By John Love


SIA is an acronym for Security Industry Agency. The SIA is a non-departmental, private sector organisation which was founded in 2003 and functions within the Private Security Industry Act 2001 under the law. Its area of mandate is the UK.

Position of the SIA

As a body aimed at controlling private security industry correctly, it takes on a leading role in licensing of the people within the security industry and also the management of contractors that measure the merits and practices of the security organizations that equip security officers, train security personnel, provide goods and services to security agencies and individual business, and those security firms that provide security staff to different events, businesses, organizations and private citizens.

The SIA is, basically, the governing bureau that makes sure there is a standard for education, training and practice in the UK security industry. The agency has an existing framework for approval of all security services. In addition, it's a body that ensures and recognises requirement for good quality service in providing security in an attempt to cut back criminality in the UK.

It's for this reason that legally any private security firms must be subjected to SIA standards and should meet those requirements so as to be fully operational. SIA assesses licenses, validates and trains the personnel of such companies.

SIA licensing helps to ensure that the individuals employed in security firms, as well as security consultants, have been through training before issuing of a security license. The range of activities licensable includes vehicle tracking, restriction, movement and immobilization, key holding and manned guarding. Training routines also include particular accreditation in door supervision, use of surveillance cameras, close protection, and guarding of valuables and cash on transit.

Qualifications

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 by itself, But they do vet or take on training provider firms though while focusing on assessing these firms for the skills and knowledge which a licence holder ought to have, such as full formal training in a classroom setting. Candidates should also complete 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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