Licences to be introduced

Security Industry Authority

The Security Industry Authority are currently developing the approach to licensing Private Investigators. The approach will be based on the requirements of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 and will take into account the findings of the consultation process.

According to the Act you will need an SIA licence if you are involved in any surveillance, inquiries or investigations that are carried out for the purposes of obtaining information about a particular person or about the activities or whereabouts of a particular person; or if you are involved in obtaining information about the circumstances in which, or means by which, property has been lost or damaged.

Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment

The options for licensing were presented by the Home Office in a partial Regulatory Impact Assessment published on 1 August 2007. You can find further information at the Security Industry Authority web site.

May 2008 the SIA announced that they were going to licence Private Investigators, and that there would be a competency criteria. No further details on the timetable or the qualification requirements have been announced.

Precognition Agents

Precognition agents interview witnesses for the purposes of, or in anticipation of, criminal or civil proceeding in Scotland. Proposals for the licensing of precognition agents are being considered in parallel with the development of licensing for private investigators. This is because of a similarity in the activities undertaken by both groups.