Under the amendments to the Security Providers Act 1993 and the Security Providers Regulation 2008, industry association membership will become mandatory for security firms.

Approved associations will be required to have in place a Code of Conduct and must ensure that association members adhere to the code.

Associations will also be required to undertake compliance audits of members and take appropriate action to ensure compliance.

The legislation does not deal with association fees, however approved associations will be entitled to charge membership fees to cover the cost of services provided and associated audit and compliance costs.