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What effect might SIA – and the Republic of Ireland’s PSA – licences have on the Irish guarding market? Could Ireland see more cross-border, and UK guard firms?
An August register of 150-odd static guard firms licenced by the Tipperary-based Private Security Authority suggests that, with exceptions, the Republic’s guarding market keeps itself to itself. There are some Dublin-based multi-national names familiar to British eyes – to name three, G4S Security Services (Ireland); Chubb Irealnd; and Securitas Security Services (Ireland). And there is Corps Security Ireland, based in Belfast, licensed by the PSA.
Attenders at that Northern Ireland consultation launch included BSIA regional chairman, Andrew McAllister, of Greenhills Security Products (NI) Ltd; Robert Willis, of Checkmate Guarding & Security, of Lisburn; Ian Fiddis, Chubb (NI) Ltd; Richard McElrea, Cobra Specialist Security Services Ltd; Colin McClinton, G4S; Walter Murphy, Reliance Security; David Allen, Scan Alarms & Security Systems (UK) Ltd; Cliff Jamison, Sword Security (NI) Ltd; Margaret Jeffery and Tim Bertenshaw of Vision Security Group Ltd [VSG]; and Francis Cullen, Mercury Security Management. As that list suggests, while there are security firms local to Northern Ireland, some national guard firms have contracts in NI; VSG, for instance, set up their Belfast office earlier this year. Much like the Northampton-based guard firm’s mainland contracts, VSG clients in NI include B & Q and TX Maxx.
You can download the PSA registers of companies:
