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A blended approach to effective compliance and enforcement

In this blog Pete Easterbrook, Executive Director of Inspections and Enforcement explains how the SIA protects the public through a blended approach.

When people hear the word ‘enforcement’, they may immediately think of criminal investigations and prosecutions. These are important parts of our work, but they are only part of a much wider picture.  Effective regulation involves a range of interventions and is not measured in single numbers.

The legislation Parliament introduced to tackle criminality and violence within the private security industry is now more than 20 years old. At its heart were a relatively limited set of regulatory tools: individual licensing, a public register and, in the most serious cases, criminal sanctions. Our direct oversight of security businesses was narrower, extending mainly to licensing requirements for non-front line roles and the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme. Approved Contractors could also supply some individuals before their licences had been granted through Licence Dispensation Notices.

For many years, success was largely measured by the volume of licences issued, levels of licensing compliance and the number of prosecutions brought. Compliance among those inspected (over 5000 last year) is now consistently around 98% to 99%. However, those intent on avoiding the rules or profiting from non-compliance have adapted. Some structure their activities to sit outside direct regulatory oversight, while businesses that do not join the Approved Contractor Scheme are not routinely assessed against its quality standards.  There are also a range of harms which take place in the industry which fall outside the scope of the Private Security Industry Act, which nonetheless undermine the integrity of the regime and place the public at risk.

Our role must therefore go beyond checking whether an individual holds a licence. We must understand the risk, identify the potential harm and select the intervention most likely to protect the public. Depending on the circumstances, that may mean giving a person or business an opportunity to put matters right through regulatory advice. It may mean issuing a formal warning or improvement notice, suspending or revoking a licence, attaching special conditions to a licence, removing a business from the Approved Contractor Scheme, disrupting harmful activity—often alongside a partner agency—or prosecuting those responsible.

This reflects the approach taken by regulators more widely. The Regulators’ Code requires regulatory activity to be proportionate and targeted, and like the SIA, organisations such as the Financial Conduct Authority, Information Commissioner’s Office and Environment Agency also use combinations of supervisory, civil and criminal interventions to secure compliance and address harm. The important question is not simply how often a particular power has been used, but whether the regulator has selected the right tool at the right time in order to achieve the best available outcome.

Our new Strategic Plan 2026-29 captures that balance clearly: we will be confident in setting standards, supportive in seeking compliance and uncompromising in our enforcement.

Preventing entry and removing unsuitable people from the industry

One of the most immediate ways we protect the public is through our licensing decisions. We have recently strengthened our licensing criteria to raise standards and make the requirements clearer and more transparent – Get Licensed

During 2025–26, we refused 1,710 licence applications because we were not satisfied that the applicant met the criteria for entry into the private security industry. We also suspended 2,164 licences and permanently revoked a further 8,286.

Many of the decisions to revoke a licence relate to licence holders who no longer hold the right to work in the UK. Others involved individuals who had committed serious offences or displayed behaviour fundamentally incompatible with working in a position of trust. This included cases involving sexual offending, drug supply, and violent or abusive behaviour.

A suspension or revocation is not simply an administrative action. It removes an individual’s ability to lawfully work in a licensable role. Where someone poses a risk, licensing action prevents them from continuing to work at venues, events, businesses and other locations where the public should reasonably expect to be protected.

This work is often fast-paced and often depends on information from the police and other partners. It may never result in a court case or a public announcement, but its effect on public safety is direct and significant.

Acting at the entry point to the industry

Our approach also takes us further upstream where the integrity of the licence is affected by the actions of third parties. It is not enough to check whether someone holds a licence after they have entered the industry. We must also have confidence in the training and qualifications on which that licence is based.

Operation RESOLUTE is our response to serious malpractice and qualification fraud in the SIA licence-linked qualification. Many training providers operate professionally and share a commitment to high standards. However, where training or the assessment is compromised, there is a risk that an individual may obtain a qualification without demonstrating the knowledge and competence required to work safely in the security industry.

Between April and June 2026—the first quarter of 2026-27—we conducted 64 unannounced checks on training providers. These resulted in:

  • 80 actions for improvement issued to training centres
  • 11 instances of blocks being placed on centres to cease registering or certifying new learners while concerns were investigated
  • 2 centres being closed following an SIA referral

Where concerns extend beyond malpractice and indicate possible criminality, we will investigate to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the SIA or another agency to pursue a criminal investigation.

These outcomes demonstrate why effective enforcement is not synonymous with prosecution alone. Where we identify an immediate risk at a training centre, the relevant awarding organisation—regulated by Ofqual—has a responsibility to act and may block registrations or certification, suspend the centre or withdraw its approval altogether. This can prevent questionable training and qualifications from entering the licensing system immediately, without waiting for the outcome of a potentially lengthy fraud investigation that depends on witnesses and other evidence and is required to meet the criminal standard of proof.

