What is a Security Guard Training Licence?

| Monday, August 15, 2011
By John Love


SIA is short for for Security Industry Agency. The SIA is a non-departmental, private sector institution which was set up in 2003 and operates beneath the Private Security Industry Act 2001 under the law. Its area of mandate is the United Kingdom.

Position of the SIA

As a body aimed at regulating private security industry properly, it plays a leading role in licensing of those within the security industry and also the management of contractors that measure the merits and procedures of the security organizations, that equip security guards, train security personnel, provide goods and services to security agencies and individual business, and those security firms that supply security staff to various events, businesses, organizations and private citizens.

The SIA is, put simply, the regulating agency that ensures there is a standard for learning, training and practice in the UK security industry. The agency has an existing framework for validation of all security services. In addition, it's a body that ensures and recognises requirement for good quality service in supplying security in an attempt to cut back criminality in the UK.

It actually is for this reason that legally, any private security firms must be put through SIA standards and should meet those requirements in order to be fully operational. SIA assesses licenses, validates and trains the personnel of these firms.

SIA accreditation helps to ensure that the individuals employed in security firms, together with security consultants, have been through training before issuing of a security license. The range of activities licensable includes car tracking, restriction, movement and immobilization, key holding and manned guarding. Training routines also have certain certification in door supervision, use of CCTV cameras, close protection, and guarding of valuables and cash on transit.

Licence requirements

The main objective for the need to meet qualification requirements is to guarantee that the individuals are capable of performing their responsibilities in a way that won't cause harm to themselves and also the public. For armed security guards the requirements are usually more stringent, since there is need to get firearms licensure in addition to the SIA licence.

However, SIA doesn't provide security training courses itself, But they do vet or take on training provider firms though and focus on evaluating these firms for the skills and knowledge which a licence holder ought to have, such as complete formal training in a classroom setting. Candidates must also pass a criminal records check and a drug test.

Therefore before applying for the licence, you must have undergone some form of training program which will award a security guard certificate from an accredited training institution. Examples of SIA accepted training centres include: the British Institute of Innkeeping Awarding Body (BIIAB), Buckinghamshire New University, and the City & Guilds.




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