What licences and standards a UK security contractor should hold, from SIA to BS 8517, and how to verify them yourself rather than taking them on trust.
How do I check that a security officer’s SIA licence is genuine?
Ask for the licence number and check it on the Security Industry Authority’s public register. The number is printed on the licence card the officer should be able to produce on request, and the register will confirm whether it is current and what licence class it covers.
Licence class matters as much as validity. Security Guarding, Door Supervision and Public Space Surveillance (CCTV) are separate classes, and an officer licensed for one is not automatically licensed for another. A CCTV operative needs the Public Space Surveillance class specifically.
Any contractor should provide licence numbers for the personnel assigned to your site without hesitation. Reluctance is itself informative.
BS 8517 is the British Standard covering the use of detection and general purpose security dogs. It sets out how dog and handler teams should be trained, deployed, transported, rested and housed.
It matters because it turns vague claims into checkable ones. "Experienced handlers" means nothing on its own; working to BS 8517 means there is a documented standard governing briefing, working hours, welfare and record-keeping that a client or insurer can ask to see.
What does the Guard Dogs Act 1975 actually require?
In practical terms it requires that a handler is present and in control of a guard dog at all times while the dog is being used to secure premises. It also requires a warning notice at each entrance stating that a guard dog is present.
The consequence is that a dog must never be left on a site unattended. If a contractor offers unattended dogs as a cheaper option, they are proposing to break the law on your premises, and the liability will not stay neatly with them.
What insurance should a security contractor carry?
Public liability and employers’ liability as a minimum. Many clients, particularly principal contractors and local authorities, set a required level of public liability cover as a condition of engagement, commonly £5m or £10m.
Ask for the certificate rather than a verbal assurance, and check the policy is current and that the activities described match what you are buying. A policy that excludes dog handling is not much use if you are buying a dog unit.
BS 7858 is the British Standard for screening individuals working in a security environment. It covers identity, right to work, employment history, and gaps in that history, the last being the part cheaper screening tends to skip.
SIA licensing includes a criminality check, but it is not a substitute for employment screening. The two answer different questions.
Ask any contractor to describe their screening process and what they do about unexplained gaps in a candidate’s history. The quality of that answer tells you a great deal.
