The Security Industry Authority has issued a new enforcement update dated 9 December 2025, stressing that training malpractice and qualification fraud carry public safety risks and confirming further action under Operation RESOLUTE to protect licence‑linked qualifications. The update directs readers to a fuller operational summary on the SIA’s blog.
Operation RESOLUTE is described by the SIA as a high‑impact programme centred on intelligence‑led, unannounced inspections and closer collaboration with regulators and awarding organisations. The aim is to disrupt abuse swiftly and support compliant providers while removing poor practice from the system.
According to the SIA’s 8 December blog, targeted activity in October involved visits to nine training centres in a single week across the UK. Three centres fell short of expectations and malpractice was witnessed at one site, which is now under investigation by the relevant awarding organisation.
The SIA reports that in November more than twenty officers, working with Ofqual, carried out simultaneous unannounced inspections across London, Manchester, Bradford and Liverpool. Eight venues were visited in one day, including five approved training centres, two security companies and one non‑approved training centre; one centre has been further sanctioned by its awarding organisation, which has paused qualification releases until quality can be assured.
Year‑to‑date outcomes highlighted by the SIA include 19 training centres closed and 242 SIA licences suspended since January 2025. A suspended licence cannot legally be used for licensable activity and the suspension takes effect immediately, meaning operatives must be removed from roles until the status is resolved.
The November actions followed a separate early‑November intervention in which more than 60 licences were suspended for people trained at two centres in Glasgow and Manchester, with the awarding organisation preventing further training at the provider while enquiries continued.
For clarity on governance: awarding organisations develop qualifications to the SIA’s specifications, approve and quality‑assure providers, and upload results to the licensing system; regulators such as Ofqual, SQA, Qualifications Wales and CCEA oversee those awarding bodies. Current awarding organisations include BIIAB, Highfield, Pearson BTEC, Qualifications Network, SFJ Awards and Trident Awards.
Employers deploying contracted security must verify that staff hold a valid, active licence. The SIA’s free Licence Status Checker draws data from the public register and allows watchlists, helping operators to manage rosters if a suspension is applied.
Training providers should note that approval sits with awarding organisations and that delivery must meet published SIA rules, including tutor competence, examination conditions and first‑aid prerequisites for front‑line courses. Non‑compliance can trigger awarding‑body sanctions and SIA action.
The enforcement push aligns with a strategic review of licence‑linked qualifications launched on 5 November 2025. The review covers core content, safety‑critical skills such as physical intervention and searching, counter‑terror updates, responses to emerging issues like interactions with social media auditors, and the use of technology to harden exams against cheating.
Licensing rules also tightened on 1 December 2025 following consultation earlier in the year. The SIA has expanded the range of offences relevant to the ‘fit and proper’ test, signalling a firmer stance on criminality in licensing decisions and renewals.
Intelligence remains central to this programme. The SIA advises reporting suspected training malpractice directly to the relevant awarding organisation and regulator; GOV.UK guidance sets out contacts and the information required to progress an investigation.