SIA updates licensing criteria to strengthen public protection

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) will implement revised licensing criteria on 1 December 2025, aiming to raise standards across the private security sector and enhance public safety. These changes follow a public consultation held from 11 March to 20 May 2025, which received 3,392 responses.

The updated rules will apply to all new licence applications and renewals, as well as to existing licence holders if new information prompts a review of their suitability. Licence holders will not be reassessed under the new criteria unless they reapply or new concerns arise.

Key changes include an expanded list of relevant offences used to assess criminal records. New additions include offences related to human trafficking, modern slavery, revenge pornography, female genital mutilation (FGM), and domestic abuse. The SIA will also introduce new offence categories, such as immigration offences, public order offences, tax evasion, and company law violations.

Two new refusal categories—“absolute refusal” and “intention to refuse”—will be added to the existing framework. Applicants who are on a sex offenders register, subject to sexual harm prevention or sexual risk orders, or have multiple convictions for sexual offences or child abuse will fall under “absolute refusal.” Appeals will only be considered if the decision was based on incorrect information.

The “intention to refuse” category will apply to individuals with convictions for sexual offences or child abuse who do not meet the threshold for absolute refusal, or those with custodial sentences exceeding 48 months. Appeals may be accepted if the applicant can demonstrate that the decision was based on incorrect information or that they do not pose a risk to the public.

Custodial sentences of more than 12 months will place applicants in the “consider additional factors” category. Appeals will be considered if the applicant can show the decision was based on incorrect information or that they are fit and proper to hold a licence.

The SIA is also strengthening its approach to overseas criminal record checks. Currently, applicants who have lived outside the UK for six months or more in the past five years must provide evidence of criminal record checks from those countries. From December, this requirement will extend to any continuous period of six months or more spent abroad within the past ten years.

Finally, the SIA is expanding the scope of “other information” it may consider when assessing whether an applicant is fit and proper to hold a licence. In addition to existing criteria such as county court judgments and penalty notices, the SIA will now explicitly include factors such as disciplinary proceedings, restrictions imposed by professional bodies, and evidence of abusive or predatory behaviour, including domestic violence.