Choosing an ACS accredited supplier for the provision of your contract security services will help you to meet your security obligations to your staff, shareholders and other stakeholders.

Approved contractors are demonstrably committed to customer service and the compulsory licensing of their staff. This means their customers can rest assured that every private security operative deployed on their premises will be working within the law (unless we have withdrawn the company's authority to deploy staff whose licence applications are pending, which can be checked via the public Register of Approved Contractors).

Suppliers of security services who are not Approved Contractors are only able to deploy staff that physically hold a valid SIA licence; to do otherwise is a criminal offence. Approved Contractors could be given special dispensation to deploy staff who have completed their training and are waiting for their SIA licence application to be processed. Approved Contractors will therefore be able to offer greater flexibility and operational effectiveness when supplying security services.

The status of the ACS is recognised by the police and offers the potential for enhanced working relationships. The aim is to provide practical benefits through 'joined-up' police, business and community initiatives.