It is a fact that there are over 10,000 non-ACS-approved security companies registered in the UK, and under 800 of those are ACS approved. So why do so many companies seem to be completely ignored?
Let’s go back to the formation of the Security Industry Authority’s Approved Contractor Scheme, what it was trying to achieve, and why it largely failed.
The Origins Of The ACS And Its Intended Purpose
The Private Security Industry Act 2001 was established after a series of tabloid scandals and stories involving, in general, some rather extreme criminal behaviours of some “bouncers” that were acting in a manner that would make the Krays wince. Its overriding objective was to better protect the public and remove the criminal element from the security industry.
Alas, other elements of the security industry’s operation took a back seat, or were forgotten altogether when the legislation was drawn up. The Government regulator and body responsible for enforcing the new rules and making the industry safer was the Security Industry Authority (SIA).
To encourage better behaviour from security service providers, they introduced an initiative designed to separate the wheat from the chaff and become the gold standard for the top-performing security companies. The Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) was born and was intended to signpost those looking for the services of a contract security company towards the very best of the best in the industry.
How The ACS Gold Standard Became Tarnished
Not wanting to be left in the “also ran” pile, many companies got onboard and, ticked all the required compliance boxes and handed over the prerequisite membership fees to the SIA. The big companies out there that use security officers also became aware of this new standard and started to insist that they only use ACS-approved service providers. Inevitably, this sudden reduction in potential clientele drove a whole legion of not-so-great security companies to look at how they too could attain the oh so desirable ACS approval.
It turns out that, as ACS compliance was so admin-focused, this admin can be tweaked and augmented to tick the required boxes, without any genuine positive changes to some awful company operating behaviours. So, what was a gold standard, slowly became a club that was successfully gate-crashed by some of the most dubious companies in the UK.
Seeing this, many companies made a very deliberate decision not to seek ACS approval. Many more companies decided that the cost of membership was not worth the potential benefits. Other companies had such good word-of-mouth recommendations and resulting organic growth that bothering to seek ACS approval was simply pointless.
The Current State Of The UK Security Industry
This leaves an interesting situation in today’s security industry. Many ACS company owners and leaders seem increasingly bitter that companies that may have been set up yesterday and appear to have zero contracts or employees are allowed to share an industry in which they have shed blood, sweat, and tears to achieve the most impressive ACS scores imaginable.
Figures, however, are undeniable. ACS member company numbers are falling. This leaves over 10,000 incorporated security companies that haven’t joined the ACS club, for whatever reason. I suspect that most of these do indeed have contracts, employ security officers, and were not set up yesterday.
10,000 companies or not, the traditional stakeholders in the UK security industry are, without exception, ACS-approved security companies, and they really don’t want anyone who hasn’t joined the club having a say in how the industry is run. It seems to many that most ACS company leaders are banging their fists on the desk, screaming, “But we are the best of the best, dammit, and we have a badge that proves it!” This is a big problem for some initiatives that genuinely seek to improve the security industry. Most recent and indeed, promising of these is the S12 Security Guarding Leadership Group.
Recommended Reading: Security Company Licensing In The UK: A Retrospective
The S12 Group: A Missed Opportunity For Inclusion?
The S12 Group was founded after a great deal of hard work by Carlisle Support Services CEO, Paul Evans, and it achieved a bit of a coup in that he had gained the ear, and ongoing support and engagement of, Dan Jarvis, the Government’s Security Minister. Unprecedented access to policymakers, no less. Exciting times.
There is, however, one huge problem that the S12 doesn’t seem particularly willing to address. Not a single non-ACS company has any representation on the S12 governing board. Dan Jarvis voiced his desire that the S12 become the inclusive and united voice of the security industry, able to advise and guide policy:
In a speech at the International Security Expo in London on 1st October 2025, he said: “I am very pleased to announce the formation of the S12, a new industry-led initiative to bring together various parts of the private security industry and speak to the government with one voice.” I’m not sure how much weight the Government will give to a body that has excluded any senior representation from over 10,000 companies, beyond open participation in their working groups.
Why Representation Matters
Alas, this isn’t really “one voice”. Companies that form the backbone and overwhelming majority of the UK security industry, non-ACS companies, seem to be the new prejudice among the traditional stakeholders, sadly now exclusively forming the S12. None of this is good for the industry, but appeals have fallen on deaf ears with the S12 leadership. For full transparency, seeing the wonderful potential of the S12, I applied to be their Chief of Staff, and I raised this issue at the interview.
Sadly, it didn’t seem to change much. We all hope this changes soon, but the recent announcement for nominations for the last 2 seats on their governing board certainly doesn’t encourage non-ACS security company participation.
UKSICA: A Voice For All Security Companies
There is, however, an organisation out there that is not ignoring the input and experience of those legions of non-ACS-approved security companies, and it seeks to help them improve their operation with advice and guidance. I am proud to have been invited onto the board of this group (voluntary and unpaid), which is the United Kingdom Security Industry Compliance Association or UKSICA for short.
Non-ACS companies can join the register at UKSICA and will gain access to advice, guidance, and support to help them simply be better. Companies that don’t want to jump through the ACS hoops can apply to the UKSICA for “verified company status, which simply means that a series of checks has taken place to ensure that a security company is run in a proper manner and is fully compliant with UK law, without exorbitant cost or administrative box ticking.
The UKSICA is new and still developing policies and procedures, but if you want to find out more and get involved, drop an email to info@uksica.org. UKSICA is a non-profit organisation simply looking to improve standards across the UK Security Industry, fight malpractice, and provide a voice for ALL UK security companies. No egos involved.
Professionalism Beyond The Badge
One thing worth noting: ACS approval was never meant to be the only marker of a professional operation. Proper staff vetting, robust hiring practices, and genuine investment in your workforce speak louder than any badge. Platforms like GuardPass exist precisely because the industry needed tools that work for everyone—not just those in the club.
Book a demo to explore GuardPass for hiring, vetting, and training.