Improvement action makes a meaningful difference in standards cases. It sets clear expectations, corrects poor practice and helps prevent problems escalating and becoming more serious. Where the evidence indicates cheating, deliberate fraud or organised criminality, we have the capability and determination to investigate and prosecute. We have a number of active criminal investigations which have included arrests and property searches to secure and preserve evidence of qualification fraud.

This is a consciously blended model: improve where improvement is possible and appropriate, disrupt where risk is immediate, and pursue criminality where the seriousness of the conduct demands it, the evidence can be sought, and it is clearly in the public interest to do so.

Assessing business compliance

Public protection and the delivery of competent and quality security services also heavily depend on the standards of the businesses recruiting, supplying and supervising security operatives.

Our Approved Contractor Scheme is voluntary, but membership is not automatic. Businesses must demonstrate that they are fit and proper and sign up to required quality standards.

We have taken a more robust approach to regulation of this area over the last few years. During 2025-26, 27% of new ACS applicants were refused. That means more than one in four applicant businesses did not satisfy us that they worked to quality standards and should enter the scheme.

Our scrutiny does not end when a business is approved. During the same year:

  • 27 non-compliant businesses had their ACS accreditation removed
  • 384 improvement needs were issued to approved contractors

Refusing an application or removing an approval protects the integrity of the scheme for the public and helps buyers of security distinguish between businesses that meet quality standards and those that do not. Improvement activity is equally important. It enables us to identify weaknesses, require corrective action and drive better standards before failings become more serious.

Intervening before criminal investigation is necessary

Not every regulatory concern reaches the threshold for a criminal investigation but that does not mean we ignore it.

During 2025-26, we opened and completed 1,030 intervention cases concerning individuals or businesses. These cases allow us to examine potential non-compliance, assess the regulatory risk and decide what action is appropriate and necessary.

The majority of interventions are resolved through non-criminal justice measures. These can include regulatory advice, formal warnings, improvement notices, licensing action, referrals to other bodies or closer regulatory monitoring.

Our involvement does not necessarily end when a sanction is issued. We may continue to monitor the individual or business to ensure compliance is maintained and to assess whether the intervention has worked. If the behaviour continues, or the risk increases, we can escalate the response.

Disruptions and partnerships

Some of the most impactful work we do is conducted jointly with other partners and may not always be visible publicly.

As of 1 July 2026, we had over 10 live intelligence development operations taking place with a wide range of enforcement partners.

These allow each partner to bring its own intelligence, expertise and legal powers to a shared problem. A concern that begins with suspected SIA licensing non-compliance, for example, may also involve organised crime, fraud, immigration offending, tax evasion, labour exploitation or money laundering.

In some cases, the strongest public-safety outcome may be achieved through another agency’s legislation and powers rather than our own. To support this, we may share intelligence and provide operational assistance, enabling partners to recover criminal assets, address immigration offences, investigate tax irregularities or disrupt wider organised crime networks.

These outcomes are not currently reflected in our enforcement statistics, but we are exploring ways to capture them without prejudicing the work of our partners. Nevertheless, our involvement may be central to identifying the links and risks, developing the intelligence and enabling action that more effectively addresses threats to public safety.

Prosecuting where it will make a difference

Criminal investigation and prosecution sit at the most serious end of our enforcement capability. Before bringing a prosecution, there must be sufficient admissible and reliable evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction, with the offence capable of being proved beyond reasonable doubt. Prosecution must also be proportionate and in the public interest.

A range of factors informs that decision, including the seriousness of the circumstances, the level of actual or potential harm, any evidence of deliberate or persistent non-compliance, and the strength and reliability of the available evidence. This includes whether witnesses are willing and able to give evidence, and whether other attempts to secure compliance have failed or would clearly be inappropriate.

One recent case demonstrates why it is important that we have both the will and the capability to undertake criminal investigations and prosecute in the right circumstances. We identified intelligence that an individual whose licence had been suspended following arrest for serious sexual offences was continuing to work in the private security industry. We investigated at pace, secured evidence from a range of sources and successfully prosecuted both the individual and others involved in the case.

Criminal investigations and prosecutions must, rightly, be undertaken with care. They require sufficient, reliable and admissible evidence, full compliance with disclosure obligations, and an assessment under the Code for Crown Prosecutors of whether prosecution is in the public interest. As a UK-wide regulator, we must also take account the difference between the legal and judicial systems within which we operate.

