In the UK, security operatives carrying out licensable activity must hold a valid Security Industry Authority licence. It is a legal requirement, not a mark of quality — but the suppliers who are casual about it tend to be casual about everything else too.
Five checks worth making
- Ask for licence numbers, not assurances, and verify them on the SIA public register
- Check the licence is the right type for the work — guarding, door supervision and CCTV are separate
- Ask how they monitor expiry dates, and what happens when one lapses mid-contract
- Confirm public and employer liability insurance, and ask for the certificate
- Ask who supervises the officers, how often, and whether visits are announced
Why the licence type matters
A Security Guarding licence does not cover door supervision at a licensed venue, and neither covers monitoring a public space surveillance system. Deploying an officer on the wrong licence is a compliance failure that sits with the supplier, but the disruption of having a site left uncovered lands on you.
The question most buyers forget
Ask what happens when the regular officer is unavailable. The answer tells you whether you are buying a managed service or a single person's availability. A supplier who cannot cover sickness at short notice will eventually leave your site empty on the night it matters.
Get the duties in writing
Finally, insist on written assignment instructions before the first shift. If a supplier cannot tell you in writing what their officer will be doing on your site, they have not thought about it — and neither will the officer.