The words a guarding contract is written in. Licensing, screening, instructions, patrols and incidents — what each term actually means, what it obliges a contractor to do, and what an audit finds when the officer on site is not the one on the record.
Licensing & regulation
SIA licence
An SIA licence is the authorisation an individual needs from the Security Industry Authority to carry out licensable security activity in the UK.
Door supervisor licence
A door supervisor licence is the SIA licence for guarding premises licensed for alcohol or regulated entertainment.
Security guarding licence
A security guarding licence is the SIA licence for guarding premises, property or people against theft, damage, disorder or trespass.
Public space surveillance licence
A public space surveillance licence is the SIA licence required to operate CCTV equipment to monitor public space in a way that identifies or records the activities of individuals..
Approved Contractor Scheme
The Approved Contractor Scheme is a voluntary SIA scheme assessing security suppliers against a standard covering their management, processes and staff.
Front line licence
A front line licence permits an individual to carry out licensable security activity in person.
Licence-linked qualification
A licence-linked qualification is the training an individual must complete before applying for a front line SIA licence.
Close protection licence
A close protection licence is the SIA licence for guarding individuals against assault or injury.
Licence check
A licence check is verification that an officer holds a valid SIA licence of the right category for the assignment.
Public space surveillance
Public space surveillance is operating CCTV to monitor public space in a way that identifies or records individuals.
Counter-terrorism duty for premises
Legislation places requirements on those responsible for certain publicly accessible premises and events to prepare for and reduce the risk from terrorism, with obligations scaled to capacity..
Screening & vetting
BS 7858 screening
BS 7858 is the British Standard for screening individuals working in environments where security is important.
Identity check
An identity check establishes that a person is who they say they are, using documents verified against defined criteria.
Right to work check
A right to work check confirms an individual is permitted to do the work in the UK.
Employment history
Employment history is the continuous record of what an individual was doing over the screening period, verified rather than taken on trust.
Screening gap
A screening gap is a period in an applicant's history that has not been accounted for or verified.
Character reference
A character reference is a reference about an individual's conduct and reliability, obtained and verified as part of screening.
Screening record retention
Screening record retention is the requirement to keep screening files for a defined period after the individual leaves, so that they can be produced for audit or in an investigation..
Assignments & duties
Assignment instructions
Assignment instructions are the site-specific document telling officers what they are required to do on a particular assignment — the duties, the patrol requirements, the escalation routes and the site's own rules..
Lone working
Lone working in security is deployment without close or direct supervision or immediate support.
Keyholding
Keyholding is the service of holding keys to a client's premises and attending in response to an alarm or a request, so that the client's own staff do not have to respond in person..
Conflict management
Conflict management is the set of skills for de-escalating confrontation without force — communication, distance, positioning and disengagement.
Patrol
A patrol is a planned route an officer walks or drives around a site, checking defined points.
Handover
A handover is the briefing between an officer going off shift and the one coming on, covering what happened, what is outstanding and anything the incoming officer needs to know..
Alarm response
Alarm response is attending a site following an alarm activation, checking it and securing it.
Static guarding
Static guarding is security provided by officers based at one site for the duration of a shift, as distinct from mobile patrols visiting several sites..
Mobile patrol
A mobile patrol is an officer visiting several sites in a shift, checking each and moving on.
Access control
Access control is managing who may enter a site and recording that they did — by officer, by system, or by both.
Search
A search is an examination of a person, their belongings or a vehicle at a site.
Use of force
Use of force by a security officer is limited to what the law permits any citizen — reasonable force in defined circumstances such as self-defence or preventing crime.
Records & incidents
A–Z
- Access control
- Alarm response
- Approved Contractor Scheme
- Assignment instructions
- BS 7858 screening
- Character reference
- Close protection licence
- Conflict management
- Counter-terrorism duty for premises
- Door supervisor licence
- Employment history
- Front line licence
- Handover
- Identity check
- Incident report
- Keyholding
- Licence check
- Licence-linked qualification
- Lone working
- Mobile patrol
- Patrol
- Proof of attendance
- Public space surveillance
- Public space surveillance licence
- Right to work check
- Screening gap
- Screening record retention
- Search
- Security guarding licence
- SIA licence
- Static guarding
- Use of force
More terms are being added. These pages explain what the words mean; they are not a substitute for the SIA's own guidance or advice from a competent adviser.