Welcome to the Review of Security Licence Qualifications information hub. Here you’ll find:
Overview
We have begun a comprehensive strategic review of the qualifications and training required for SIA licences. This significant review aims to ensure security operatives have the skills and knowledge needed to keep themselves and the public safe in an increasingly complex protective security environment.
What’s being reviewed
The review will examine the content of licence-linked qualifications, including:
- New core content requirements
- Safety-critical skills such as physical intervention and searching
- Counter-terrorism content updates
- Emerging issues like dealing with social media auditors and using new technologies
- Current content on topics including spiking awareness and specialist searching techniques
- Specialist areas such as close protection
- Testing and demonstration of English language and first aid skills
The review will also look at training delivery standards, including technological innovation to prevent exam cheating, new quality requirements for training providers, and the expertise and qualifications required of trainers.
Why this matters
This review represents a strategic reset for the security industry. As well as updating content, the review will fundamentally examine how assessment and monitoring rules can be strengthened and how training courses are delivered, to ensure public confidence.
The new standards will ensure security operatives have essential, safety-critical skills whilst providing foundations for employers to deliver continuous, role-specific training.
Timeline for the review
- November 2025 to June 2026: Engagement meetings, consultation exercises, surveys and webinars
- Summer to Autumn 2026: Public consultation on draft qualification specifications
- Winter 2026: Publication of final qualification specifications
- Late 2026 to Winter 2027: Awarding organisations develop qualifications
- Winter 2026 to Winter 2027: industry and trainers get ready for new qualifications
- Winter 2026 to late 2027: new assessment arrangements for training developed
- Late 2027: New qualifications and assessment arrangements become mandatory
We will be posting a series of blogs and updates throughout this process which you can find here.
Consultation
We have launched a public consultation on proposed changes to the content and requirements of licence-linked qualifications.
We are seeking views on a range of proposed changes to the licence-linked qualifications, and the pre-requisites required to obtain a licence. The proposals are the result of industry engagement and a strategic review.
A public consultation on our proposals includes:
• updated specifications with new content requirements for the training and qualifications needed to get a licence
• changing the ways in which the assessment of learners’ ability to speak and understand English is carried out, including requiring an additional independent test to provide greater confidence in communication skills
• changes to how learners show they are competent in first aid, including a new security-specific first aid qualification more closely aligned with the types of incidents security operatives will encounter in their work
The consultation follows extensive engagement with the security industry, including over 5,000 stakeholders who took part in surveys, webinars and consultation exercises.
The draft specifications were developed with 44 sector experts, and an advisory group of senior industry leaders and counter-terrorism policing partners.
The research carried out as part of the review confirmed that 91% of licence-holders surveyed considered first aid skills to be important to their role and over half had used their first aid training on the job. Given the importance of first aid skills to the role, we are proposing that holding an in-date first aid qualification becomes a licence condition for close protection operatives, door supervisors and security guards, meaning we may take action against operatives who let their first aid certificate lapse.
81% of survey respondents confirmed the importance of communication skills. A new, additional, independent English language test is being proposed, alongside proposals for more standardised testing from awarding organisations, to improve confidence in this and ensure learners have the level of functional English required to safely conduct their duties.
The research and stakeholder engagement highlighted an increase in both the levels of crime and violence that operatives face, especially in the retail environment. With our research showing that 43% of licence holders are having to deal with increasing levels of violence at work, we are proposing changes to the conflict management skills specification to include more real-life scenarios for security guarding operatives. We are also proposing a first of its kind, post-licence standard in advanced physical intervention skills, suitable for higher-risk deployments. The consultation asks if this new standard should be voluntary or compulsory.
More widely, the consultation seeks views on proposed changes to the content specifications for the qualifications. The new proposed standards and requirements will ensure security operatives have the essential, safety-critical skills and knowledge to keep them and the public safe. The updates in the common unit module include:
- recording incidents and crime scene preservation
- changes to the law, including awareness of Martyn’s Law
- changes to how security operatives respond to drug use
- extending spiking awareness training (only applicable currently to door supervision and close protection training) to security guarding and CCTV operators courses
- improved content and training on searching wheelchairs and other mobility devices
- dealing with social media and ‘auditing’ activity, and emerging technologies such as drones
Alongside this is also refreshed counter-terrorism awareness content for security operatives in a new single learning package, developed with policing partners.
We are also asking if licence integration, allowing close protection licence holders to carry out door supervision and security guarding roles should end and if the first aid training requirements for close protection operatives should change.
The consultation closes on Friday 23 October 2026. Final specifications will be published in winter 2026, ahead of new qualifications launching later in 2027.
Those interested are invited to respond and find out further details through the link below.
Consultation Webinars
Join one of our webinars to hear directly from those leading the review of qualifications and the thinking behind the consultation proposals.
There will be an opportunity to ask questions and share your views ahead of the consultation closing on Friday 23 October.
Webinar 1
Date: Wednesday 9 September
Time: 10:00 – 10:45
Audience: the private security industry – licence holders, security businesses, trade bodies and membership associations
Webinar 2
Date: Wednesday 9 September
Time: 14:00 – 14:45
Audience: the private security industry – licence holders, security businesses, trade bodies and membership associations
Webinar 3
Date: Thursday 17 September
Time: 14:00 – 14:45
Audience: Qualification awarding organisations and training providers
All webinars will be hosted on Microsoft Teams.