If you are organising an event in the UK and hiring security staff, you have a legal obligation to ensure those staff hold valid SIA licences. That obligation sits with you as the event organiser, not just with the security company you hire from.
The Private Security Industry Act 2001 makes it a criminal offence to deploy unlicensed security staff at an event. The penalties apply to whoever is responsible for the site, which in most cases is the event organiser or venue.
This guide covers what you need to check, why it matters, and how to verify you are compliant.
The legal requirement
The Private Security Industry Act 2001 requires all security staff working in the UK to hold a valid SIA licence before they can work in a security role. This covers door supervision, event security, static guarding, and mobile patrol.
For event security specifically, the relevant SIA licence categories are:
Door Supervisor — the most common licence for event security staff. Covers door supervision, access control, and conflict management at events where the primary risk is crowd management and confrontation at entry and exit points.
Close Protection — required for events where officers are assigned to protect specific individuals, such as corporate events with senior executives, high-profile speakers, or celebrities. Close protection is a separate and more specialist licence.
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the statutory regulator for the private security industry in England and Wales. It issues licences, enforces the Act, and maintains the public register of licensed security personnel.
If a security company sends staff to your event who are not correctly licensed, both the company and you as the event organiser can face criminal liability.
Which licence category applies
The licence category your event requires depends on the nature of the event and what your staff will actually be doing.
Door Supervisor licence applies to:
- Staff checking tickets and managing access at entry points
- Officers patrolling inside the venue
- Crowd management and conflict de-escalation
- Monitoring and managing exits and emergency routes
- General site security across most event types
Close Protection licence applies to:
- Individual bodyguards or executive protection officers
- Events where specific individuals require dedicated personal security
- High-profile corporate events, awards ceremonies, or private functions where protection detail is specified
For most events — music festivals, sports fixtures, corporate conferences, trade shows, community events — the Door Supervisor licence is the relevant category.
The SIA also expanded its licensed roles in 2026. The Cash andvaluables in transit licence now covers some scenarios previously handled under general security arrangements. If you are unsure which licence category applies to your event, ask the security provider to confirm before you sign a contract.
How to check the SIA register
The SIA maintains a public register of all licensed security personnel in England and Wales. Before your event, you should ask the security provider to confirm the names and licence numbers of the officers who will be on your site. You can then verify each one on the SIA website.
The register confirms:
- That the licence is current and not expired
- That the licence category matches the role the officer will perform
- That the officer has no prohibitions from working in the security industry
A security company that cannot provide licence details in advance, or whose staff do not appear on the register, should not be used. It is a straightforward indicator that the company is not properly managed.
Checking the register takes five minutes per officer. For events with a significant number of security staff, ask the security provider to supply a pre-event briefing document listing all officer names, SIA licence numbers, and the roles they will perform on site.
ACS Approved vs individual licensing
A security company can hold ACS Approved status (the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board approved contractor scheme) independently of whether its individual staff hold SIA licences. Both matter.
The ACS Approved scheme assesses a company against criteria including:
- Staff training and vetting standards
- Operational procedures and management structure
- Financial stability and business continuity
- Customer complaint handling
For event organisers, ACS Approved status tells you that the company itself has been independently assessed. It does not replace the need to verify individual officer SIA licences.
Both should be checked. A company with ACS Approved status that cannot demonstrate valid SIA licences for its staff is not a compliant provider.
What to ask your security provider
Before you commit to a security provider for your event, ask these questions:
1. What SIA licence category do your officers hold?
Confirm the Door Supervisor or Close Protection category matches your event requirements.
2. Can you provide a pre-event officer list with SIA licence numbers?
A professional provider will supply this. It is the minimum you should expect.
3. How can I verify the licence numbers on the SIA register?
Ask for the register check confirmation process. Any provider that resists this question has something to hide.
4. Does your company hold ACS Approved status?
Ask for the registration number and verify it on the relevant inspection board register.
5. What training do your officers receive beyond the SIA licence requirement?
Conflict management, first aid, and event-specific training are standard for professional event security providers.
6. How do you manage last-minute staffing changes?
If an officer cancels, how does the provider ensure a licensed replacement arrives without gaps in coverage?
7. What is your policy on underage or invalid licences?
A professional provider will immediately remove any officer found to be working without a valid licence.
Why compliance matters
The consequences of deploying unlicensed security staff at a UK event are not abstract.
Under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, the event organiser can face a fine and, in serious cases, a criminal record. If an incident occurs and your security staff are found to be unlicensed, the liability exposure is significant and entirely avoidable.
Beyond the legal risk, unlicensed staff are typically less well-trained, less well-vetted, and less professionally managed. They represent a higher risk to your event, your attendees, and your reputation.
Professional SIA-licensed officers are a direct cost, but they are also a direct reduction in your event’s legal and operational risk.
What Ashridge provides
Ashridge Group provides SIA-licensed event security staff across the UK, covering door supervision, access control, crowd management, and executive protection roles.
All of our event security officers hold valid SIA Door Supervisor or Close Protection licences as appropriate for their assignment. We supply pre-event officer briefings with full licence details so you can verify each name on the SIA register before the event begins.
We hold ACS Approved status and ISO 9001 certification. Our event security teams include officers with armed forces backgrounds and specialist training in conflict de-escalation and crowd management.
To discuss your event security requirements, contact Ashridge Group.