Cases involving the supply of unlicensed operatives can be particularly complex, especially where there are lengthy supply chains. Fraud-related offences, and investigations involving multiple suspects or witnesses, can also be resource-intensive and may take considerable time to conclude.  Penalties and cost awards available for some offending can be modest.

That does not prevent us from pursuing criminal action where it is appropriate. It means making informed—and sometimes finely balanced—decisions about whether prosecution is both achievable and justified in the public interest. We consider whether it is likely to deliver the strongest public-protection and deterrent effect, or whether another intervention could stop the harm more quickly and effectively.

We have also made the case for stronger and more modern powers and are working with the Home Office to improve our investigative capabilities and ability to respond to emerging harms and the increasingly sophisticated ways in which some individuals and businesses engage in criminal behaviour.

Following the money

Where offending is financially motivated, a fine for the original offence does not usually address the profit made from the criminality. This is why financial investigation is an increasingly important part of our approach, and we have recently strengthened our capacity and capability in this area.  Our powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act allow us to identify and recover the proceeds of offending.

As an example, following the conviction of a repeat offender for multiple Private Security Industry Act offences, a subsequent financial investigation earlier this year resulted in confiscation orders totalling £44,518.  This year we also worked closely with partners to secure our first confiscation orders in Scotland of over £40,000 of criminal proceeds, and in a separate matter we secured over £53,000 in victim compensation.

Since gaining confiscation and restraint powers, we have recovered more than £1 million, making it harder for offenders to reinvest criminal funds and return to the private security industry.

In 2024, we asked for and were granted powers to strengthen our financial investigation capability, and as a result we can now conduct our own money-laundering investigations.  This work is complex and necessarily takes time, but this, combined with our other powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act enables us to address the economic drivers behind offending rather than limiting our response to the initial regulatory breach.

Measuring what matters

Inspections, licensing decisions, warnings, improvement action, removal of approved contractor status, partner referrals, disruption, financial investigation and prosecution are not competing measures of success. Together they make up a range of tools we use in our compliance and enforcement work and should be seen as different but complementary parts of the same regulatory system.

Our investigators work hard to identify and secure evidence of non-compliance or criminality, understand the circumstances and use the most appropriate intervention—or combination of interventions—to secure the right impact and address the non-compliance and harm.

Sometimes that will mean helping a generally compliant business correct a one-off error or area of weakness. Sometimes it will mean acting immediately to stop or prevent harm by suspending or revoking a licence. Sometimes it will involve asking a partner organisation to act using powers we do not have or where they are better placed to address offending and secure the optimum impact. And sometimes it will mean building a criminal case and placing an offender before the courts.

We plan to share more about the breadth of our compliance and enforcement work, and the results it achieves. No single statistic can capture the complexity or impact of effective regulation. Our success is better understood through the risks reduced, harm prevented, criminality disrupted, compliance secured and public confidence strengthened in the services provided by private security operatives and businesses.

Our approach will remain robust but supportive in seeking compliance, and uncompromising where enforcement is necessary. We will be fair and proportionate in our decisions, clear in our expectations and focused throughout on protecting the public.

Christmas for the SIA Compliance & Investigation teams

John Sandlin leads the Security Industry Authority’s Compliance & Inspections teams. Here he talks about the additional work that Christmas brings as the night time economy gears up for the busiest time for bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.

John Sandlin leads the Security Industry Authority’s Compliance & Inspections teams. Here he talks about the additional work that Christmas brings as the night time economy gears up for the busiest time for bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.

When does planning for Christmas start?
Pretty much as soon as we’ve drawn a breath from the summer events season which finishes around the end of September. Then we start thinking about Christmas. We look at what inspection activity we might want to do and consider requests from partners (such as police, local authorities, and the HMRC) to undertake operations to support their own objectives too. We draw on the huge amount of expertise across the team from colleagues who know the environment well and can help identify issues we need to consider.

London, UK – November 3 2022: Christmas lights in Oxford Street, view at night

So what issues do we need to consider?
In the run up to Christmas there’s more footfall in venues. This creates an increased risk of harm to the public which in turn requires a bigger police presence supported by a larger private security resource. It’s the increased private security deployment that requires our involvement to make sure those working in licensable roles are complying with the necessary regulation.

Although there are variations across the UK, the police tend to focus on ensuring venues are licensed and adhere to the terms and conditions of that licence. This might cover maximum occupancy, fire controls, health and safety considerations and security provision. The police and local authorities are increasingly engaging with venues about protecting the vulnerable alongside checking venue licences. Actually, whenever they are out and about, most agencies talk about protecting the vulnerable as part of protecting the public.

Watch our ‘Helping people in vulnerable situations’ video here

How many of your team are involved in Christmas specific activity?
It’s fair to say all teams are doing some form of activity that directly supports or is impacted by Christmas, so most team members will be involved in that.

