Regulation of UK Private Investigations For London Private Detectives in Greater London
The government through the Home Secretary in 2013 indicated it plans to mandate the Security Industry Authority (SIA), under which London Private Detectives in Greater London falls, with the task of regulating private investigation services. The plan of the government to see to the implementation of the statutory licensing of private Investigation activities by the next Parliament that commenced on May 2015 was announced by the Home office in December 2014. The certification of private detectives, however, still didn’t begin in the UK.
The SIA will continue to work with the Home Office, which has the authority for presenting the management of the private examination sector. The “Get licensed” criteria will be updated before the date for the regulation, through their collaboration with the security industry, while they will also disseminate further information about the plan to regulate private investigations. Also, the SIA will offer information on the probable dates once the Home Office settles on them.
Who are those who will need a licence? (https://london-privatedetectives.co.uk)
London Private Detectives https://london-privatedetectives.co.uk warn private investigator without a license will be in trouble once the licensing comes into force and the activities of private investigations that could be licensed are explained by the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The Home Office plans to evaluate this explanation to make sure that it remains suitable for the aim. It is the Home Office that can clarify if some other particular activities will receive licensing in the coming years.
Private investigators and private detectives will, according to the Act, require an SIA certification if there are any investigations, surveillance or inquiries being done for the reason of.
- collecting information on a specific individual or the location or activities of a specific individual
- collecting information on the circumstances through which, or causes leading to damage or loss of property. All persons engaging in the provision of services that are in line with private investigations will need to be licenced
- Included in this group are workers, business owners, managers, supervisors, directors and shareholders in a private investigation firm
Whether the Home Office will also want us to regulate ‘in-house’ private investigations is still unknown.
As used in the Private Security Industry Act, “director” is anyone who is an executive or non executive director in a company, a shadow director, parent company director or corporate entity holding a director’s position.
According to the Act, a license will not be required for the following activities.
- activities particularly for the purposes of market research
- activities conducted entirely for the purposes of a credit check
- professional work in the line of a practicing barrister or solicitor’s duty
- expert activities of practising accountants
- professional undertakings by journalists and broadcasters, and actions solely connected to gathering information for use in broadcasting and journalism
- activities that are only related to credit the public record registers; published works; and records or registers which somebody can rightfully access
- actions taken with authorisation from the subject of the investigation or under their knowledge
Penalties for being involved in private investigations without licensing will be.
- The biggest punishment of six months imprisonment and / or a fine no bigger than £5,000, after summary conviction at a Magistrate’s Court, Sheriff Court or District Court
Having unlicensed staff will bring a penalty of.
- A fine of £5,000 or a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment is given when the person is convicted by a Sheriff Court, District Court or a Magistrates Court.
- A fine of unlimited degree or a five years imprisonment will be given when the person is convicted upon indictment at a Sheriff and jury trial, High Court of Justiciary or a Crown Court
It is the delight of Licence ready London Private Detectives to inform the public that we are now license ready, after attending all the trainings involved and scaling through all the mapped examinations and criteria. For our existing clients and prospective customers this can only be exciting news as our operations will be uninterrupted and it will be business as usual.
If you are looking for more information on London’s London Private Detectives, who offer services in the locality covering areas such as Croydon, Lewisham, Lambeth and all other areas within Greater London, can contact us today on 020 7125 0053. Yu can also visit our website at https://london-privatedetectives.co.uk for more details on our services and a good read on what our customers say about their experience with us.