Licensing – Security Industry Authority Blog

Updates to our licensing criteria to ensure that it remains fit and proper

Tim Archer, Director of Licensing and Standards explains why we’re updating our criminality criteria and how the changes will impact our licensing decisions.

We are introducing important changes to our criminality criteria for licensing decisions, which will come into effect on 1 December 2025. These changes will affect how we assess criminality when making decisions about granting, renewing, suspending or revoking SIA licences.

With just days remaining until the new criteria take effect, it’s important that licence holders, applicants, and employers in the industry understand what’s changing and how it may impact them. Whether you’re applying for a new licence, seeking to renew an existing one, or employing licensed security operatives, these changes represent a significant update to our approach to assessing criminality.

In this blog, I want to explain what’s changing, why we’re making these changes, and what they mean for you.

The criteria we use to assess applications for SIA licences is set out in the document Get Licensed. We use this statutory guidance to determine whether someone is fit and proper to hold an SIA licence.

We consulted on proposed changes to the criteria in March 2025, and following that consultation, these changes have now been approved by our minister. They take effect on 1st December 2025.

The changes we’re making:

Adding new, additional offences to the list of offences that the SIA considers relevant for licencing decisions, including modern slavery, people trafficking and ‘upskirting’ offences.
Tightening up the rules around refusing a licence where an applicant has any criminal record that includes a sexual offence, child abuse or neglect offence, or a prison sentence of more than 48 months. We already look closely at the risks of applications involving these offences, and we’re going to refuse all such applications in future unless the applicant can convince us that they are not a public protection risk.
Taking a tougher approach to custodial sentences of more than 12 months, where additional checks and mitigation will be required to demonstrate that the applicant is fit and proper to hold a licence. This process is known as Consider Additional Factors and is currently used when an applicant has certain criminality, including a custodial sentence of more than 48 months.
Requiring applicants who have lived overseas for more than 6 continuous months in the last ten years to provide an overseas criminal record check when they apply for an SIA licence. At present, this requirement only covers the last five years. This brings us into line with criminality checks for issuing UK visas where someone will be working in education, health or social care.
Making clearer the broad range of information we may take into account when deciding whether someone is ‘fit and proper’ to be granted a licence – for example domestic violence orders or being subject to misconduct or other disciplinary proceedings.

These changes will bring our criteria up to date, with the inclusion of new relevant offences whilst also further toughening and tightening our approach to criminality and providing greater transparency for applicants and licence holders on our wider fit and proper test that they must meet.

Our consultation earlier in the year received over 3,000 responses and demonstrated very strong support for these enhancements to our licensing criteria. Following the consultation the SIA board agreed the changes which were then subject to, and received, ministerial approval.

Our current robust licensing processes help ensure public trust and confidence in the private security industry. These changes will further strengthen our licensing processes and support our drive to improve standards within the industry.

All licence applications decided from 1st December 2025 will be subject to these new criteria. Whilst only a small number of applicants will be directly affected by these changes, they will have a positive impact on the trust and confidence that members of the public and other stakeholders can have in the standards of security operatives as they go about their work of protecting people, property and premises.

Of course, the criminality checks as set out in Get Licensed are just one part of the checks that we conduct in deciding whether to grant a licence or not. Before applicants can apply they need to complete the required licence linked qualification and provide relevant evidence that they have an up to date first aid qualification and have undergone terror threat awareness training. Security operatives are very often the first person on the scene in the event of an incident, so ensuring that they have the appropriate skills to be able to respond to emergencies is essential.

Making sure that all these requirements are met, alongside identity checks and confirmation of right to work status, is important to provide assurance that there is appropriate rigour in the licensing regime. This in turn means that we can all have confidence in the integrity, ability and knowledge of those that are there to protect people, property and premises.

Read the findings of the consultation and more details about the changes.

Improving understanding of public trust and confidence in private security

Michelle Russell, Chief Executive, Security Industry Authority

The Security Industry Authority’s core purpose is protecting the public through effectively regulating the private security industry. As we mark 20 years since the start of our licensing regime, we want to make sure that the industry and its regulation is keeping pace with public expectations. It’s important that people can have trust and confidence in licence holders, the wider industry, and us as a regulator.

Research shows there are high levels of trust and confidence

We commissioned BMG to carry out research to help us to understand public perceptions of the industry, its regulation and private security careers. The overall results from nationally representative surveys of 2,600 UK adults in 2022 and 2023, and further exploration of key themes in focus groups, present a solid picture to build on.

It’s encouraging that most people trust security operatives, are confident that they do the right thing and carry out their duties competently. The public recognise the important role security operatives do. SIA licence holders can feel proud that most people feel safer due to their presence in settings like music concerts, sporting events, banks, hospitals, nighttime venues and retail premises.

There are high levels of consistency between the 2022 and 2023 results. This indicates that these findings are not a ‘one-off’. However, it also means that it will likely take time to change some of the more negative perceptions and stereotypes that some of the public hold about the security operatives they come across.

Personal encounters have a significant influence on views

It is not unexpected that attitudes and personal experiences play a strong role in driving levels of trust. Those with a positive recent personal experience with a security operative were much more likely to have greater levels of trust and confidence overall in private security.

