Established as a non-departmental public body in 2003, the SIA reports to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (c. 12).

One of the main duties of the SIA is the compulsory licensing of individuals working in specific sectors of the private security industry.

On 1 October 2012 the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 made it an offence to undertake vehicle immobilisation in England and Wales without lawful authority.

No deadline was given, although the announcement stated that "The regulation of private investigators will be introduced as quickly as possible and the new regime will begin next year [2014]".

The SIA was charged by Parliament to investigate the implications of extending the legislation to cover in-house staffed guards once licensing of the private security industry had been in force for three to four years.

Its conclusion is that there is no clearly defined or substantiated risk to public protection to be addressed and that it is unable to make a case which would justify extending its remit to include the licensing of in-house guards.

[citation needed] Individuals applying for a front line SIA licence must prove that they are properly qualified to do their job.

This revealed that mobile phone use and open talking in exams was common practice during the training course and examination that the reporter took.

Training malpractice can be defined as any deliberate activity, neglect, default or other practice that compromises the integrity of the assessment process and / or the validity of certificates.

[6] It is important that the score is looked at alongside other differentiators (such as the contractor's reputation in the marketplace or the quality of its tender response) and not in isolation.

Its intention for the SIA was stated as: "Security Industry Authority – No Longer an NDPB – Phased transition to new regulatory regime."

On 20 November 2012 the Home Office published a consultation document entitled 'Consultation on a Future Regulatory Regime for the Private Security Industry'.

[8] It was announced on the 8th February 2022, in the document called Security Industry Authority Framework Agreement 1 Security Industry Authority (SIA) Framework Document that section 1.2 The SIA has been classified by the Cabinet Office as an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Home Office.