The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has now embedded counter-terrorism content into every front-line licence-linked refresher. From 1 April 2026, close protection operatives must complete a refresher qualification before renewing their licence, joining door supervisors and security guards, whose mandatory refresher rule has been in force since 1 April 2025. In each case, counter-terrorism awareness is no longer optional bolt-on training. It sits inside the core renewal curriculum.
For organisations that hire SIA-licensed officers, this is a material change in baseline competence. Anyone working a door, patrolling a corporate site, or providing close protection on a UK licence will now have been formally taught to recognise, report and respond to terror-related threats – and to refresh that knowledge regularly. This is the most significant operational uplift the industry has seen in years.
What the SIA changes actually require
The GOV.UK guidance on changes to SIA licence-linked training sets out the framework clearly. Anyone applying to renew a close protection, door supervision or security guard licence must now achieve a top-up or refresher qualification that includes content on counter-terrorism. The new close protection refresher became available from 1 October 2025 and is mandatory for licences renewed on or after 1 April 2026.
The counter-terror element is delivered through the Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) programme, hosted on the ProtectUK platform. Officers are expected to complete ACT Awareness and ACT Security e-learning before sitting the refresher exam, and to provide their certificates to the training provider. The content covers recognising hostile reconnaissance, suspicious behaviour and items, response protocols during a marauding attack, and the handover of information to police.
Alongside counter-terror, the refresher modules also cover updated conflict management techniques, physical intervention skills (for door supervision and close protection), emergency procedures, and recent legislation. For close protection, candidates must also hold a current Level 3 First Aid at Work qualification valid for at least 12 months at the time of training.
Why this matters at the industry level
Before the refresher regime, a security officer could in principle hold an SIA licence for years without revisiting their training. A 2014 qualification could carry an officer through to 2026 with no formal update. That gap mattered, because the threat picture has changed sharply – Martyn’s Law statutory guidance for publicly accessible venues, the rise in hostile reconnaissance, and a sustained period of heightened national threat have all reshaped what front-line officers are expected to spot.
From this April, that gap is closed at the regulatory level. Every renewing officer will have current ACT training, refreshed conflict-management content, and exposure to the same counter-terror messaging that police counter-terrorism units rely on. In practical terms, it means a more consistent baseline across providers and a measurable lift in industry-wide competence.
What this means for organisations hiring security
For clients procuring guarding services, the change creates several concrete advantages and some new diligence questions. The advantages first.
Officers attending your site after April 2026 will, by regulation, have been trained to identify the early-stage indicators of hostile reconnaissance: repeated photography of access points, questions about shift patterns, vehicles loitering near service entrances. They will have been taught the “Run, Hide, Tell” principles and the supplementary guidance for security professionals through ACT Security. That is not bespoke training a contractor might or might not deliver – it is now the minimum standard for holding a licence.
The diligence questions follow. When reviewing a guarding contract or renewing one, our team would suggest asking suppliers three questions. First, can they evidence that every deployed officer holds a current refreshed licence and not one issued under the older specification? Second, what is their internal record-keeping for ACT certificates and refresher dates – is it auditable or kept in officer files only? Third, how do they brief officers on site-specific threats so the generic ACT training translates into something useful at your premises?
For sites that fall under Martyn’s Law standard or enhanced tier, this combination – regulated baseline plus site-specific briefing – is exactly what the statutory guidance contemplates. Counter-terror training that exists only on paper does not satisfy the spirit of the regulation. It needs to land in a guard who can describe what suspicious activity looks like at your loading bay, in your foyer, or at your evening events.
What to ask of your supplier in 2026
If you have not already reviewed your security supplier’s training register this year, this is the natural moment to do so. We would recommend a short, structured review: confirm that all front-line officers hold a licence renewed under the post-April 2025 (DS and SG) or post-April 2026 (CP) regime; request copies or numerical evidence of ACT Awareness and ACT Security certificates; and check that the supplier’s shift briefings translate the ACT generic content into site-specific behavioural indicators.
It is also worth asking suppliers how they assess the quality of their training providers. The SIA accredits awarding organisations, but the standard of delivery between providers can still vary. A serious supplier will know which providers they use, why, and how complaints or weak deliveries are escalated.
Need a security review?
Our team holds current SIA licences across security guarding, door supervision and close protection, and all our deployed officers have completed the new refresher and ACT modules required for 2026 renewals. If you would like us to assess your current site arrangements, review your supplier’s training compliance, or build a counter-terror-aware guarding plan for your premises, we are happy to help.
Call us on 020 3700 0967 or email info@secureonsitesecurity.co.uk. You can also use our contact form to arrange a no-obligation conversation. Learn more about our manned guarding services and our corporate security offering.
Recent Comments