The Security Industry Authority has published a Freedom of Information response (FOI 0626), first published on Thursday 17 September, setting out what its unannounced inspections on 21 June 2026 found and what it is prepared to say about its planning for Martyn's Law.
Start with the scale, because it is easy to misread. "A total of 454 security operatives were checked as part of the SIA’s unannounced inspections conducted on 21 June 2026." That is one day's operation, not an annual figure.
On licence conditions, the response states: "Fifteen offences under Section 9 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (the Act) were detected (breach of licence conditions). Three were dealt with by written warnings, and the other 12 received verbal warnings." It does not break down which conditions were breached.
On unlicensed working, it records six suspected offences under Section 3 of the Act, which covers engaging in licensable activity without a valid licence. One operative found working on a cloned licence was identified as an immigration overstayer and was arrested by the police. One suspected of working on someone else's licence fled the scene while speaking with investigators, and the response does not say what happened next. Of the other four, one has since been dealt with by warning, and three remain under consideration by the SIA "as to what, if any, regulatory action is warranted."
If you are citing these figures, note one discrepancy. The SIA's own news release on the operation, published on 26 June, said: "Teams visited 224 licensed premises and conducted 450 licence checks across the night-time economy." The FOI gives 454 operatives checked. The June release also described a counterfeit licence where the FOI says cloned. Neither changes the picture, but quote the document you are relying on.
On Martyn's Law, the response discloses nothing of substance. The SIA's target operating model is withheld: "The TOM is still under development and subject to policy development." It is exempted under sections 35 and 36 of the Freedom of Information Act. On projected registrations and inspections for the first three years, the answer is: "We do not hold the information requested as this is still under policy development." For qualifications and regulator costs, the SIA points to material that is already published: its recruitment adverts, and the economic note that accompanied the Statutory Instrument on notifications.
Two practical points for operators and the businesses that deploy them. First, the unlicensed cases found on a single day included a cloned licence and someone working on another person's licence. Checking the card number alone does not catch either. Sign-on checks should confirm that the person standing there is the person the licence belongs to.
Second, for venues and anyone advising them on Martyn's Law, there is no published SIA operating model and no inspection forecast yet. Preparation should be built on the Act and the guidance already published, not on assumptions about how often, or how, the regulator will inspect.
