An ACS application, or existing approval, may be jeopardised if your organisation does not continue to meet mandatory licensing requirements for your licensable staff. Achieving and maintaining approval is dependent upon your organisation having at least the designated percentage of your security staff licensed at all times, regardless of whether or not they are currently deployed.
From 1 September 2006, for all licensable activities a minimum of 85% of licensable staff must hold a licence at all times. This means that, at most, 15% of your staff may have their applications in progress - that is, their licence applications have been accepted by the SIA. By 'accepted' we mean that we have confirmed that we are processing those applications.
You are eligible to apply for ACS if your organisation meets the relevant requirements detailed in the table below. These requirements include licences issued and applications in progress. Note that staff who have their applications in progress must not perform any licensable activity until your organisation has been approved, including authorisation to issue Licence Dispensation Notices (which has not been withdrawn), and those staff have been issued with a personal Licence Dispensation Notices.
| ACS Requirements for Licences Issued and Applications in Progress* |
| Licensable Activity |
Licences Issued |
Applications in Progress |
| Security Guard |
85% |
Up to 15% |
| Door Supervisor |
85% |
Up to 15% |
| Close Protection |
85% |
Up to 15% |
| Cash and Valuables in Transit |
85% |
Up to 15% |
| Public Space Surveillance CCTV |
85% |
Up to 15% |
| Key Holder |
85% |
Up to 15% |
| Vehicle Immobiliser |
85% |
Up to 15% |
* Percentage may be varied in exceptional circumstances at our discretion and subject to a time-scaled action plan. Please see our 'Exceptional Circumstances Policy for Licensing Dispensation' (download size: 361kb). |