We set the entry level requirements for training content and standards of conduct required to get and keep a licence. The research findings show that operatives who display positive, customer-focused traits help to drive trust. People said they wanted the security staff they meet to be more professional, reliable and helpful. This highlights how important it is for individuals to take responsibility for their conduct and behaviour once they have a licence, putting their communication and conflict resolution skills into practice.

Employers also have a part to play, as they take responsibility for on the job training suitable for the role their employees are deployed to. Employers can encourage recruitment for desired skills and traits, and promote positive values.

Security businesses and leaders also have an important role – both in driving long-term improvements to standards, and in helping to change public perceptions. I’d like to recognise the impact of initiatives which are good examples of this such as the British Security Industry Association (BSIA)’s ‘People, Property, Places: Professionally Protected’ campaign and the work of the industry-led Skills Board which is made up of leaders from security businesses both small and large.

Our regulation also has a part to play in building trust

Though personal experience is a stronger driver, as the regulator we also play our part in building trust and confidence by setting requirements and standards, and acting swiftly against those who fall short of them. Whether that’s providing formal advice, or suspending or revoking licences. In the most serious cases, we will prosecute illegal activity that risks public safety, the integrity of the licensing regime or undermines the work of those that do comply with the rules.

Members of the public that took part in focus groups were mostly positive about regulation and felt reassured by knowing the industry is regulated. However, it is clear there is more that we can do to explain what licensing means and how SIA licence holders support public safety, given that 3 in 10 survey respondents were aware of us and our role. We’re acting on this and have built improving public understanding into our communications strategy for the next few years.

The focus group conversations also revealed that routine independent licensing checks will help to drive up trust. We have increased our inspection footprint and visibility across the UK over the last few years to help detect issues early and deter wrongdoing. We will continue to act against individuals and companies who put the public at risk.

Together we can change perceptions about careers

It is good news that 7 in 10 people agree that private security is a career to be proud of. However, most of the survey respondents saw working in security as a good secondary job, rather than a first-choice career.

The SIA is already working in partnership with the industry to change perceptions so that more people can see private security as a role for them. Employers are responsible for attracting and retaining their staff. We act and use our voice where practices compromise public safety, including working with HMRC to address ‘cash in hand’ practices which are often linked to poor standards.

We are also pleased to support the specialist work of bodies such as the Security Institute, The International Professional Security Association (IPSA) and Security Commonwealth, and industry-led initiatives such as the Private Security Industry Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group, which work to open pathways into security and formalise frameworks for further developing skills and expertise, post entry level.

Long-term improvements to working conditions must continue to be driven by the industry. Employers are responsible for ensuring people are paid fairly and well for what they do and the skills they have, treated respectfully in the workplace and invested in with opportunities to develop and progress. Buyers also have a role to play in not letting pricing compromise public safety and quality.

This is just a flavour of some of the key findings and learnings from the full research document. We have used the results to inform our own strategy. I encourage those working in the private security industry, those in positions of leadership and influence in security businesses, and employers, to reflect on and use these insights to inform your own activities.

Read the report in full

Ensuring the integrity of the SIA licence

Iestyn David is our Head of Licensing and Service Delivery. Here, he writes about our work to make sure that licences end up in responsible hands.

The SIA doesn’t just grant licences – although last year we granted 160,000. We make sure that only the right people hold an SIA licence. That means we refuse licence applications and revoke licences from those who are not fit to carry out the important role of protecting the public. It’s a key responsibility that we have as the regulator of the private security industry.

Our work to safeguard the integrity of the SIA licence begins with the application process. Our checks are thorough; last year we refused 1,362 licence applications for reasons such as criminality, or not having the right to work in the UK.

We won’t hesitate to remove licences from licence-holders who fail to live up to the standards required of them. Last year we suspended 917 licences and revoked 1,049 licences. Maintaining trust in the SIA licence is a top priority that involves teams across the SIA, from our Legal and Criminal Investigations teams to our Decisions officers and Intelligence staff.

We have close ties with police forces throughout the UK. They provide us with valuable intelligence relating to licence-holders or applicants involved in criminality. Our Intelligence team gathers relevant information and passes it to our Integrity team for detailed assessment, which may lead to us deciding to suspend or revoke a licence. This information can also come in from employers or members of the public via the ‘Report a Crime or Concern’ page on our website.

Our Inspections and Enforcement teams conduct enforcement operations across the UK with the police, local authorities and other government agencies. These operations may be conducted because of something we have been told (intelligence-led), or they may be random inspections to check compliance in a particular area.

We regularly prosecute those who commit offences under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. This is the Act of Parliament that established the SIA. It created several new offences, which include contravening licence conditions (you can see a full list of offences under the Act here). Last year we brought 39 prosecutions against individuals and businesses who chose to operate illegally.

We also prosecute for offences that could have a detrimental impact on the private security industry. These include fraud, forgery and counterfeiting in cases where people use forged or cloned licences. At the end of November 2022 our Criminal Investigations team had 119 open investigations, as you can see in our monthly SIA Enforcement Report.

We take our licensing responsibilities very seriously. The safety and security of the public depends on a professional and well-regulated private security industry that everyone can trust.