To the Home Office and Members of Parliament

We, the undersigned, call for urgent action to review and reform the Security Industry Authority’s (SIA) system of mandatory refresher training for licence holders.

Why this matters:

The UK’s private security industry is made up of thousands of hardworking men and women — from door supervisors, event staff and CCTV operators, to static guards, keyholding staff, and close protection operators. Many are also veterans who have continued serving the public after their military careers.

Yet across the whole industry, we are being unfairly burdened by the SIA’s mandatory training cycle:

In 2021, the SIA introduced the Top-Up Training, which licence holders were led to believe was a one-off requirement to bring training in line with new standards.

Now, the SIA has introduced a new requirement called the Refresher Training. In reality, this is little more than a rebranded version of the same course, presented as something entirely new. It is set to be repeated every three years as a condition of licence renewal, creating a never-ending cycle of forced courses, fees, and disruption to security workers lives.

Licence holders can pay up to £1,000+ once all expenses are included (course fees, travel, food, accommodation). If they do not pay, they cannot legally work.

Courses take 3–5 days, forcing workers to choose between losing income or sacrificing their already limited family time.

The training content is widely reported as irrelevant or misplaced. For example, many close protection (CP) operators — a large share of whom are veterans — are being placed on training designed around door supervision. This is not the correct type of training for close protection roles, just as door supervisors should have training specific to the challenges they face. Different sectors of the industry require tailored training, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Security professionals already pay for expensive qualifications just to enter the industry — such as £3,500 or more for a CP licence course, plus hundreds to thousands of pounds for mandatory medical training (FREC, FPOS, advanced first aid and trauma courses), and the SIA licence fee itself. Adding new mandatory top-up and refresher courses on top of these existing expenses is simply too much. Each step costs time, effort, and money — and now many professionals are being pushed to breaking point.

The impact on workers, families, and wellbeing:

This system is not just about money — it is about fairness, wellbeing, and family life. Security professionals already work punishing schedules, including 12-hour days and 12-hour nights, often on a rotating basis, with many also spending extended periods away from home. When refresher training takes up several more days, it cuts directly into what very limited family time workers have left. For many, this is the most damaging impact of all — children, partners, and families suffer.

What we are asking for:

We urge Parliament and the Home Office to:

1. Review the necessity, quality, and fairness of mandatory SIA Refresher Training.

2. End repeated cycles of courses that place a financial and personal burden on workers without delivering relevant skills.

3. Ensure any future training is:

Relevant to the role and licence type.

Free or subsidised, not solely funded by licence holders.

Available online wherever possible, so it does not take workers away from families and employment.

4. Recognise the hidden tax this system places on low-paid workers and their families.

5. Establish a proper mechanism for security professionals and their families to voice concerns and hold the SIA accountable.

6. Commission an independent review of the SIA’s licensing and training practices, with genuine input from frontline workers across all sectors of the industry.

Why you should support this:

This is not about resisting training — security professionals welcome relevant, high-standard learning that genuinely improves safety. But the current SIA system is exploitative, coercive, and harmful to those who dedicate their lives to keeping the public safe.

By signing this petition, you stand with all security professionals across the UK — door supervisors, event staff, CCTV operators, static guards, CP operators, and many others — along with their families and supporters.

It is time to stop this mistreatment and bring fairness, accountability, and respect back into the system.