UK Act of Parliament 2001 United Kingdom

Private Security Industry Act 2001

An Act to make provision for the regulation of the private security industry.

Enforced by
SIA
Status
Amended (in force with amendments)
Penalty ceiling
Imprisonment 4 of 14 obligations carry imprisonment (6 months). 4 carry different penalties and 6 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Does it bind you?

Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.

Any Person7 Director or Officer1

Plus 6 duties on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.

Other Acts binding the same actors

If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.

Any Person — also bound by 2340 other Acts
Director or Officer — also bound by 429 other Acts

What it requires

Sections creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.

s.002 Directions etc. by the Secretary of State (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • SIA must follow government directions and provide informationStatutory regulator
s.003 Conduct prohibited without a licence (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Carry out security activities without a licenceAny Person
s.005 Offence of using unlicensed security operative (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Use an unlicensed security operativeAny Person
s.007 Licensing criteria (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • SIA must publish and maintain licensing criteriaStatutory regulator
s.009 Licence conditions (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Fail to comply with private security licence conditionsAny Person
s.012 Register of licences (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • SIA must maintain a public register of all licensed security operativesStatutory regulator
s.014 Register of approved contractors (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • SIA must maintain a public register of approved security contractorsStatutory regulator
s.015 Arrangements for the grant of approvals (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • SIA must maintain arrangements for granting security company approvalsStatutory regulator
s.016 Right to use approved status (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Misrepresent approved security provider statusAny Person

Unlimited fine

s.017 Imposition of requirements for approval (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Provide security services without SIA approvalAny Person

Unlimited fine

s.019 Powers of entry and inspection (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Obstruct SIA inspector or fail to comply with information requestAny Person
s.020 Guidance as to exercise of power of entry (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • SIA must publish guidance on powers of entry and conductStatutory regulator
s.022 False information (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Provide false information to the Security Industry AuthorityAny Person
s.023 Criminal liability of directors etc (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Liability of directors for corporation's Private Security offenceDirector or Officer

Unlimited fine

13 other provisions — procedural and definitional
s.002 Authority to be treated as cross-border public authority etc. for certain purposes
Schedules

Schedules

0 of 39 shown
39 other schedules
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.1
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.10
s.sch001 The validity of any proceedings of the Authority, or of...
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.12
s.sch001 A document purporting to be— (a) duly executed by the...
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.14
s.sch001 (1) The Authority may impose such charges as it considers...
s.sch001 (1) The Authority shall— (a) keep proper accounts and proper...
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.17
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.18
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.19
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.2
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.20
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.21
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.22
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.23
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.24
s.sch001 (1) The Secretary of State may remove a person from...
s.sch001 A person who ceases (otherwise than by virtue of paragraph...
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.5
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.6
s.sch001 (1) The Authority shall pay to its employees such remuneration...
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.8
s.sch001 Schedule 1 para.9
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.1
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.10
s.sch002 Manned guarding
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.3
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.3A
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.4
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.4A
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.5
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.6
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.7
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.8
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.9
s.sch002 Schedule 2 para.9A

Help complying

Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.

Plan SIA licence renewals for your team

Operational planning path for managing team SIA licence renewals. Check expiry dates, schedule training, and submit renewals within the 16-week window to …

SIA licence compliance quick check

Quick compliance check for businesses employing SIA-licensed staff. Covers licence validity, licence types, refresher training, first aid, right to work, and working …

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 …

Employing security staff: your compliance obligations

What pubs, clubs, retail, and events businesses need to know when employing or contracting SIA-licensed security staff — covering licence verification, working …

Start a private security business

End-to-end learning path for starting a private security company. Covers SIA regulation, personal and business licensing, approved contractor status, insurance, recruiting licensed …

Apply for an SIA licence

Step-by-step guide to applying for a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence. Covers which licence type you need, what documents to prepare, and …

Register as an SIA Approved Contractor

How to apply for and maintain SIA Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) status. Covers eligibility requirements, choosing a UKAS-accredited assessment body, preparing for …

Renew your SIA licence

How to renew your SIA licence before it expires, including the new mandatory refresher training requirements for door supervisors (from April 2025) …

SIA employer compliance checklist

Compliance audit checklist for private security employers. Covers SIA licensing, refresher training, first aid, DBS checks, right to work verification, badge display, …

SIA licence types and requirements

Quick reference for all SIA licence types, which security activities require a licence, and current fees.

SIA training qualifications reference

Quick-reference table of all SIA-approved qualifications by licence type, including core qualifications, refresher requirements, first aid prerequisites, guided learning hours, and approved …

Secure your business premises

Security requirements for business premises including CCTV compliance, SIA licensing, and physical security measures.

Security staff onboarding checklist

Pre-deployment checklist for onboarding new private security employees. Covers SIA licence verification, DBS checks, right to work, site-specific induction, lone working briefing, …

8 more guides that reference this instrument

Connected legislation

Instruments made under this Act. They carry the detail the Act delegates.

Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.