The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
Source: legislation.gov.uk (2025-06-30)

These Regulations amend the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) Regulations 2010 (“the 2010 Regulations”) to continue to exempt certain persons from the licensing requirements under section 3 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (“the 2001 Act”) on the basis that suitable alternative arrangements are in place which make it unnecessary for those persons to be so licensed. These Regulations revoke the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1567).

Statutory Instruments

2025 No. 664

SECURITY INDUSTRY

The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Made

9th June 2025

Laid before Parliament

10th June 2025

Coming into force

1st July 2025

The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the power conferred by section 4(1) of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (“the Act”)(1 (\"#f00001\")).

In accordance with section 4(1) of the Act, it appears to the Secretary of State that there are circumstances in which licensable conduct is engaged in only by persons to whom suitable alternative arrangements(2 (\"#f00002\")) will apply, and the Secretary of State is satisfied that, as a consequence, it is unnecessary for persons engaging in any such conduct in those circumstances to be required to be licensed under the Act.

The Secretary of State has consulted with the Scottish Ministers, the Department of Justice and the Security Industry Authority in accordance with section 24(4)(a) of the Act(3 (\"#f00003\")).

Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 and come into force on 1st July 2025.

(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Amendment of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) Regulations 2010

2.—(1) The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) Regulations 2010(4 (\"#f00004\")) are amended as follows.

(2) In regulation 2, omit the definition of “the 2010 Regulation”.

(3) For regulation 4, substitute—

Prescribed circumstances

4.—(1) The circumstances prescribed for the purposes of this regulation are those where a person is provided to implement or be responsible for the implementation of screening, access control or other security controls on behalf of—

(a)an operator of one or more aircraft registered or operating in the United Kingdom,

(b)a manager of an aerodrome in the United Kingdom,

(c)an occupier of any land forming part of an aerodrome in the United Kingdom,

(d)a person who is permitted, within the meaning of section 24A(2) of the Aviation Security Act 1982(5 (\"#f00005\")), to have access to a security restricted area of such an aerodrome for the purposes of the activities of a business carried on by them, or

(e)an air cargo agent,

for purposes to which Part 2 of the Aviation Security Act 1982 (protection of aircraft, aerodromes and air navigation installations against acts of violence)(6 (\"#f00006\")) applies.

(2) In this regulation—

“access control” means the application of means by which the entry of unauthorised persons or unauthorised vehicles, or both, may be prevented;

“air cargo agent” has the meaning given in section 21F of the Aviation Security Act 1982(7 (\"#f00007\"));

“prohibited articles” means weapons, explosives or other dangerous devices, articles or substances that may be used to commit an act of unlawful interference that jeopardises the security of civil aviation within the meaning of section 10(4) of the Aviation Security Act 1982(8 (\"#f00008\"));

“screening” means the application of technical or other means which are intended to identify or detect prohibited articles;

“security control” means the application of means by which the introduction of prohibited articles may be prevented; and

“security restricted area” has the meaning given in section 24A of the Aviation Security Act 1982.”.

Revocation of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) (Amendment) Regulations 2012

3. The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) (Amendment) Regulations 2012(9 (\"#f00009\")) are revoked.

Dan Jarvis

Minister of State

Home Office

9th June 2025

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) Regulations 2010 (“the 2010 Regulations”) to continue to exempt certain persons from the licensing requirements under section 3 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (“the 2001 Act”) on the basis that suitable alternative arrangements are in place which make it unnecessary for those persons to be so licensed. These Regulations revoke the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Aviation Security) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1567 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2012/1567\")).

Regulation 2 retains the substance of the exemption in the previous regulation 4 of the 2010 Regulations but replaces it with updated references to the circumstances in which licensing is unnecessary.

The prescribed circumstances set out in new regulation 4 are those in which persons engaged in licensable conduct under the 2001 Act are in aviation security roles.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sectors is foreseen. An Explanatory Memorandum has been published alongside these Regulations on www.legislation.gov.uk (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk\").

(1)

2001 c. 12 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2001/12\"); there are amendments to section 4, but none is relevant. See section 24(1) of the Act for the definition of “prescribed”.

(2)

See section 3(2) of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 for the definition of “licensable conduct” and section 4(3) of the Act for the definition of “alternative arrangements”.

(3)

Section 24(4) was amended by paragraph 11(e) of Schedule 15 to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (c. 15) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2005/15\"); paragraph 20(6) of Schedule 9 to the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (c. 9) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2012/9\") and S.I. 2010/976 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2010/976\"). There are other amendments to section 24, but none is relevant.

(4)

S.I. 2010/3018 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2010/3018\"), amended by S.I. 2012/1567 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2012/1567\").

(5)

Section 24A was inserted by paragraph 16 of Schedule 1 to the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 (c. 31) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/1990/31\") and amended by S.I. 2010/902 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2010/902\").

(6)

1982 c. 36 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/1982/36\"). The purposes to which Part 2 applies are found in section 10 of the Act. Section 10 was amended by S.I. 2010/902 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2010/902\").

(7)

Section 21F was inserted by section 6 of the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 (c. 31) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/1990/31\"). Section 21F(2)(b) was amended by S.I. 2010/902 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2010/902\").

(8)

Section 10(4) was inserted by S.I. 2010/902 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2010/902\").

(9)

S.I. 2012/1567 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2012/1567\").