As we speak there’s a multi agency operation in Belfast around the ‘ask Angela’ campaign. We’ll be undertaking licence checks, whilst supporting the initiative with messages about the campaign.

Manchester, United Kingdom – November 25, 2011 – Big wheel in the City center of Manchester with beautiful lights during christmas preparation

What additional activities do we deploy for Christmas, is it more of the same or different actions?
We may undertake specific activities, especially if we have solid intelligence that provides a clear aim or benefit. However, Christmas is generally doing more of the same, but with a stronger focus on the night time economy. There’s a huge upshift in volumes and that’s the biggest difference. There’s still a need to continue with other work, for example we’re working in Oxford Street in London during the day, although, to be fair, that’s also connected to the increase in footfall in the run up to Christmas.

What do we do on the front line?
It will depend on the site and any objectives for an operation. However, primarily we’re interested in compliance with the Private Security Industry Act. So, we’re mainly checking individuals are correctly licensed and ascertaining the businesses that operatives work for to build our understanding of the makeup of the local economy. This is especially useful when newly formed companies emerge. We’re also interested in in how labour is deployed and what the labour chain looks like; the more links in a labour chain, the higher the risk of noncompliance. We also check individuals’ employment status which helps identify possible exploitation. Where possible we push other messages and support campaigns to promote awareness and conversations across the industry.

How do security operatives and venues react to your teams’ presence?
Mostly, we get a positive response. Generally, licence holders like to see us out checking licences as they don’t want rogue people in the industry. We occasionally meet one or two unlicensed operatives that may be a little reticent for want of a better word but using our skills we overcome those hurdles.

Do other agencies do similar tasks around Christmas?
The Police and local authorities will be undertaking checks based around venue licensing and will want to assure themselves that venues are complying. Sometimes they may support us on our operations, it depends on specific operations, or sometimes the location. For example, I’d be fairly happy undertaking checks in Westminster without police support but wouldn’t want to do so in other areas without them. That goes not just for London, but anywhere else, you get a good feel for what risks maybe posed in undertaking checks without partners.

How much does the night time economy grow over the festive period?
We always hear that businesses are at their busiest and it’s very true, there are more people in more venues over more nights of the week. There are additional Christmas get togethers with friends, socialising after work, organised office parties – it’s difficult to put a figure on, and it will vary from location to location, but it’s noticeably much busier. Let’s not forget this is the first Christmas without any COVID restrictions.

On top of venues being busier, there are additional entertainment venues and events to consider; pop up fairs, Christmas markets, ice rinks, entertainment offerings, temporary licensed premises.

How stable is resource in the night time economy?
If more door supervisors are needed because a company has a shortfall, then most companies will contract in staff from another to match the demand. However, what sometimes happens is the supplying company will in turn go to another to fulfil the request. This is not a problem as such, but it is a concern. With each company’s loan of resource comes a charge. This can lead to a squeeze on profit margins which is where corners can be cut. When that happens to the risk of improper employment and unlicensed personnel can start to emerge.

How effective are the operations we undertake?
Of course, we have limited resource and we can’t visit every venue. However, what we do has a definite ripple effect. When we’re in a large town or city, just by visiting a few premises, word gets around very quickly that we’re out and about undertaking checks and looking at licences. That has a great deterrent effect within the security community. So, we enlarge the size of our footprint. In addition, we work with colleagues in the Communications team to get the message out and again, this spreads across the community well.

What does it take to deploy an operation?
That’s a good question; lots of work.

Before we set foot on the ground, we undertake pre-inspection activity. This could be meetings with partners, considering intelligence we or our partners have received and undertaking a recce in the locality. We then need to work up aims and objectives before putting an operational order together. Information needs to be created within our database (CRM). Risks also need to be considered and risk assessments completed. We also need to secure resource from across the team and make sure everyone is available for the operation. In addition to staff on the ground, we always have an operational control to assist with licence checks on the STeP database, as well as then inputting the checks onto CRM. This can be quite a laborious task, especially if there are a voluminous amount.

Any last words?
The team are very committed. We have had a fair few new staff so as well as preparing and undertaking activities, experienced team members are also helping to train and guide their new colleagues in this crucial area of work. Everyone in the Compliance & Inspections team plays a part in what we do from the MST to the investigators themselves, supported by colleagues from other teams. The inspection activity being centred on the night time economy requires staff to work evenings and weekends to attend operations, which at this time of year means being out in the cold. I want to thank the teams, I appreciate everyone’s effort and support in keeping the public safe.

About the author

John Sandlin served for 30 years with the Metropolitan Police. He worked as an Investigating and Senior Investigating Officer for over 11 years investigating homicides and other serious crimes. He’s worked at the SIA since early 2015.

