Category: Training Malpractice

Those working within the private security hold positions of trust and responsibility. It is essential that the public, customers and stakeholders have confidence and trust that security operatives are properly trained, qualified, and capable of keeping people, property and premises safe. A key component of ensuring this trust and confidence is assuring the validity of the qualifications that operatives receive before they can apply for an SIA licence.  The majority of providers who deliver SIA licence linked training are professionals who share our commitment to high standards, however where this is not the case, poor standards and training malpractice can, at its worst, put the public at risk.   

While we play a central role in setting the minimum standards for licence-linked training, we’re not the only players in the game.  We define the core skills and knowledge required for operatives to qualify for a licence. However, the delivery of that training is conducted by around 650 training providers who are in turn approved by six Awarding Organisations (AOs), each regulated by Ofqual (England and Wales), SQA (Scotland), CCEA (Northern Ireland), which oversees quality assurance across the sector.    

Qualifications’ regulation is a well-established model that is in use in other sectors across the UK, but having multiple organisations involved in the process doesn’t always make things straightforward.  Regardless of who is responsible for which part of the process, where a qualification leads to a licence being granted, then our role is to ensure that the individual we have granted a licence to is fit and proper – and that includes possessing the safety critical skills and knowledge to undertake their role effectively.    

In 2024, we began to focus greater attention on training malpractice, which at it’s most serious can constitute fraud – a criminal offence.  As part of this, we undertook work to improve strategic relationships with key partners such as Awarding Organisations and qualification regulators such as Ofqual.  An enhanced communications campaign resulted in an increase in the intelligence we received relating to training malpractice – essential for us to be able to take the appropriate action.  

Since April 2025, we’ve built on the foundations of this work, and we are now moving into a new phase under Operation RESOLUTE.  RESOLUTE has been designed as a high impact initiative with a strong operational focus on intelligence led, unannounced inspections to training providers, as well as a deeper collaboration with partners. 

We are realigning our resources and ensuring we leverage the considerable expertise of our people.  By way of an example, we’ve now brought specialist training integrity resources into our Inspections and Enforcement directorate.  This shift has unlocked wider investigative expertise and enabled a more proactive, intelligence-led approach to tackling training abuse.  In addition, we’ve invested in nationally accredited training to sharpen the investigative skills of our frontline teams to ensure they are equipped to tackle training malpractice head on.   

Our robust and decisive approach is already having an impact.   

Since the 1^st April 2025; 

•  we’ve increased the number of unannounced training centre visits by 120% compared to the same period last year.  Those visits have resulted in 10 training centres having their approval to deliver training withdrawn, and one centre suspended from delivering training until the Awarding Body is satisfied the appropriate standard can be met.  

• we’ve commenced a criminal investigation in one case due to the serious nature of the offending.  As part of this investigation 17 individual SIA licences have been revoked where our enquiries have brought into question whether the training an individual has received has been up to the required standard.  

• In July 2025 my teams conducted a series of targeted inspections across the UK, visiting 15 training centres in a single week.  Whilst standards were generally high, four training centres we visited were found to be delivering training below our expectations.  In two cases the issues were so serious the centres were sanctioned by Awarding Bodies and any further training will be scrutinised and monitored. One of these centres was further sanctioned, and the Awarding Body will not authorise the release of any further qualifications until it is satisfied the quality of training can be met 

We are about to undertake a strategic review of the licence linked qualifications, within which we will seek to further reduce opportunities for abuse of the training system.  Naturally, this will involve us taking a close look at how assessments are conducted and administered.  In the meantime we are working closely with partners, will continue our work under Operation RESOLUTE, acting swiftly and decisively to root out abuse, detect and disrupt criminality, and make the private security industry a hostile environment for those who seek to exploit it. 

We will continue to provide updates on our progress as appropriate. 

If you have concerns about a training provider, please do report your concerns: Find out how you report training malpractice. 

More information about the parties involved in delivering SIA licence-linked training is available from our Learn about SIA licence-linked training  page.