Vigilantism is law enforcement undertaken without legal authority
by a self-appointed group of people. There are various examples
of this type of activity, including actions by Online Child Abuse
Activist Groups (OCAGs), sometimes referred to as ‘paedophile
hunters. The SIA holds the same view as the police on people who
engage in this activity: it is illegal, and the people involved
are committing a crime. Unlike the police these groups do not
offer any protection to victims, their evidence is often poor,
and some do it as cover for extortion and blackmail.
SIA licence holders have a vital role in keeping the public safe,
and as such must carry out their duties within the law and in
accordance with the standards of behaviour set out in their
training.
The SIA does not support or condone SIA licence holders engaging
in vigilante activity. Holding an SIA licence does not give
someone additional powers to detain or arrest someone. An SIA
licence holder has the same legal powers as a member of the
public. They are not the police.
If an SIA licence holder uses force to detain someone, this could
amount to an assault and they may find themselves prosecuted,
unless they can show that the use of force was lawful in the
circumstances.
We will consider suspending and revoking a licence if the licence
holder is charged and found guilty of a criminal offence.
In addition, we will consider suspending and revoking a licence
if the licence holder’s actions go against the SIA’s ‘fit and
proper’ standards and bring the private security industry into
disrepute. This is even if the licence holder has not been
charged and/or convicted of a criminal offence for those actions.