Commonwealth Games – Birmingham 2022

Sharon Roberts, one of our Regional Investigation Managers, coordinated our involvement in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Birmingham from 28 July to 08 August.

Here Sharon talks about the SIA’s work, which included almost two years of planning in support of the Organising Committee, West Midlands Police, and the security suppliers to deliver a safe and secure event.

The last few months have been busy, with our work starting long before the Games began. Investigators from my team, along with our Business Relationship Managers, have been supporting security suppliers on progressing licence applications and providing advice on screening and vetting. Colleagues from the wider Compliance & Inspections team contacted licence holders who were scheduled to work to check that they were still engaged and planning to turn up. You might remember the 2012 London Olympics, when headlines about security failing to attend and the last-minute call for military assistance were prominent. A lot of our work, and that of the Organising Committee, had been to avoid a similar situation.

I’ve lost count of how many times over the years I’ve said, “only trained and licensed security can ensure public protection” and this remains the mainstay of our work. To support this, we asked security suppliers to upload watchlists to ensure they only supplied licensed staff. We also provided advice on how to spot counterfeit licences.

The Commonwealth Games, as a publicly funded event, stipulated that all suppliers, including everyone in the labour supply chain, had to be an SIA approved contractor. Therefore we had to ensure conformance with the ACS (Approved Contractor Scheme) standard as well as compliance with the Private Security Industry Act. There were a couple of key aspects of the ACS standard that we really focused on: section 6, which is about how they look after their staff; and section 4, which is about conformance with HMRC requirements. In relation to the HMRC requirement, I had regular meetings with HMRC colleagues as to how we could protect HM revenue through PAYE conformance and due diligence in the labour chain.

An important element of our compliance work was our inspection programme.

The inspection element of the Games served several purposes:
. Ensuring that only SIA licensed security operatives engaged in licensable activities, thereby ensuring public safety and good standards of service delivery.
. Ensuring the wellbeing of security operatives by checking conformance with welfare aspects of the ACS.
. Conformance to the ACS requirement for operatives to be on PAYE.
. High visibility of the regulator undertaking regulatory compliance activities.

Our first major inspection took place when the Organising Committee ran test events at Alexander Stadium and the Aquatics Centre. Following on from that, we carried out inspections at Games sites as security numbers crept up, engaging with suppliers and the Committee to resolve some of the minor issues we found.

My team attended the rehearsal for the opening ceremony. The security deployment on that day was over 300 operatives. It was an extremely long, hot, rainy, and dirty day (there is no glamour in this job), but it was a joy to see such enthusiastic and friendly security operatives. There wasn’t one complaint. It was also good to see lots of women and so many young people who will hopefully see this as a start to a career in security.

We also became part of the Commonwealth Games family, cheering on the athletes while we checked licences and chatted to security personnel to make sure they were OK and being looked after.

Over the period of the Games we carried out 1,251 compliance checks across 17 separate Games sites.

The sites we visited included sports venues, athletes’ villages, and games hotels, as well as the main fanzone site in Victoria Square – and the opening and closing ceremonies, of course.

We deployed a total of 30 SIA staff during that period. The significant engagement we conducted with the private security industry contractors in the lengthy run-up to the Games undoubtedly influenced the significant levels of compliance.

As the fireworks went off at the closing ceremony on 08 August, it wasn’t just the athletes that deserved a gold medal. Every security officer, supplier, and all the SIA staff involved also earned a place on the podium for their contribution to ensuring the Games were not just great but safe.

The West End Security Group – What do the new SIA qualifications mean to our members?

Our guest blogger this month is Georgie Barnard, Chief Executive of the West End Security Group (WESG).  Georgie has been a member of the SIA Skills and Qualifications Review Project Board since it was created in 2017 and has brought a wealth of experience to this project.  In her blog Georgie tells us what the new licence linked qualifications mean to the members of WESG.

My name is Georgie Barnard, and I am the Chief Executive of the West End Security Group (WESG) representing over 6000 businesses across London’s West End footprint. I previously set up and ran the National Business Crime Centre for UK Policing and have worked closely with the Security Industry Authority (SIA) for many years. I have sat on their Skills and Qualifications Review Project Board since it was created in 2017, firstly as a police representative and now looking after security in the private sector, so I see the benefits of these new standards from all angles!

WESG is an association of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and large property-owning companies that work collaboratively to improve planning and preparation for incidents that have the potential to cause significant disruption to business. WESG develops and delivers security plans to enable members, partners, and associates to resist, respond to and recover from a terrorist attack or other major security incident. We work closely with our members and their security teams to disrupt and deter terrorist activity and to improve awareness and understanding by business about methods of attack and enhance the ability to identify suspicious behaviour. We also look to better connect businesses to share information and ensure they have proportionate and effective security measures in place.

