Counter Terror Business - Workforce & Training

£740,000 to highlight cyber careers in Wales

Polly Jones — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:51:42 +0000

More than £740,000 of Welsh Government Tech Valleys funding will be spent on inspiring thousands more children across Southeast Wales to explore cyber security careers.

The money will be used by the National Digital Exploitation Centre (NDEC) to expand its cyber security education outreach programme to 10,000 learners across the region.

NDEC delivers interactive activities on digital forensics, cybercrime and internet safety for primary school children.

The extra funding will introduce new training on AI and sustainability, and help address barriers like transport and equipment costs for schools in disadvantaged areas. It will also enable bilingual delivery of activities.

The programme is delivered by Thales and the University of South Wales and encourages young people to pursue education and careers in cyber security and computing.

The first phase of the programme reached 216 schools and 20,000 learners across Southeast Wales.

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Rebecca Evans, said: "These vital skills will help keep children safe online whilst opening the doors to rewarding careers.

"Our investment will help inspire more students, foster early interest in digital careers, and support the development of a future cyber workforce - and I am really pleased that this programme can now be delivered bilingually."

Year 5 students from Ysgol Y Graig in Merthyr Tydfil are taking part in digital forensics activities, where they have been learning about cybercrime and online safety. They worked in groups to gather evidence from a staged crime scene, which they will analyse in a later session.

Ysgol y Graig Primary School teacher, Matthew Howells said: "The Digital forensics project is an absolutely amazing experience for the children. The range of activities they cover and the immersive experience of analysing the Jaguar, gives the children a wide range of future career opportunities and develops an increased passion for STEM. A wide range skills are developed across the 5 project sessions and the opportunity to work with STEM role models is an added benefit for the children."

New counter terrorism qualification launches

Polly Jones — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:19:42 +0000

A new counter terrorism qualification has launched.

The SFJ Level 3 Award in Counter Terrorism Protective Security and Preparedness is a Level 3 Ofqual-regulated qualification.

The qualification aims to strengthen the UK’s counter terrorism protective security and organisational preparedness and has been developed between the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NACTSO) and SFJ Awards, which works predominantly with emergency services and justice sectors.

Those who achieve the qualification will become recognised in Counter Terrorism Protective Security and Preparedness.

It was officially launched at the official UK Government global security event, Security and Policing

The development of the qualification was funded by the �鶹�� Office to address recommendations made by the Manchester Arena Inquiry.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations, Jon Savell, said: “Our main goal is to keep the public safe from the threat of terrorism, and this is now a tangible piece of training that staff in security, health and safety, and operational professions can obtain.

“Those taking the qualification will come away with practical tools to mitigate the risk of terrorism to their organisation or business – and by extension, the public. With the backdrop of increasing terror threats, this is absolutely essential to employer resilience. Keeping people safe from terrorism is everyone’s responsibility.”

David Higham, Managing Director from SFJ Awards added: “This is the only qualification endorsed by Counter Terrorism Policing, and enables learners and organisations to highlight the risks posed to them and their premises through terrorism.

“It has the added benefit of being regulated by Ofqual. Regulated qualifications bring with them the additional level of confidence that the course is high quality, will bring consistency to industry, and has real world application. It will enable work-forces to be better prepared for dealing with terrorism issues, and enable them to set up counter terrorism preparedness plans.”

New cyber profession launched to strengthen cyber defences

Polly Jones — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 09:28:07 +0000

The government has launched a new cyber profession alongside a new vulnerability monitoring service (VMS) to reduce cyber risks and speed up fixes.

A dedicated government Cyber Profession will recruit and train cyber experts. The new government Cyber Profession is co-branded with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the National Cyber Security Centre.

The profession will introduce a competitive total employee offer, establish a dedicated Cyber Resourcing Hub to streamline recruitment, and create a clear career framework aligned with UK Cyber Security Council professional standards.

It will also create a government Cyber Academy for training and development, a new apprenticeship scheme to build future talent, and structured career pathways to strengthen long-term capability across the public sector.

VMS, the specialist government monitoring service, was introduced as part of the Blueprint for modern digital government, published in January 2025. Since its introduction, security weaknesses in public sector websites are fixed 6 times faster – cutting the average time from nearly two months to just over a week.

The vulnerabilities are in the Domain Name System (DNS). These weaknesses can allow attackers to redirect users to fraudulent sites, steal sensitive data, or take services offline entirely.

Before the VMS was introduced, a weakness in a government DNS record could go unnoticed for nearly 2 months.

The VMS continuously scans 6,000 UK public sector bodies, detecting around 1,000 different types of cyber vulnerabilities. If a weakness is identified, the relevant organisation is alerted with specific, actionable guidance.

Minister for Digital Government Ian Murray said: "Cyber-attacks aren’t abstract threats — they delay NHS appointments, disrupt essential services, and put people’s most sensitive data at risk. When public services struggle it’s families, patients and frontline workers that feel it.

"The vulnerability monitoring service has transformed how quickly we can spot and fix weaknesses before they’re exploited so we can protect against that. We’ve cut cyber-attack fix times by 84% and reduced the backlog of critical issues by three quarters. And as the service expands to cover more types of cyber threats, fix times are falling there too.

