Summary
Businesses and organisations are being helped to better prepare for terrorist attacks, upskill their people, and access trusted expertise thanks to new measures being introduced by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP).
Businesses and organisations are being helped to better prepare for terrorist attacks, upskill their people, and access trusted expertise thanks to new measures being introduced by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP).
As the lead for countering terrorism threats in the UK, 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 initiatives address recommendations made by the Manchester Arena Inquiry.
The first is a new national Counter Terrorism Security Specialists Register. 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 second is a separate initiative, a new Ofqual-regulated qualification: Competent Person in the Workplace. This has been designed for security, health and safety, and operational professionals responsible for managing protective measures in their organisation.
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.”
The Register will be delivered via a partnership between the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) – a specialist unit within CTP – and the National Protective Security Authority-sponsored Register of Security Engineers and Specialists. It will be administered by the Institution of Civil Engineers. Members of the Register are bound by a code of professional conduct.
This will provide:
- access to trusted, competent specialists
- assurance that individuals meet recognised standards
- confidence that members are bound by a professional code of conduct
- a straightforward way to identify qualified counter terrorism protective security support.
If organisations need counter terrorism protective security, preparedness advice, or technical implementation, the Register will offer access to a wide pool of verified expertise across multiple disciplines.
NaCTSO is working with awarding body, SFJ Awards, to develop a new counter terrorism-specific protective security and preparedness qualification.
The Ofqual-regulated qualification is currently being finalised and will formally launch in March 2026 at the Security and Policing event.
This is a Home Office-funded project, created following the Manchester Arena Inquiry report, and will provide organisations with the toolset to understand and mitigate their threat and risks from terrorism.
David Higham, Managing Director of SFJ Awards, says: “Against the backdrop of increasing terror threats, counter terrorism-specific protective security and preparedness are increasingly central to the operational resilience of organisations and employers.
“The Competent Person in the Workplace qualification will provide a structured, Ofqual-regulated pathway to building capabilities in this area, and we are proud to have been appointed as the designated awarding organisation for this qualification which is due to launch soon.
“Home Office and CTP’s direct involvement in designing the course and qualification means that it sets the standard for learning amongst professionals responsible for counter terror measures in their organisations. This will be the only Ofqual regulated CTP and NaCTSO endorsed qualification in the marketplace focused on protecting premises from terrorism.”