Operator Vetting Standards

Q: "What is the minimum licensing standard for operators in your network?"

"For UK-based operators, the minimum is a valid SIA (Security Industry Authority) Close Protection licence. Outside the UK, we require the nationally equivalent licence for the operating jurisdiction: for example, PSIRA registration in South Africa, SuperVigilancia certification in Colombia, SIRA licensing in the UAE, and licensing under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act 2005 in India. Licence numbers are checked directly against the issuing authority before any operator enters our database."

Q: "What background checks do operators undergo?"

"At Silver tier and above, all principals and named officers undergo criminal history checks: DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) in the UK, and the equivalent national criminal records check in each operating jurisdiction. We verify training certificates against issuing institutions, contact a minimum of three professional references (at least one must be a corporate client), and conduct a structured interview. This is the minimum for any operator we recommend to a client."

Q: "How do you handle operators whose licences expire?"

"We track licence and insurance expiry dates for every operator in the network. Operators receive notice before expiry. If a licence or insurance certificate lapses without renewal, the operator is immediately suspended from receiving referrals until documentation is confirmed current. We do not recommend operators on the basis of expired credentials under any circumstances."

Q: "What is BS 7858 and do your operators meet it?"

"BS 7858 is the British Standard for vetting of individuals in a security environment. It covers five years of employment history verification, financial probity checks, and character references, a more rigorous standard than the SIA licence alone. We encourage operators to apply BS 7858 vetting to their own staff. For assignments requiring this standard, ask us to specify it in your operator brief and we will confirm which operators in the relevant city can meet it."

Q: "Can I see an operator's vetting record before committing?"

"Yes. We provide a vetting summary for any operator we recommend: the tier they hold, what was checked, and when checks were last refreshed. We share what we can within confidentiality constraints; some reference details and commercial information are protected. If you need a higher level of transparency for a specific engagement, contact us before confirming."

How CloseProtectionHire.com verifies close protection operators: licensing checks, background screening, insurance validation, and our three-tier quality framework.

Close protection is a high-trust service. The only way to provide it responsibly is to verify every operator before recommending them. This page explains exactly how we do that.

Why vetting matters

The close protection market has no universal accreditation body and significant variation in quality. A company with professional marketing may subcontract to unvetted personnel. An operator who holds a valid licence in one jurisdiction may have a criminal history in another. Training certificates from unrecognised providers are common.

Our vetting process exists to cut through this. We verify the facts that marketing cannot fake: licence numbers against issuing authorities, criminal records against national databases, references against real people. Vetting works alongside the engagement-level threat picture; our risk assessment service covers that side of the preparation.

The three-tier framework

Bronze: legal baseline

Bronze is the entry requirement for our database. We verify:

Business registration against the national companies registry for the operator’s jurisdiction
Security licence number checked directly against the issuing authority (SIA, PSIRA, SuperVigilancia, SIRA, or equivalent)
Insurance certificates (professional indemnity, public liability, employer’s liability where applicable) confirmed current with the insurer

Operators who cannot pass Bronze are not listed. Bronze clearance does not qualify an operator for client referrals; it is an administrative baseline.

Silver: background and competence

Silver is the minimum tier for any operator we recommend to a client. In addition to Bronze, Silver requires:

Criminal history check on all company principals (DBS in the UK; equivalent national check in all other jurisdictions)
Minimum three professional references, all contacted and verified, at least one from a named corporate client
Training certificates verified against the issuing institution (not just shown as photocopies)
Structured interview with a scoring rubric covering operational knowledge, threat assessment, communication, and relevant city experience
For armed services: firearms licence checked against the issuing authority; for security drivers, advanced driving qualification confirmed

Background checks are refreshed every two years. A change in company principals triggers an immediate re-check.

Gold: operational track record

Gold is reserved for operators who have completed assignments through our network and maintained a clean record. In addition to Silver, Gold requires:

Completed engagements reviewed against structured client feedback
Operational assessment conducted in the operator’s working city by a senior network contact
Clean incident record: any upheld complaint or verified performance failure disqualifies Gold status pending review

Gold operators are featured on city pages and prioritised for new client enquiries.