"But technology alone isn’t enough. Today I’m launching a new government Cyber Profession to attract and develop the talented people we need to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated threats - making government a destination of choice for cyber professionals who want to protect the services that matter most to people’s lives."

Dr Richard Horne, CEO of the NCSC, said: "Cyber security is more consequential than ever today with attacks in the headlines showing the profound impacts they can have on people’s everyday lives and livelihoods.

"As our public services continue to innovate, it is vital that they remain resilient to evolving threats and vulnerabilities are being effectively managed to reduce the chances of disruption.

"The government Cyber Action Plan is a crucial step in building stronger cyber defences across our public services and the launch of the government Cyber Profession today will help attract and retain the most talented professionals with the top-tier skills needed to keep the UK safe online."

National register to strengthen protective security

Polly Jones — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:16:31 +0000

Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) are introducing new measures to help businesses and organisations better prepare for terrorist attacks, upskill their people, and access trusted expertise.

CTP has announced two new initiatives to strengthen the UK’s protective security and organisational preparedness – a register of verified specialists and a Level 3, Ofqual-regulated qualification.

Both of these respond to recommendations made in the Manchester Arena Inquiry.

From spring 2026, businesses and organisations will be able to access a CTP-endorsed register of qualified specialists who provide protective security and organisational preparedness advice and support.

The Register will be delivered via a partnership between the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and the National Protective Security Authority-sponsored Register of Security Engineers and Specialists. It will be administered by the Institution of Civil Engineers.

All members of the register will be bound by a professional code of conduct.

The new Ofqual-regulated qualification - Competent Person in the Workplace - has been designed for security, health and safety, and operational professionals responsible for managing protective measures in their organisation.

The qualification is currently being finalised and will formally launch in March 2026 at the Security and Policing event.

Jon Savell, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations, said: “Our aim is to empower organisations to make informed decisions about protective security and preparedness.

“We have listened carefully to industry feedback, which has been very clear: organisations want to be able to access professional and credible advice. These two initiatives respond directly to that. They offer proportionate, practical tools to help venues raise their standards and strengthen protective security, giving organisations the confidence and trusted support they need to protect the public.

“Our overarching goal is to keep the public safe from the threat of terrorism, and providing businesses and organisations with easy access to get the best advice will go a long way to achieving that goal.”

SIA satisfaction among employers at record high

Polly Jones — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:11:09 +0000

New figures show that satisfaction with the Security Industry Authority’s licensing process has hit a record high of 93 per cent among employers.

The results of the 2025 SIA customer satisfaction survey also show that satisfaction rates among individual licence applicants are at 89 per cent. 89 per cent of individual applicant who held a favourable view of the SIA was also 89 per cent.

The reasons for the high satisfaction levels include the simple and straightforward application process and the clear information provided about next steps. 30 per cent of applicants have to contact the SIA during their application.

The survey was conducted in June and July 2025. There were 741 interviews with individuals who had recently applied for an SIA licence and 59 interviews with employers who had recently submitted applications on behalf of their employees.

Iestyn David, SIA Head of Licensing and Service Delivery, said: "It is very pleasing to continue seeing such high levels of satisfaction among our customers. We were not only able to maintain many of the high results from our last survey, but satisfaction among employers reached a record high. This is a testament to the hard work of the SIA teams and our commitment to excellence as an organisation.

"We have continued to build on the feedback we receive from these surveys each year. To have maintained such strong results demonstrates we’re prioritising the right areas, which is helping us continue to deliver a quality service for our customers."

SIA launches review of security licence qualifications

Polly Jones — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:04:37 +0000

The SIA has launched a major strategic review of the qualifications and linked training required to apply for an SIA licence.

The aim is to update the SIA’s licence-linked qualifications requirement, so it keeps pace with the demands on SIA-licensed operatives and ensures they have the safety-critical skills to keep the public safe.

The review will examine the content of qualifications and consider updates to counter-terror content; what new content is required and what changes are required to safety-critical skills like physical intervention and searching.

It will also look at how to meet emerging issues, like dealing with social media auditors and using new technologies and equipment and how to make sure existing content remains as comprehensive as possible, especially on issues like spiking awareness and specialist searching techniques such as searching wheelchairs.

Michelle Russell, SIA chief executive, said: "Every 5 years we conduct a back-to-basics review of the content of the licence qualifications, how they are assessed and carried out. These reviews primarily focus on identifying what new content is required. However, this time we are doing it differently.

"As well as reviewing content, I have asked for a fundamental look at how the rules around the assessment and invigilation of examinations and requirements can be tightened. This also includes the delivery of the training courses supporting the qualifications, to ensure public confidence in them.

"It is essential that the public, security, employers and the SIA have trust and confidence that those with an SIA licence have been properly tested on the basic skills and knowledge they need to do the job. As the demands on private security operatives keep changing, their skills and knowledge need to keep pace too. This review represents a strategic reset and comes at an important time for the security industry.

