ABSTRACT
The Private Security Industry Act (‘the Act’) was given the Royal Assent on 11 May 2001. The preamble of this statute briefly states that it is ‘An Act to make provision for the regulation of the private security industry’. As will be examined in this chapter, this simple statement is likely to have very wide implications in the future, not only for the private security sector but also for many other aspects of commerce and industry. It will also have an impact on the courts by virtue of the specific appeals processes and new criminal offences created under the Act. The principal measures under the Act apply to England and Wales only, and are not yet fully in force, although this process began on 2 April 2003.
