A new public-facing campaign website, www.csir.uk, has launched today to support calls for long-overdue reform of the UK’s private security industry. The Campaign for Security Industry Reform (CSIR) aims to raise public awareness, support professional standards, and press government for stronger, fairer regulation where public safety is the priority.
“Public safety is the reason the security industry is regulated at all. Security officers are now expected to deal with serious violence, terrorism risks, safeguarding, medical emergencies and complex technology. Public safety must be matched by proper regulation of businesses, specialist roles and professional standards.”
Public safety is the central purpose of the industry regulator, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Every day, licensed security officers protect people in shopping centres, hospitals, transport hubs, venues, offices, public spaces and endless other locations. The way the industry is regulated directly affects how well the public is protected.
The launch coincides with the SIA’s 5-year review of all licence-linked qualifications. The review will examine core training content, safety-critical skills, counter-terrorism material, searching techniques, spiking awareness, first aid, English language requirements, and the quality and integrity of training and assessment. Industry engagement will continue into early 2026, with updated requirements expected to be introduced in 2027.¹
CSIR welcomes this review as a positive step for public protection. However, the campaign warns that training reform on its own will not fix deeper structural weaknesses in how the industry is regulated. At present, the latest figures published by the SIA show there are over 500,000 SIA licensees who must meet strict personal standards, while the companies that employ them remain largely unregulated at business level.
The campaign highlights several long-standing gaps that have a direct impact on public safety, including:
- The absence of a business licensing regime
- The continued use of the “in-house” exemption
- The lack of a regulatory process for specialist roles such as dog handlers and security consultants
- Weak oversight of poor-quality training providers
- New public safety risks linked to technology, AI, body-worn cameras and data handling use by non-compliant firms and operatives
- A more detailed list appears on our site
CSIR also links industry reform to wider national safety concerns, including the findings of the Manchester Arena Inquiry and the forthcoming Terrorism (Protection of Premises) legislation, commonly known as Martyn’s Law. These developments reflect the growing responsibility placed on private security staff in public-facing roles.
The CSIR.uk website is designed as an open, copyright-free public resource and a platform to raise awareness of other initiatives current in progress to raise security industry standards. It provides short, accessible explainers on key reform issues, links to credible sources, and campaign material that can be freely shared. The site will also host downloadable letters for members of the public and security workers to send to their MPs.
The Campaign for Security Industry Reform will continue to publish regular updates, briefings and public information.
For more information, visit:
www.csir.uk
Notes to Editors
- The Security Industry Authority was established under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 and is the security industry regulator reporting to the Home Office
- The current review of licence-linked qualifications was announced by the SIA in 2025¹ as part of their regular 5-year review
- Martyn’s Law follows recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry.
- Recently launched initiative in talks with SIA, Home Office & Security Minister: Security Guarding Leadership Group – https://securityleaders.co.uk/
- **As of the latest published figures (checked Dec 25) from the Security Industry Authority (SIA), there are currently 517,633 SIA licences in circulation across the UK.** These figures are drawn from the SIA’s official statistical data set on licence holders, which breaks the workforce down by age, gender, nationality, licensing sector, and UK region. This data confirms that private security is now one of the UK’s largest regulated workforces: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/sia-licence-holders
Footnote
¹ UK Government, Security Industry Authority – “SIA launches major review of security licence qualifications” (2025) – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sia-launches-major-review-of-security-licence-qualifications