Why have new SIA qualifications?

Back in 2017 there were a series of horrific terror attacks in the UK, including Westminster Bridge, the Manchester Arena Bombing and London Bridge. It was recognised that at many of these incidents, licensed security officers played a significant role. As a result of the attacks, there was a call-to-action by the National Counter Terrorism Office (NaCTSO) for policing, the private sector and government to enhance the protective security of the UK. The private security industry came together to discuss their role in this ‘Step-Change Programme’ and together, with the SIA, acknowledged that it was time for the level of training for security across all the sectors to be reviewed.

This was the first opportunity since the SIA was created and compulsory standards formed, to have a real overhaul and update of the training provided. For starters, the physical terrorist threat has massively increased in recent years and there was recognition more needed to be done to protect the public. Linked closely to that has been the shrinkage of police resources and a significant shift on increasing private security capabilities to fill the gap. In the 18 years since the SIA was formed, there have been health and safety and many wider legislation changes brought in, so it is important that security operatives are in step with the law. Finally, new systems introduced to the security environment has, as with all sectors, revolutionised the industry and it is important that security operatives are making best use of the technology. All these factors mean that the current training needed refreshing and modules introduced to better reflect the role of the modern-day security operative.

How has the project board worked?

The project board has been made up of a range of individuals from security that have regularly given perspective, guidance, and support from their own organisations, in shaping the changes to the training. I was asked to join the Skills and Qualifications Review Project Board to initially make sure the training complimented police training and to provide a link in with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office. A lot of effort has been made to consult members of the industry at every level along the way, which has really meant it has taken a while, but that the final packages are being well received. Uppermost in our minds all along the way has been making the training as accessible, flexible, and achievable. The development of the online learning has been excellent, especially given the last 18 months of lockdown!

Do you think the changes are being well received?

Yes! There is no doubt these changes are timely and welcomed by our members. There has been a lot of scrutiny of private security, their capabilities and training, particularly as the first volume of the Manchester Arena Inquiry has been published. WESG has been part of the consultation of the ‘Duty To Protect’ legislation and our focus has been keeping members of the public safe. It is reassuring to see that the SIA is already rolling out their new standards, which includes First Aid training for all licensed security operatives.

The industry is working hard to raise standards generally and WESG members and their businesses say they feel reassured that the training has improved. With lockdown now being lifted, footfall in the West End is thankfully increasing daily. With the increase in visitors, naturally comes an increase in crime and security related incidents. WESG members, many of whom employ SIA licensed staff in retail and hospitality, really welcome the up-to-date training. One member said, ‘It is important to know that my security go through thorough basic training before qualifying for a licence.’

I spoke to FGH Security Ltd which works with one of WESG’s Business Improvement Districts and they said: ‘Our officers deal with a variety of incidents 24/7 and are often the first on scene. One of our primary objectives is to equip them with the required skills and knowledge to help them respond appropriately. Whether that be assisting members of the public or supporting the emergency services. The revised SIA training requirements are helping us achieve this by providing a solid foundation for us to build on and continually professionally develop our staff.’

WESG will continue to support our members and their security teams and will be facilitating regular joint training involving licensed operatives, the local authority and policing teams. We all want to see front line staff better equipped to manage incidents and support public protection and regular training and communication will ensure that we are all best prepared.

The West End Security Group – What do the new SIA qualifications mean to our members? by Georgie Barnard, Chair of The West End Security Group

Our guest blogger this month is Georgie Barnard, Chief Executive of the West End Security Group (WESG). Georgie has been a member of the SIA Skills and Qualifications Review Project Board since it was created in 2017 and has brought a wealth of experience to this project. In her blog Georgie tells us what the new licence linked qualifications mean to the members of WESG.

My name is Georgie Barnard, and I am the Chief Executive of the West End Security Group representing over 6000 businesses across London’s West End footprint. I previously set up and ran the National Business Crime Centre for UK Policing and have worked closely with the SIA for many years. I have sat on their Skills and Qualifications Review Project Board since it was created in 2017, firstly as a police representative and now looking after security in the private sector, so I see the benefits of these new standards from all angles!

WESG is an association of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and large property-owning companies that work collaboratively to improve planning and preparation for incidents that have the potential to cause significant disruption to business. WESG develops and delivers security plans to enable members, partners, and associates to resist, respond to and recover from a terrorist attack or other major security incident. We work closely with our members and their security teams to disrupt and deter terrorist activity and to improve awareness and understanding by business about methods of attack and enhance the ability to identify suspicious behaviour. We also look to better connect businesses to share information and ensure they have proportionate and effective security measures in place.

