Further clarification on the requirement to display the SIA licence
Updated 4 December 2023
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1. Request
My question was seeking clarification - specifically: can a licensed person, overtly guarding a van, be deemed as undertaking “covert activity”. and consequently not have to display their licence?
2. Response
Thank you for your email requesting clarification.
As mentioned in the previous FOI response, whether someone needs a licence or not will depend on whether they are working in-house or via a contract for services.
The following text is copied directly from our website on this page: Find out if you need an SIA licence
2.1 When you need an SIA licence to work as a security operative
If you are going to work as a security operative in the UK, you may need a front line SIA licence.
You will need an SIA licence if the work you will be doing is part of a ‘contract for services’ and involves a ‘licensable activity’.
A ‘contract for services’ is when you or your employer have a contract to supply your services to another organisation. For example:
- your employer is a private security company that places you as a guard in a shop and then charges that shop a fee for your services
- you are self-employed and your business is contracted to provide close protection services to a person visiting the UK
A ‘licensable activity’ is a job that requires you to hold a licence before you can do it. Read more about licensable activities.
If you will be working ‘in-house’
You do not usually need an SIA licence if you will be working ‘in-house’. This is when you are employed directly by the company that uses your services - for example, your employer is a supermarket chain and you work as a security guard in one of their shops.
There are only 2 instances where you need an SIA licence irrespective of working in-house or part of a contract for services, these are:
- when you are a door supervisor at a licensed premises
- if you are a vehicle immobiliser (only relevant in Northern Ireland)
So if an individual is performing the duties you have described whilst working in-house – that is, directly employed by the company that uses their services – they will not need an SIA licence and therefore they will not need to display it. However, if an individual is performing the duties you have described and is working as part of a contract for services – that is, the company they work for is an outsourced contracted security company – they will require an SIA licence and they will be required to display it pursuant to section 9 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001.
[Reference: FOI 0467]