Two things happen this week. The SIA formally becomes a prescribed person under the Public Interest Disclosure Act, giving licensed security workers a direct, legally protected route to the regulator for the first time. And the Martyn’s Law section 12 consultation enters its final two weeks.
Inside: a Scarborough prosecution every CRS should know about, a BDA technique that stops hostile recon in its tracks, and a compliance deadline that will not wait.
🗞️ THIS WEEK IN UK SECURITY
Two Cases About What Gets Said, and What Doesn’t
On 28 May, a Scarborough man pleaded guilty at the Magistrates’ Court to supplying a fake reference in support of an SIA licence application. The charge was Section 3 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, which carries up to ten years on indictment. The sentence handed down (£230 fine, £90 victim surcharge, plus prosecution costs) reads light against the maximum, but the headline is that the regulator now treats reference fraud as criminal, not administrative.
Separately, Greater Manchester Police arrested a 49-year-old in Salford on 26 May under Section 38B of the Terrorism Act 2000, in connection with last October’s attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. Eight arrests now in that investigation. Section 38B is the failure-to-disclose offence. Not the attack itself. What someone knew and did not pass on.
Key takeaway: Both cases turn on disclosure. If you sign off references for officers or run vetting on a manning roster, the Scarborough prosecution is your reminder that the gap in the file is now the gap in the dock.
📋 COMPLIANCE CORNER
PIDA Goes Live Today. Verify the Route Before Someone Uses It.
From today, 2 June 2026, the SIA is formally a prescribed person under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. Any worker holding an SIA licence can now make a qualifying disclosure to the regulator directly, with statutory protection from being sacked for doing so. Before today, the SIA was not on the list. The legal route went round it.
For a CRS or DSM, this changes the working assumption. An officer with a concern about unlicensed working, fraud, or training malpractice no longer has to route it through you, your contract manager, or HR. They have a direct, protected line to the regulator. If you have not briefed your shift on the change, today is the day.
🔧 OPERATIONAL TIP
When Something Feels Off, Don’t Escalate. Don’t Dismiss. Probe.
BDA training drills this for hostile reconnaissance: when something feels off, don’t jump to escalate or dismiss. Approach with a neutral question. “Can I help you find something?” Their response confirms or negates in seconds. Train your team to ask before they assume. That’s how you spot recon before recon spots your gaps.
Train the probe. Drill it on shift.
🔗 WORTH KNOWING
Home Office adds worked examples to Martyn’s Law guidance
On 18 May the Home Office added accessible HTML versions of its Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 supplementary guidance, including scope illustrations and worked examples. If you are mapping a site against standard or enhanced tier ahead of Spring 2027 commencement, these cut hours off the assessment.
Thanks for reading. If you found this useful, forward it to one colleague who’d benefit — that’s how this grows.
Until next Tuesday.
Andras
Control Room Supervisor & Deputy Security Operations Manager
The Control Room