The Security Industry Authority has opened a public consultation on changes to the qualifications required for a security licence. The consultation was published on 28 August 2026 and closes on 23 October 2026. The SIA plans to publish final specifications in winter 2026, with new qualifications launching later in 2027.
The proposals matter directly to close protection operatives. The SIA is proposing that holding an in-date first aid qualification becomes a licence condition for close protection operatives, door supervisors and security guards. It also proposes an additional independent test of a learner's ability to speak and understand English, refreshed counter-terrorism awareness content delivered as a single learning package developed with policing partners, awareness of Martyn's Law, and extended spiking awareness training for security guarding and CCTV operator courses.
The consultation also asks whether licence integration, which currently allows close protection licence holders to carry out door supervision and security guarding roles, should end. The SIA says more than 5,000 people took part in the surveys, webinars and exercises behind the review. Providers and operators should read the proposals now and respond before the October deadline, since a first aid requirement as a licence condition would change what every licensed operative must hold.
