Consultation on future regulatory regime for the private security industry

This consultation is now closed.

The Home Office would like to thank respondents for participating. The Home Office will now take some time to consider all the responses and will publish a response in due course.

The purpose of this consultation was to seek views on the government’s preferred option for reforming the regulation of the private security industry through a transition to a business regulation regime.

The current arrangements for the regulation of the private security industry in the United Kingdom are set out in the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Responsibility for delivering regulation lies with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), a non-departmental public body accountable to the Home Secretary. Following the Public Bodies Review in 2010, the government concluded that the SIA’s functions should be reformed. The consultation provided a detailed proposal for a new regulatory regime for the private security industry, which has been developed in partnership with industry representatives. 

We welcomed a wide response to the consultation to help ensure that we have identified all the relevant issues, so that the proposed reforms are implemented in an effective and efficient way. We particularly sought the views of those across the UK who work within the industry, those who buy, supply and rely on the provision of private security, as well as law enforcement partners.

More information is available in the full consultation document.