Check security staff have a licence to work

You must check if someone has the correct security licence before hiring them for private security work. If they don’t, you must make sure they get training and a licence.

Search the register of Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence holders, to check whether someone has a licence to be a:

  • security guard
  • door supervisor
  • close protection operative (sometimes known as a ‘bodyguard’)
  • CCTV operator or to work in public space surveillance
  • key holder
  • guard who transports cash and valuables
  • in Northern Ireland, a worker who clamps wheels, moves vehicles and charges for their release

You could be fined or sent to prison if you pay someone to work in security without the right SIA licence.

To find someone on the register you need either:

  • their 16-digit SIA licence number
  • their surname and other personal details, such as their date of birth and security role

Start now on the SIA form

Find an approved security company

To find a security company approved by the SIA, use their register of security contractors.