On Friday 4^th November 2022 a man was handed out a 26-week jail sentence which was suspended for 18 months and the employers who employed him on 70 separate occasions are now being investigated.

The person was identified as using a cloned licence in a Manchester health setting when random checks were carried out during the Covid pandemic in 2020. This individual also had no rights to work here in the UK and was detained after his arrest at an immigration centre in Middlesex.

A legitimate licence holder will have been through significant checks before being awarded a licence, including the right to work here along with 5 years of addresses that can be evidenced.

There is also a Criminal Record Check, as there are certain convictions, which would restrict an applicant from getting a licence.

This is a check anyone can take if they are looking to apply for an SIA Licence or are worried about a previous criminal conviction.

Anyone wishing to work in a private security role in the UK will need to have an SIA licence and once you have successfully passed the training and got through all of the checks, their licence will last then 3 years. There is an excellent book produced by the SIA called Get Licenced, which is a good read if you are considering becoming an SIA Security Officer

There are a few checks that anyone who is employing  an SIA officer can follow which include:

• The front of every licence there is a hologram which can be easily identified when tilting the licence back and forward.
• There is a QR code on the rear of all licences which should match the Licence code on the front of the licence
• The expiry code is embossed on the licence and NOT printed
• The address at the rear should show an ‘E’ postcode
• A UV check should be carried out to ensure there is an SIA in the top left of the licence
• Older licences will have a watermark on the rear of the licence which again can only be seen with a UV light

At Axiom Personnel we have a member of our consultancy team who is qualified with an SIA DS licence so understands the process which has to be followed to get a licenced officer employed. Axiom Personnel specialises in short-term contracts, temp to perm & permanent placements with expertise in corporate, events and hospitality, construction and  facilities management, covering the whole of the UK.