PSA case studies

PSA · Put your knowledge to work in context.

The Private Security Authority (PSA) licence is the Irish statutory credential that allows a person to work in the private security industry, or a business to supply private security services, in the categories the PSA regulates. It is issued by the Private Security Authority, the State body established under the Private Security Services Act 2004. The PSA case studies are 5 cases and about 4,254 words.

The €189 Drill and the Chest Pain

At 16:40 on a wet Tuesday, a uniformed security officer employed by a PSA-licensed contractor is on duty at the entrance of a large hardware store in a retail park. The officer sees a man place a boxed cordless drill worth €189 inside a holdall, walk past the last point of sale and leave through the automatic doors.

957 words, about 5 min 2

The Monday Start with an Expired Licence

ShieldWest Security Ltd is a small contractor in Galway. It has a PSA contractor licence application pending for its new office, but the owner, Mark, has already signed a 12-month contract worth €48,000 to provide a static guard at a construction site from Monday.

813 words, about 4 min 3

Night Alarm in a Chained-Exit Office

A PSA-licensed security officer is on a lone night shift at a six-storey office building in Dublin. At 02:10 the fire panel shows an alarm in the third-floor kitchen; there is no smoke visible on the panel camera, but a cleaner reports a burning smell near the vending machine.

798 words, about 4 min 4

ED Entrance: Assistance Dog, Hijab and a Distressed Teenager

A security officer is on duty at the emergency department (ED) entrance of a Dublin hospital at 14:20. A wheelchair user, Mr O’Neill, arrives with an assistance dog.

863 words, about 4 min 5

CCTV, a Personal Email and a Deletion Request

A CCTV monitoring officer works in a distribution centre control room with 64 cameras. At 21:05 she sees a security supervisor put two boxed mobile phones into his backpack in the staff changing area, which is covered by a camera.

823 words, about 4 min