Why have new SIA qualifications

Back in 2017 there were a series of horrific terror attacks in the UK, including Westminster Bridge, the Manchester Arena Bombing and London Bridge. It was recognised that at many of these incidents, licensed security officers played a significant role. As a result of the attacks, there was a call-to-action by the National Counter Terrorism Office (NaCTSO) for policing, the private sector and government to enhance the protective security of the UK. The private security industry came together to discuss their role in this ‘Step-Change Programme’ and together, with the SIA, acknowledged that it was time for the level of training for security across all the sectors to be reviewed.

This was the first opportunity since the SIA was created and compulsory standards formed, to have a real overhaul and update of the training provided. For starters, the physical terrorist threat has massively increased in recent years and there was recognition more needed to be done to protect the public. Linked closely to that has been the shrinkage of police resources and a significant shift on increasing private security capabilities to fill the gap. In the 18 years since the SIA was formed, there have been health and safety and many wider legislation changes brought in, so it is important that security operatives are in step with the law. Finally, new systems introduced to the security environment has, as with all sectors, revolutionised the industry and it is important that security operatives are making best use of the technology. All these factors mean that the current training needed refreshing and modules introduced to better reflect the role of the modern-day security operative.

How has the project board worked?

The project board has been made up of a range of individuals from security that have regularly given perspective, guidance, and support from their own organisations, in shaping the changes to the training. I was asked to join the Skills and Qualifications Review Project Board to initially make sure the training complimented police training and to provide a link in with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office. A lot of effort has been made to consult members of the industry at every level along the way, which has really meant it has taken a while, but that the final packages are being well received. Uppermost in our minds all along the way has been making the training as accessible, flexible, and achievable. The development of the online learning has been excellent, especially given the last 18 months of lockdown!

Do you think the changes are being well received?

Yes! There is no doubt these changes are timely and welcomed by our members. There has been a lot of scrutiny of private security, their capabilities and training, particularly as the first volume of the Manchester Arena Inquiry has been published. WESG has been part of the consultation of the ‘Duty To Protect’ legislation and our focus has been keeping members of the public safe. It is reassuring to see that the SIA is already rolling out their new standards, which includes First Aid training for all licensed security operatives.

The industry is working hard to raise standards generally and WESG members and their businesses say they feel reassured that the training has improved. With lockdown now being lifted, footfall in the West End is thankfully increasing daily. With the increase in visitors, naturally comes an increase in crime and security related incidents. WESG members, many of whom employ SIA licensed staff in retail and hospitality, really welcome the up-to-date training. One member said, ‘It is important to know that my security go through thorough basic training before qualifying for a licence.’

I spoke to FGH Security Ltd which works with one of WESG’s Business Improvement Districts and they said: ‘Our officers deal with a variety of incidents 24/7 and are often the first on scene. One of our primary objectives is to equip them with the required skills and knowledge to help them respond appropriately. Whether that be assisting members of the public or supporting the emergency services. The revised SIA training requirements are helping us achieve this by providing a solid foundation for us to build on and continually professionally develop our staff.’

WESG will continue to support our members and their security teams and will be facilitating regular joint training involving licensed operatives, the local authority and policing teams. We all want to see front line staff better equipped to manage incidents and support public protection and regular training and communication will ensure that we are all best prepared.

The SIA and Counter-Terrorism

In this month’s blog our Deputy Director of Partnerships and Interventions, Ed Bateman, talks about the work the SIA is doing to contribute to the counter-terrorism initiatives underway by the Home Office and Metropolitan Police.

We hope you will engage in an on-going discussion with us; provide comments and share your opinions.

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More than just a regulator

A long time ago we stopped being a regulator that simply issued licences, raised industry standards, and maintained the Approved Contractor Scheme.  While we continue to focus on these activities, we have become increasingly involved in supporting police in their efforts to identify and disrupt serious and organised crime and we’re engaging regularly with businesses, and licensed operatives, to deliver the wider safeguarding agenda. This includes initiatives associated with violence reduction, child sexual exploitation, modern day slavery, and protecting vulnerable people.

Our approach to counter terrorism

Counter Terrorism is at the hard end of ‘safeguarding’. Although the whole spectrum of safeguarding activity is important, Counter Terrorism has regional, national, and international interest.

Our approach to Counter Terrorism (CT) has a number of components.  Some of the broad themes of activity are communication, intelligence sharing, and training and qualifications. Effective joint working between police and the private security industry is crucial as is strengthening the relationship between the SIA and CT Policing.

We’ve been engaged with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) for several years developing a range of training and information products during that time, all of which are targeted at making the public safer. The qualifications that form part of the SIA licence criteria include a CT awareness module.