Licensing standards by market

The following licensing frameworks are the minimum required in each market:

United Kingdom: SIA Close Protection licence. The Security Industry Authority issues licences following a criminal records check, identity verification, and successful completion of an Ofqual-regulated Level 3 Award in Close Protection from an SIA-approved provider. Licence validity and current status are verifiable on the SIA’s public licence register.

South Africa: PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority) registration for both the security company and individual officers. PSIRA is the statutory body under the Private Security Industry Regulation Act 2001.

Colombia: SuperVigilancia (Superintendencia de Vigilancia y Seguridad Privada) certification for the operating company. Individual officers must be registered and trained under the SuperVigilancia framework.

Nigeria: State-level private security licensing through the relevant authority. The Inspector General of Police oversees private guard companies nationally; armed escort operations require specific Federal approval.

UAE: SIRA (Security Industry Regulatory Agency) licence for the operating security company. SIRA is the regulatory body for private security in Dubai; Abu Dhabi has a parallel framework under the Abu Dhabi Police.

India: Licensing under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act 2005, administered at state level through the relevant Controlling Authority. Individual officers must be trained and registered under the state framework.

Brazil: Federal Police authorisation for security companies under Law 7.102/1983. Armed escort (escolta armada) operations require specific Federal Police authorisation beyond general security licensing.

For markets not listed above, we apply the equivalent national standard and document the licensing authority and check method.

Insurance requirements

All Silver and Gold operators must carry:

Professional indemnity insurance: covers errors in security planning and advisory services
Public liability insurance: covers third-party injury or property damage arising from operations
Employer’s liability insurance: required by law for companies with employees in most jurisdictions

Certificates are checked for currency and adequate limits. We track expiry dates and require renewal documentation before existing certificates lapse.

What vetting cannot guarantee

Vetting reduces risk. It does not eliminate it.

We verify identity, licensing, training, and references. We verify what can be documented. We cannot guarantee how an operator will perform in an unexpected situation, or verify every individual on a team beyond principals and named officers.

This is why we maintain tier distinctions. Clients should understand what each tier represents and select accordingly for the sensitivity of their assignment.

For further guidance on selecting a close protection provider, see How to Vet a Close Protection Company.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

For UK-based operators, the minimum is a valid SIA (Security Industry Authority) Close Protection licence. Outside the UK, we require the nationally equivalent licence for the operating jurisdiction: for example, PSIRA registration in South Africa, SuperVigilancia certification in Colombia, SIRA licensing in the UAE, and licensing under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act 2005 in India. Licence numbers are checked directly against the issuing authority before any operator enters our database.

At Silver tier and above, all principals and named officers undergo criminal history checks: DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) in the UK, and the equivalent national criminal records check in each operating jurisdiction. We verify training certificates against issuing institutions, contact a minimum of three professional references (at least one must be a corporate client), and conduct a structured interview. This is the minimum for any operator we recommend to a client.

We track licence and insurance expiry dates for every operator in the network. Operators receive notice before expiry. If a licence or insurance certificate lapses without renewal, the operator is immediately suspended from receiving referrals until documentation is confirmed current. We do not recommend operators on the basis of expired credentials under any circumstances.

BS 7858 is the British Standard for vetting of individuals in a security environment. It covers five years of employment history verification, financial probity checks, and character references, a more rigorous standard than the SIA licence alone. We encourage operators to apply BS 7858 vetting to their own staff. For assignments requiring this standard, ask us to specify it in your operator brief and we will confirm which operators in the relevant city can meet it.

Yes. We provide a vetting summary for any operator we recommend: the tier they hold, what was checked, and when checks were last refreshed. We share what we can within confidentiality constraints; some reference details and commercial information are protected. If you need a higher level of transparency for a specific engagement, contact us before confirming.

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