NEWS Security Industry Authority The Security Industry Authority have indicated that private investigators will be subject to licensing. They have not yet published the criteria but have published a document "Private Investigator Best Practise". This means that at some time in the future, anyone calling themselves a private investigator, private detective, enquiry agent or offering this type of service in Scotland, will require to hold a licence. Grant & McMurtrie are satisfied that they already probably operate to standards in excess of the likely criteria for holding a licence.