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September 2026 | Industry, Regulation & Professional Standards
When we think about security in the UK, we often think about the people we see every day: security officers protecting buildings, door supervisors keeping people safe in busy venues, CCTV operators monitoring public spaces and specialists working behind the scenes to protect people, property and information. But who makes sure the people working in these roles meet the required standards?
In the UK, one of the most important organisations in that process is the Security Industry Authority, or SIA. Today, the SIA is the regulator of the UK’s private security industry. However, its role did not always exist in its current form. Its creation was the result of legislation, the development of a national regulatory system and the work of people who helped establish the organisation & shape its direction over more than two decades. So, where did the SIA come from & how did it become such an important part of the UK's security landscape?
What is the SIA?
The Security Industry Authority is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Home Office. Its purpose is to contribute to public protection by regulating the private security industry & improving standards. Its remit covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The SIA is responsible for licensing people who carry out certain designated security activities & for operating the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme, known as ACS, for private security businesses. The regulated activities include security guarding, door supervision, close protection, public space surveillance through CCTV, cash & valuables in transit, key holding & vehicle immobilisation in Northern Ireland.
The regulator's role is therefore much broader than simply issuing licences. It also works with partners & the industry to promote compliance, higher standards & public confidence in private security provision. In its current strategic plan, the SIA describes its purpose as being to “keep people & places safe & secure” through the regulation of private security & increasingly, venues across the UK.
Where did the SIA come from?
The story begins with the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The Act received Royal Assent on 11 May 2001 & created the legal framework for regulating the private security industry. Its purpose was to make provision for the regulation of the industry & establish the Security Industry Authority. However, passing the legislation was only the beginning. The SIA itself was formally established on 1 April 2003. Its first annual report describes this as the organisation's inaugural year & explains that it was established as a statutory body under the 2001 Act. This distinction is important. In 2001, the legislation was passed. In 2003, the SIA was established. In 2004, licensing began. That three-stage development created the foundation for the regulatory system we recognise today.
2001 - the legislation was passed.
2003 - the SIA was established.
2004 - licensing began.
2003: Building the organisation
The first year of the SIA was about much more than creating an organisation on paper. The Authority had to establish the systems, people & processes that would allow private security regulation to operate nationally. The SIA's first annual report records Molly Meacher as its original Chair, with John Saunders OBE as its first Chief Executive. Other members of the early leadership team included Andy Drane, Steve Sidaway, Graham Titcombe & Nick Lewis. John Saunders played a particularly important role during these formative years. The SIA's 2006/07 annual report later paid tribute to Saunders as its “first chief executive”, recognising his contribution to the organisation during its early development.
The organisation was preparing to introduce something that would fundamentally change the industry: individual licensing.
2004: The first SIA licences
In April 2004, the SIA issued its first licences. This was a major milestone because it moved private security regulation from legislation & preparation into practical operation. The SIA itself identifies April 2004 as the point at which its first licences were issued.
From this point, people carrying out designated security activities would increasingly need to demonstrate that they met the requirements to work in regulated roles. The idea behind licensing was straightforward: people carrying out certain security functions should meet recognised standards before being allowed to work in those roles. That principle remains central to the SIA's work today.
2006: The Approved Contractor Scheme
Two years after the first licences were issued, another important part of the SIA's work was introduced. In February 2006, the SIA launched its Approved Contractor Scheme, known as ACS. While licensing focuses on individuals, the ACS provides a framework through which security businesses can demonstrate that they meet defined standards. The scheme is voluntary, but it has become an important part of the UK's private security landscape. The distinction is useful. SIA licensing asks whether an individual meets the requirements to carry out regulated security work, while ACS asks whether a security business meets the required standards to become an approved contractor. Together, these approaches provide two different layers of assurance, one focused on people & another on organisations.
A regulator grows with the industry
The SIA's history is not simply a story of introducing licences & then maintaining them. The organisation's role has developed as the security industry itself has changed. Its 20-year anniversary material identifies several significant milestones, including the first licences in 2004, the launch of the ACS in 2006 & a landmark High Court judgment in July 2008, which confirmed the SIA's power to prosecute. The regulator also developed its UK-wide role.
Today, the SIA regulates across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, providing a national framework for the activities covered by the legislation. That national approach is significant for an industry where businesses and security professionals can operate across different parts of the UK.
The people behind the regulator
Organisations are often described through legislation, policies & statistics. But the SIA's history has also been shaped by individuals.
Molly Meacher was Chair of the SIA during its establishment. The Authority's first annual report records her as Chair before she stepped down in December 2003.
John Saunders OBE was the SIA's first Chief Executive and helped lead the organisation through its formative years. The SIA later recognised his contribution to establishing the regulator during its early development.
More recently, Heather Baily QPM served as SIA Chair from June 2021 until February 2026. Reflecting on her time as Chair, Baily emphasised the organisation's fundamental purpose: “Public protection is, & will always remain, at the heart of everything that drives myself, the SIA Chief Executive Michelle Russell, our Board & the whole of the SIA.” During her tenure, the SIA described itself as becoming a more responsive & innovative regulator, with a stronger focus on public safety outcomes.
Michelle Russell became the SIA's Chief Executive in November 2021, having previously served as Acting Chief Executive from October 2020. She joined the SIA in January 2020 as Director of Partnership & Interventions. At the time of her appointment, Heather Baily described Russell as bringing “positive, inclusive leadership skills and strong personal values” to the role, alongside extensive regulatory experience. Russell remains Chief Executive today.
In March 2026, Mike Cunningham CBE QPM became Chair of the SIA, succeeding Heather Baily. Cunningham described his appointment as a privilege & highlighted the importance of the organisation's next stage as it prepares to take on new responsibilities connected with Martyn's Law. “It is a privilege to take on the role of Chair of the SIA.” His appointment marks another stage in the regulator's development, from an organisation established primarily around private security licensing to one with an expanding role within the UK's wider protective security landscape.
The SIA today
More than 20 years after the legislation that created it, the SIA is a significantly larger organisation than the one established in 2003. The regulator currently employs more than 360 people, with its London office supported by investigators & other staff working across the UK.
Its responsibilities continue to include licensing individuals & overseeing the Approved Contractor Scheme, while its strategic direction is now expanding into new areas of public protection.
The SIA's 2026 to 2029 Strategic Plan sets out a particularly significant next step: the organisation is preparing to become the regulator for Martyn's Law, formally known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. This will extend the SIA's responsibilities beyond its traditional private security regulatory role. The SIA's Chair and Chief Executive describe this as an important moment for the organisation, with the regulator preparing to play an enhanced role in the UK's protective security landscape.
From licensing security officers to protecting the public
Looking back at the SIA's history, one thing stands out: the organisation has continued to evolve alongside the risks & expectations facing the UK. In 2001, the priority was creating a legal framework for regulating the private security industry. In 2003, the regulator itself was established. In 2004, licensing began. In 2006, the Approved Contractor Scheme was introduced. Over the years that followed, the SIA developed its enforcement role, expanded its reach across the UK & continued to raise expectations around professionalism & standards.
Today, the focus remains public protection, but the regulator's responsibilities are expanding into a much wider protective security environment. As the SIA itself puts it, “public trust & confidence” in those responsible for keeping people safe is increasingly important.
For the private security industry, that means the SIA is not simply a name on a licence. It represents more than two decades of regulatory development, professional standards and public protection, shaped by legislation, organisations and, importantly, the people working within the industry every day. And the story is still being written.