Delivering training and industry awareness

We’ve been instrumental in encouraging individuals and businesses to attend Project Griffin and Argus training. These programmes are aimed at individuals and locations respectively. This training has undoubtedly increased safety at events and venues, as well as improving the knowledge and confidence of licence holders throughout the UK.
In addition to this, our regional teams are now working with local Counter Terrorism Security Advisors (CTSAs) to deliver bespoke CT awareness briefings across the UK.  Night clubs (or other licensed premises) usually provide the meeting space and refreshments; CTSAs provide the briefing, and the SIA provide the audience using their local business contacts. We regularly welcome between 50 and 200 attendees to the events and the feedback is excellent. Another CT initiative, also produced in partnership with local CTSAs, brings together small groups of businesses to learn how to identify fraudulent identity documents.

Keeping the industry informed

The provision of real-time essential briefing material following the terrorist attacks on London and Manchester was well received by the private security industry.  We routinely receive and pass on critical messages from UK CT Policing. We do this either specifically to the 14,000 subscribers to our SIA Update and ACS Update newsletters, or more generally via our website and to our 27,000 social media followers. There are some excellent publications available at the NaCTSO website  (such as the new Crowded Places Guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-crowded-places-guidance-launched) and we use our own digital channels to publicise them industry-wide.

Encouraging co-operation

We work closely with the security industry and police encouraging both to identify opportunities for joint or collaborative working to make towns and cities safer from the threat of terrorism. The private security industry in Scotland recently inaugurated the Security Industry Safer Scotland (CT) Group, which is supported by the SIA and the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC).  The group, which is chaired and supported by senior leaders from across Scotland’s security industry, will feed into the Scottish Government’s ‘Crowded Places Forum’. This ensures that the experience of the licensed (and wider) security industry contributes to the broader CT discussion.

Developing a close working relationship with NaCTSO is at the heart of our own approach to CT. Together with NaCTSO, and through CT policing, we can ensure that our agencies work effectively together to provide the best opportunity to make people safer through combating  the threat of terrorism.

It’s good to talk, and, as a Regulator perhaps even more important to listen

In this month’s blog our Chair, Elizabeth France, talks about the Strategic Forum and the Stakeholder Conference and the importance of us as a regulator engaging with and listening to the private security industry.

We hope you will engage in an on-going discussion with us; provide comments and share your opinions.

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This month has been a good opportunity for me to hear directly from industry representatives, those we regulate, representatives of our partner organisations, and of government.

When I arrived at the SIA just over three years ago, there was a sense that change to our legal framework was just around the corner. The organisation had survived the test applied to ‘quangos’ and there had been a manifesto commitment to make the statutory amendments that would allow business licensing. Because change seemed to be imminent, a group had been set up which represented industry and the Home Office, under the chairmanship of the SIA to prepare for that change.

But the corner turned out to be a slow bend and the momentum of the group had inevitably slowed. We decided to draw a line, to pause and think about how to involve industry in our strategic thinking, whether within or beyond the current legal framework.

SIA Strategic Forum

On 2 March we held the first meeting of our new Strategic Forum. Before setting up the Strategic Forum, I was clear that I expected to see commitment from those who attended, while keeping some fluidity to the structure of the Forum. Attendance was 100% and everyone engaged in constructive discussion. By the end of the meeting we had identified areas where there is real opportunity to work together to achieve change.

This Strategic Forum is not an inner circle, or a club; it is just one of many ways we want to have conversations with the private security industry. Alongside this, I have a series of conversations arranged with individuals not currently on the group over the next few weeks.

SIA Stakeholder Conference

I have been reflecting on the fact that it’s good to talk.  As a Regulator, perhaps it’s even more important to listen. Another opportunity we had to do this was on 14 March when we had our annual stakeholder conference. All I want to say here is that I thought it was our best (at least in my time).

Just as with the Strategic Forum, it was the quality of engagement that was so impressive. Not just the excellent presentations, the focused questions or the interactivity in the workshops, but also the opportunity taken for informal exchanges. I enjoyed the day, and others seemed to too.

Working in partnerships is what regulation is all about, so finishing the month as a guest speaker at a Security Awareness Special Interest Group (SASIG) seminar on equality and diversity in the security industry is brilliant. It’s an opportunity to talk, and to listen, to share experiences from within this industry – but also to hear from those whose experience elsewhere can help us to see how hurdles have been jumped already, and what benefits they have seen.

I am looking forward to continuing my many and varied conversations, not just with licence holders, but with suppliers, buyers of security and those who rely on a professional and appropriately trained private security industry. There is more that we can all do to promote partnership working to protect the public. As the tragic events of 22 March remind us, there is a clear and pressing need for us all to rise to the challenge.