New Home Office Guidance has urged security professionals across the UK to strengthen its awareness of foreign influence risks in order to help protect the industry from hostile actors.

The guidance follows the introduction of the National Security Act 2023, which has made it a criminal offence to work on behalf of a foreign power in ways that could harm the UK.

While engaging with foreign entities is not inherently illegal, security professionals are being warned that their specialist skills, privileged access to information and proximity to key individuals make them prime targets for exploitation.

To help professionals navigate these new regulations and understand their responsibilities, the Home Office, The Security Institute and the Register for Security Engineers and Specialists (RSES) will co-host an exclusive panel event on Monday 3rd March 2025.

This live virtual session will provide an in-depth discussion of the Government’s new guidance and offer expert insights from leading voices in the field:

• Edward Bolton, Home Office – Senior civil servant with over a decade of experience in strategy, policy and operational delivery.

• David Cormie, Register of Security Engineers and Specialists – Director of Resilience, Security & Risk at Arup, specialising in mitigating hostile threats and protecting critical assets.

• Chris Stevens, The Security Institute – Board Director and expert in counter-terrorism, security risk and the built environment.

Safeguarding the UK

“The security industry plays a critical role in safeguarding the UK,” said Simon Hepburn, CEO, The Security Institute.

“This new guidance is designed to help professionals recognise and counteract threats from state actors and those seeking to undermine national security.

“We strongly encourage all industry members to familiarise themselves with the guidance and join this important discussion.”

Event details

Date: Monday, 3rd March 2025

Time: 14:00 – 15:00 GMT

Location: Teams Live Event

Join here