Security Industry Authority
 |
|
| Founded | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-departmental public body |
| Focus | Regulating the private security industry |
| Location |
|
|
Area served
|
UK |
| Method |
|
|
Key people
|
Alan Clamp (Chief Executive) Elizabeth France (Chair) |
|
Employees
|
169 permanent staff, 212 staff overall (2009/10 financial year) |
| Website | http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk |
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK. It is a non-departmental public body reporting to the Home Secretary and was established in 2003 under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001.
The SIA has two main duties. One is the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities within the private security industry; the other is to manage a voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme, which measures private security suppliers against independently assessed criteria.
One of the main duties of the SIA is the compulsory licensing of individuals working in specific sectors of the private security industry.
Whether or not an individual requires a licence is determined by the role that is performed and the activity that is undertaken. These are described fully in Section 3 and Schedule 2 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (as amended). It is a criminal offence to engage in licensable conduct without a licence: if found guilty, the maximum penalty is six months imprisonment and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
The activities defined as licensable by the Act are:
The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (as amended) allows for SIA licensing of private investigation activities, security consultants and precognition agents. However, the SIA does not currently license these activities.
On 1 October 2012 the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 made it an offence to undertake vehicle immobilisation in England and Wales without lawful authority. As a result, the SIA cancelled most of the vehicle immobiliser licences held by individuals located in England and Wales. Exceptions were made for those individuals wishing to undertake vehicle immobilisation activities in Northern Ireland (where vehicle immobilisation is still legal) or key holding and non-front line security roles across the United Kingdom (which any SIA licence allows).
On 31 July 2013 the Home Secretary announced that the SIA will be regulating private investigators. No specific timescales were given, although the announcement stated that "The regulation of private investigators will be introduced as quickly as possible and the new regime will begin next year [2014]."
There are two types of SIA licence:
The Private Security Industry Act 2001 does not require manned guards employed in-house to be licensed unless their activities are in relation to licensed premises.
The SIA was charged by Parliament to investigate the implications of extending the legislation to cover in-house manned guards once licensing of the private security industry had been in force for three to four years. In order to meet this obligation the SIA consulted widely through a range of mechanisms.
...
Wikipedia