The PI Industry in the UK currently believes that Licensing could be signed off by a Government minister in 2011/ 2012.
The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (as amended) allows the Security Industry Authority ("SIA") to licence Private Investigators. Following much consultation the SIA endorsed "EDI" to offer a qualification linked to Private Investigator Licensing. The EDI Level 3 Professional Investigators Award is currently available for delivery.
In the "Impact Assessment of Regulations to Implement the PSI Act 2001 in respect of Private Investigators and Precognition Agents" of July 2008, the SIA estimated that Licencing would start in 2009/10 with a compliance rate of 90%, by the end of the first year. The Licence Fee was estimated to be: £245.00. The Industry was assumed to be 10,000 Private Investigators (Assumed to be static). The training was to be 3 days at a cost of: £920.00...
The SIA envisaged class room based teaching in: 2008, but, as the EDI training has been confirmed as 60 hours of guided education or: "E-assessment", the delivery costs are much reduced, and, a fee of: £300.00 - £400.00, for the licence training seems realistic. The only time some students will actually set foot in a classroom with "E-assessment", is when they complete their short exam.
Of course other awarding bodies such as Edexcel, OCR and City & Guilds will be authorised to offer their own brand of Private Investigator Licence Linked Training, probably in the form of VRQ's (Vocational Related Qualifications), as we move towards 2011/ 2012.
It is anticipated that there will be a slow take up of the licence linked courses as we move through 2010, but, as publicity builds and the private investigation industry and its trade associations (Who welcome licences), urge their members to complete the licence training, a surge can be expected in 2011. If the Licence becomes mandatory the remaining UK Private Investigators will have to complete the SIA authorised training.
For our part, we have taken a, "Long term", "Pragmatic view". It is possible that licencing may not be introduced due to the politics of the day. In that case, our existing one day Private Investigator Training is as useful and as valid as any other non licence linked syllabus. If licencing becomes mandatory we are committed to offering accredited licence linked training. In the meanwhile, we confirm our existing training is tailored to the practical aspects of operating as a Professional Investigator which is, in any case, designed to compliment and enhance any future, compulsory, licence training.