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Displaying a frontline SIA Licence in line with legislation

When carrying out Silver Fox Audits, our Auditors regularly encounter Frontline Security Officers and Door Supervisors who are failing to display their SIA licence in accordance with the Private Security Industry Act 2001 and many do not realise the importance of this and possible consequences of failing to do so.

A frontline Officer must wear their SIA licence where it can be seen, at all times, when engaging in designated licensable activities unless it has been reported lost or stolen or is in the possession of the SIA. The only time that it is acceptable for the licence to be carried, but not visible, is if the individual can demonstrate that the nature of the conduct at the time requires that they should not be immediately identifiable as someone engaging in such conduct. An example of this is store detectives or close protection officers being able to perform their role without the need to be identifiable.

When carrying out a Silver Fox Audit we always check that the Officers on duty are in possession of a valid SIA licence or Licence Dispensation Notice (if they are awaiting renewal of their licence). However, it is not uncommon for Officers to rifle through their bags, office drawers, etc. in search of their licence and then find that it is in their car or has even been left at home.

Our Auditors always stress the importance of displaying an SIA licence in line with legislation and failure to do so results in an automatic fail of the overall audit process, but we continue to encounter this issue on a weekly basis.