The licensable roles are: security guarding (manned guarding), door supervision, CCTV (public space surveillance), close protection, key holding, vehicle immobilising and cash and valuables in transit. If a person performs any of these roles on your premises without a licence, both they and their employer commit an offence — and your own business can face reputational and insurance consequences for contracting them.
Every SIA licence carries a unique 16-digit number and the operative's photo. Ask your provider for the licence numbers of officers assigned to your contract and check them free of charge on the SIA's public Register of Licence Holders. A legitimate provider will supply these without hesitation; reluctance is a red flag.
Also ask whether the company itself holds SIA Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) status. ACS is voluntary, but it is the closest thing the UK has to a quality kitemark for security companies, auditing everything from vetting to training to management systems.
“A licence is the floor, not the ceiling. Verify it, then verify everything behind it.”
A licence is the floor, not the ceiling. Insist on BS 7858 vetting evidence for every officer, first-aid certification, written assignment instructions for your site, and proof of public liability insurance of at least £5 million. These four documents separate professional operators from the race-to-the-bottom end of the market.
Cheap security that fails at the moment of incident is the most expensive security you can buy. Verify licences, check vetting, demand reporting — and treat any provider who resists transparency as a risk in themselves.
