In mid-September, during the Listowel Racing Festival in the Irish Republic, Inspectors from the Private Security Authority (PSA) with police (An Garda Síochána) carried out a number of inspections of door supervisor (licensed premises) services in Listowel, Lisselton and Ballybunion, in County Kerry.
The PSA – the southern Irish equivalent of the SIA – said that the purpose of these inspections is to ensure that only those licensed by the PSA are operating and that individuals are wearing a clearly visible identity badge as legally required.<br><br>At premises where the PSA is satisfied that security was being provided, the Inspectors found that 100 per cent of individuals operating as door supervisor (licensed premises) were licensed and 100pc of those licensed were wearing their Identity Badge as legally required. As a result of the inspections, the PSA is further investigating security provision at two premises in the area.<br><br>Geraldine Larkin, Chief Executive of the PSA said: “The Authority plans further inspections across the country and will target licensed premises where unlicensed staff may be working.”<br><br>The Private Security Authority website (www.psa.gov.ie) contains a register of licence holders and is a tool for business and the public who can ensure that their security provider is licensed by checking the details on the register.<br><br>Briefly, the Private Security Authority is the statutory body with responsibility for licensing and regulating the private security industry in the Republic of Ireland. The Authority is an independent body under the aegis of the Department of Justice and Equality. As in the UK, the Irish Republic brought in regulation and badging of door staff – and some sectors that the UK has not licensed, such as alarm installers – to combat criminality. <br><br>In August the Republic brought in amendments to the law. Amended was the definition of "installer of security equipment" given in section 2(1) of the original Act of 2004 “so as to encompass the area of access control within the definition and keep it in line with technological advances in the area. A number of existing definitions are also amended to ensure against the exploiting of any possible loopholes. Section 6 also removes suppliers of security equipment from the regulatory framework.” Also, the Private Security Authority can now appoint persons, in addition to its own staff, to be an inspector and so gives the PSA the ability to contract in outside inspectors, if necessary.
