Journey
Respond to SIA enforcement action
What to do if your security business faces SIA enforcement action including licence revocation, compliance inspection failure, or prosecution for deploying unlicensed staff. Covers identifying the enforcement type, understanding your rights, appealing to the First-tier Tribunal, and preventing recurrence.
If you have received a letter from the Security Industry Authority about licence revocation, a compliance inspection failure, or a warning about deploying unlicensed staff, this journey helps you understand what you are facing, know your legal rights, and respond effectively. Acting quickly and methodically gives you the best chance of protecting your business.
-
Identify the type of enforcement action
The SIA uses several enforcement tools under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The type of action determines your rights, response deadlines, and potential outcomes. Check your correspondence to identify which applies:
- Individual licence revocation: The SIA is revoking or suspending a front-line operative's licence. The operative has 21 days to make written representations before the decision takes effect
- Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) suspension or removal: Your company's ACS status is being withdrawn following an audit failure. This affects your ability to bid for contracts requiring ACS accreditation
- Compliance inspection failure: SIA inspectors have found breaches during a site visit, such as unlicensed operatives on duty, failure to check licence validity, or inadequate deployment records
- Criminal prosecution: The SIA or police are pursuing charges under section 5 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 for supplying or using unlicensed security operatives. This is the principal employer offence — triable either way, it carries an unlimited fine and up to five years' imprisonment on indictment. (The related section 3 offence of an individual working without a licence is summary only, with a maximum of six months.)
Understanding SIA regulation
Review the SIA's full enforcement powers, the licensable activities under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, and what triggers enforcement action against security businesses.
-
Check your current licence position
Before responding to the SIA, establish the facts. Verify the licence status of every operative named in the correspondence and audit your deployment records for the period under investigation.
Verify SIA licence validity
How to use the SIA licence checker, what to do when a licence has expired or been suspended, and employer obligations for ongoing verification of operative credentials.
-
Know your rights and respond
You have legal rights at every stage of SIA enforcement. The critical step is responding within the stated deadline.
-
Take remediation steps
Whether or not you appeal, demonstrating immediate corrective action strengthens your position. The SIA and tribunals look favourably on businesses that address problems promptly and transparently.
- Remove any unlicensed operatives from deployment immediately
- Conduct a full licence audit across all sites and shifts
- Review and tighten your licence-checking procedures
- Document every corrective action with dates and evidence
SIA compliance checklist
Work through this compliance audit checklist covering licence verification, deployment records, training documentation, and ACS requirements to identify and close gaps before the SIA follows up.
-
Prevent recurrence
A second enforcement action will be treated far more severely. Establish robust compliance procedures that catch problems before the SIA does. Consider ACS accreditation if you do not already hold it, as the audit framework provides a structured compliance baseline.