{"id":45766,"date":"2026-06-03T09:05:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.get-licensed.co.uk\/get-daily\/?p=45766"},"modified":"2026-06-03T09:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:05:28","slug":"sia-licence-arrested-not-charged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.get-licensed.co.uk\/get-daily\/sia-licence-arrested-not-charged\/","title":{"rendered":"Arrested But Not Charged? Here’s What It Means for Your SIA Licence"},"content":{"rendered":"

You’ve been arrested. No charge, no court date, maybe not even a formal interview under caution \u2014 just a few hours in custody and a release. So, where does that leave your SIA licence<\/a>? It’s one of the most common questions we hear, and the answer is messier than most people expect.<\/p>\n

Here’s the short version: an arrest alone doesn’t automatically cost you your licence. But it can stall your application, pause your training, and in some cases trigger a review while the SIA decides what to do next. Understanding the difference between arrest, charge, and conviction is the difference between a small bump in the road and a career-ending mistake.<\/p>\n

For a wider overview of how the system works, our SIA licence guide<\/a> is a good place to start.<\/p>\n

The ‘Fit and Proper Person’ Test, Explained<\/h2>\n

Every SIA licence decision comes back to one thing: whether you are a fit and proper person to work in private security. That’s the standard set out under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, and it’s the lens the SIA uses for every application, licence renewal<\/a>, and review.<\/p>\n

The test isn’t a tick-box exercise. According to the SIA, decisions take into account the nature of any offence, how long ago it happened, the sentence given, and whether there’s a pattern of behaviour. A single old caution for a minor matter is treated very differently from a recent arrest for violence, dishonesty, or drugs.<\/p>\n

Context matters \u2014 but so does honesty. The SIA has been clear that failing to declare something it later discovers can be treated as serious in its own right. If you’re unsure how a record might be assessed, read our breakdown of whether you can get an SIA licence with a criminal record<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Arrest vs Charge vs Conviction \u2014 Why It Matters<\/h2>\n

These three words get used interchangeably in pubs and on forums. They are not the same thing in law, and they are definitely not the same thing to the SIA.<\/p>\n