are:

• Security boss convicted for deploying staff with cloned licences
• Ex-boxer turned security boss convicted of obstructing regulator
• Darlington security boss convicted of lying to the SIA

You can see more prosecutions by browsing our news and communications page.

Working as a security operative

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The SIA will not let us use handcuffs

We do not endorse or encourage the use of handcuffs. However, it is not illegal to carry handcuffs. Anyone considering using handcuffs should be aware that improper use could lead to both civil and criminal liabilities and accusations of assault. If you are thinking about using handcuffs in the course of your job you should first contact your local police force for advice.

You can read about reducing risk in physical intervention.

The private security industry is the only industry where you have to pay before you can work

SIA licence holders work in positions of trust, so it is important that they are properly trained and vetted. The SIA licence assures the public that the industry regulator, a government body, believes you to be a ‘fit and proper’ person.

There are many jobs that require licensing or registration before you can work. Examples include doctors, goods vehicle operators, pleasure boat operators, croupiers, off-licence staff, taxi drivers, racehorse trainers (in Northern Ireland), fishermen, window cleaners (in Scotland), dog breeders, slaughtermen, and many more.

People are leaving the industry thanks to the SIA

Data from our licensing system shows that the number of licence holders and licence applications is increasing. The number of people taking the training required to apply for a licence remains healthy. We have over 450,000 licence holders across the UK. See our data on licence applications.