CCTV contractors must now be licensed for clubs & pubs
The extension of licensing to CCTV and Access Control is a major milestone for the PSA and marks the completion of licensing for contractors in the electronic security sector.
The licensing of these new sectors has been in development for several years and has involved consultation with all the industry stakeholders.
In order to obtain a licence from the PSA, a contractor must prove compliance with national and European standards, be tax compliant and undergo criminal record checking.
A licence granted by the PSA is valid for two years and a register of licence holders is available on the PSA website www.psa.gov.ie
It will now be an offence under the Private Security Services Acts to install, maintain, service or repair a CCTV system or Access Control system without a licence. Penalties range from fines of up to €3,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 12 months.
Similarly any person (includes householders and businesses) employing an unlicensed CCTV or Access Control contractor will also be breaking the law and subject to prosecution.
The PSA is the statutory body responsible for the licensing and regulation of the private security industry in Ireland.
The PSA already licences contractors who provide the following services:
Intruder Alarm Installation and Maintenance
Security Guarding
Door Supervision
Cash In Transit
Intruder Alarm Monitoring
Employees providing Security Guarding and Door Supervision services must also be licensed.
There are currently in the region of 750 contractors and 27,000 individuals licensed by the PSA.
The next sectors for licensing are CCTV Monitoring contractors, Event Security contractors and Cash In Transit employees. These are scheduled to take place during 2013.
