Rogue private investigators will be jailed: Theresa May unveils new licence regime to curb blue-chip data hacking Home Secretary announces £5,000 fines and 6 month jail terms Deputy PM Nick Clegg brands private investigators 'guns for hire' Rogue private investigators face being jailed in a crackdown on "guns for hire" acting outside the law. A new strict regime will be imposed, which will make operating as an unlicensed private investigator criminal offence, Home Secretary Theresa May said. The reforms were announced as pressure mounts on the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and MPs to release the names of hundreds of companies and individuals linked to unscrupulous operators. Crackdown: Home Secretary Theresa May unveiled plans to force private investigators to obtain licences to operate, or face fines or even jail Licences will be granted by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) following a series of vigorous checks. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "I really don't think it's right to have private investigators, guns for hire, if you like, acting entirely out of and beyond the rules that apply to other parts of the security industry." The scandal of data hacking has widened beyond the cases in the press which triggered the Leveson Inquiry. A total of 22 law firms feature on a 102-strong list of companies to have used private investigators, alongside several insurance companies, financial services groups and two celebrities, among others. Private investigators currently operate without regulation, allowing anyone to take on the role, regardless of their skills, experience or criminal convictions. From autumn next year, the SIA will issue licences only if an applicant has completed training and achieved a Government-recognised qualification, which includes understanding of relevant laws and standards. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg branded private investigators 'guns for hire' Wannabe PIs will also have to confirm their identity and undergo a thorough criminality check. The maximum penalty for working as an unlicensed private investigator or supplying unlicensed investigators will be a fine of up to £5,000 and up to six months in prison. Home Secretary Mrs May said: "It is vital we have proper regulation of private investigators to ensure rigorous standards in this sector and the respect of individuals' rights to privacy. That is why I am announcing today the Government's intention to regulate this industry, making it a criminal offence to operate as a private investigator without a licence. Anyone with a criminal conviction for data protection offences can expect to have their application for a licence refused. She stressed that journalists will be excluded from regulation to allow them to carry out legitimate investigations in the public interest. Nick Pickles, director of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: "The Home Secretary is absolutely right to warn that some rogue private investigators pose a serious threat to people's privacy, and the move to introduce a system of licensing is a positive step towards protecting people from untoward intrusion and surveillance. For too long private investigators have been allowed to operate in the shadows. The system needs to make crystal clear that irrelevant of whether or not someone calls themselves a private investigator, if they are attempting to gather information about other people by surveillance or investigation then they need a license. Soca's list features eight firms that featured in evidence in prosecutions under Operation Millipede, an investigation that led to the conviction of four private detectives for fraud last year, as well as 94 other organisations that were relevant to the inquiry but not used in evidence. There are also five organisations or individuals on the list being investigated as part of Operation Tuleta, Scotland Yard's computer hacking probe. List: Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz, who chairs the Home Affairs Committee, said he is determined to name those involved as soon as possible The identities of the firms involved have not yet been revealed, at the request of Soca. But the Home Affairs Select Committee released a breakdown of the sectors they work in, which include law, oil, rail services and the security industry. Private investigators accessed information through methods including phone and computer hacking, blagging - faking an identity to draw information from an official spokesman - and phone interceptions. Home Affairs Select Committee chair Keith Vaz MP has written to Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick, who has overall control of the operation, to ask if the force has any further interest in the firms on the list. He has asked Ms Dick, as well as the Information Commissioner's Office, to confirm when the public will be able to see the names on the list. But he also said the names on the list could be kept secret to avoid compromising any investigations being carried out by the police. While he wants to reveal the names - and could do so using parliamentary privilege - he has been told the Information Commissioner and Metropolitan Police may be interested in investigating the companies involved. A final decision on whether to release the names would be taken when the committee publishes its report, he said.