National register to strengthen protective security

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.”