SIA whistleblowing rules explained for security workers

The Security Industry Authority, or SIA, has been given what the UK government calls 'prescribed person' status under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. In plain English, that means workers in the private security industry now have stronger legal protection if they report wrongdoing to the SIA and then face unfair treatment or dismissal because they spoke up. That may sound like a small legal adjustment, but it matters. If you work in security, you are often the person closest to what is going wrong on the ground. When the law gives you a clearer protected route to report concerns to the regulator, it becomes a little harder for bad practice to stay hidden.

To understand the change, it helps to slow down and translate the legal language. Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act, often shortened to PIDA, some organisations are officially recognised as the right place to receive whistleblowing reports about certain kinds of wrongdoing. These bodies are known as prescribed persons. **What this means:** the SIA is now one of those recognised bodies for concerns linked to its job as the regulator of the private security industry. So if a worker raises a concern with the SIA about something within that area, the law gives them a stronger footing than before if they are punished for doing so.

According to the GOV.UK announcement, protected disclosures to the SIA can include reports about unlicensed security work, suspected fraud, criminal offences, other failures to follow the rules, and risks to public safety. That range is important because wrongdoing in private security is not only about paperwork. It can affect real people in real places, from venues and offices to transport hubs and public events. The SIA also says workers can make disclosures anonymously or confidentially under these powers. For many people, that will be one of the biggest practical points. Speaking up can feel risky, especially in sectors where shifts, contracts and references can shape your livelihood. A route that allows greater privacy may make some workers more willing to come forward.

The wider lesson here is about why whistleblowing rules exist at all. They are there because organisations do not always fix problems just because a concern is valid. Sometimes people keep quiet because they worry about being ignored, pushed out, or labelled as difficult. In that kind of workplace, silence protects the wrong people. Michelle Russell, the SIA's chief executive, said the regulator depends on workers who are prepared to report wrongdoing and share what they have seen. Her argument is simple: if people on the frontline are not safe to speak, the regulator cannot do its job properly. For readers who care about accountability, that is the point worth holding on to.

The government notice also says the SIA worked with Protect, the UK's whistleblowing charity, on the change. That matters because stronger legal wording on paper is only part of the story. People also need confidence that the route is real, understood and taken seriously. David Ward of City Security Council described the move as a welcome step because, in his view, there had been a gap for frontline officers and other industry workers who wanted a trusted, protected route to raise concerns directly with the regulator. Read that carefully and you can see the problem this reform is trying to solve: not just wrongdoing itself, but the lack of a safe way to report it.

There is one limit to keep in mind. The SIA's new prescribed status currently covers its role as the regulator of the private security industry. The GOV.UK article says whistleblowing connected to Martyn's Law is planned to be added when that law is implemented, which is expected in spring 2027. So this is a step forward, not the finished picture. The legal protection has widened now, but the government is already signalling that more may be added later as new duties come into force.

For workers, the practical message is clear. If you see serious wrongdoing in private security, the route to report it to the SIA is now stronger in law than it was before. For employers, the message is just as clear: creating a culture where concerns can be raised fairly is not optional if you want public trust. **Why it matters:** whistleblowing protection is not only about the person making the report. It is also about the public. When licensed and unlicensed work, fraud, criminality or safety risks are left unchecked, the damage spreads beyond one workplace. That is why this change, niche as it may first appear, deserves attention. The SIA has published guidance on GOV.UK for workers who want to understand how the new reporting route works.