"All ideas are on the table. The outcome of this review must ensure the new content and standards set are fit-for-purpose, and the assessment arrangements are strengthened to reduce the risk of training malpractice and ensure public confidence in the investment in the skills and competency of those awarded qualifications."

£15m to increase body armour and Tasers for prison staff

Angela Pisanu — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 08:29:44 +0000

The government has announced an investment of around £15 million to fund more protective body armour – also known as stab proof vests – for frontline prison officers, as well as more officers trained in using Tasers.

This will dramatically increase the number of vests available from 750 to up to 10,000 staff to better protect them from violence – with 5,000 specifically to equip every officer working in long term and high-security prisons.

The funding will also see up to 500 prison officers trained up to use Tasers, scaling up the initial trial announced this summer for 20 specialist staff.

Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, who made the announcement, said: "Our dedicated prison officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to protect us. This new investment sends a clear message: we back our staff and we will give them the tools they need to do their jobs safely."

The funding expands upon the existing plan to introduce protective body armour to high-secure settings including Close Supervision Centres, Separation Centres and Segregation Units. Prisons have already begun receiving kit last week.

The Taser pilot, announced this summer, applied to 20 specifically trained officers from national units deployed to high-risk scenarios. This expansion will enable small teams of prison-based staff to provide immediate intervention during high-threat, serious incidents.

The Deputy Prime Minister made today’s announcement on a visit HMP Belmarsh, a high-security prison in south London, to hear first-hand from staff about their work and challenges.

New SIA chair to be appointed in 2026

Polly Jones — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:37:43 +0000

Heather Baily, chair of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has announced that she will be stepping down on 28th February 2026.

The �鶹�� Office will now lead the process to find the next chair. The �鶹�� Secretary will appoint someone following an open recruitment process run by the Public Appointments Team.

Heather Baily said: "It has been a privilege to be the Chair of the SIA. I have been supported by a Board with strong professional expertise amongst our non-executive directors and a very capable executive team and staff. Under the leadership of Michelle Russell as our CEO, the SIA team have consistently performed to a very high standard with dedication and professionalism.

"I would like to thank them for this. Their commitment together with the engagement and support of the private security industry and our partner agencies, has enabled us to achieve our public safety objectives and rise to the challenges and opportunities we have faced over the last four years. I am very proud of what the SIA has achieved, and I am confident that we will continue to deliver our core objectives of raising standards and protecting the public as well as delivering high quality and robust regulation."

Michelle Russell, Chief Executive of the SIA, today said: "It has been a pleasure working with Heather as Chair of the SIA. During her tenure she has built a strong and professional Board and has supported the SIA to be a proactive and-forward looking organisation with a focus on public safety.

"Heather has ensured that the SIA has had a much more external focus on engagement with the Private Security Industry. The insights from this have been invaluable in shaping the SIA’s approach to delivering public safety outcomes. She has established and embedded the SIA as a UK wide regulator and has fostered strong relationships with the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Scotland. On behalf of the SIA team, I want to thank Heather for her commitment to the work of the SIA."

New SIA refresher training update

Polly Jones — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:30:24 +0000

The SIA has announced that the new refresher qualification will be available from 1 October 2025.

The refresher will update the safety-critical skills that close protection operatives use to keep the public safe.

Licence holders who plan to renew their licence are encouraged to take the training as soon as possible.

In April 2022, the SIA introduced new licence-linked qualifications for close protection. Accredited ‘top-up’ awards for close protection operatives were introduced in October 2022 as a requirement for renewing licences.

By October 2025 most close protection licence holders will have completed the ‘top-up’ training and will be qualified to the same standard as those who have the more up-to-date training.

Tony Holyland, Head of Individual Standards for the SIA, said: "Close protection operatives are security professionals tasked with protecting individuals from threats. The refresher training for close protection licence holders is designed to ensure that operatives continue to have the skills and knowledge to undertake aspects of their role safely.

"We sought views from subject matter experts in the close protection field to assess and agree content in areas of the licence-linked qualification most likely to be subject to skills fade.

"It is essential that the training is regularly updated to respond to the emerging risks and threats to public safety

"Security professionals take pride in keeping up to date, and I would like to thank the industry for its support with this initiative."

£70 million to boost cadet force

Polly Jones — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:21:52 +0000

The government has announced new funding to boost the cadet force by 30 per cent by 2030.

The plans are backed by £70 million of new investment and would see over 40,000 more cadets across the UK.

The RAF Air Cadets will become the first military youth organisation in Britain certified to train drone pilots

Under the new '30 by 30' campaign, there will be new joint Army and RAF Air Cadet Centres: adding to the five already opened and 12 under construction since this Government came into office.

The number of adult volunteers will be increased and a search will be launched for a National Cadet Champion.

Minister for Veterans and People, Alistair Carns MP, said: "Every young person deserves the chance to discover their potential, regardless of their postcode or family income.

"The cadet experience doesn’t just build character – it transforms futures, helping young people build confidence, develop skills and meet new people.

"The government is kickstarting a new era for the cadets through this major expansion, backed by £70 million of extra funding."