PSA cheat sheet

The Private Security Authority (PSA) is the statutory regulator for private security services in Ireland, operating under the Private Security Services Act 2004 as amended.

The PSA licenses contractors (companies and sole traders) and individual security employees; both tiers of licensing are separate and independently required.

Licensing covers designated security services set out in legislation and regulations, including static guarding, door supervision, event security, cash-in-transit, and close protection.

The PSA may refuse, suspend, or revoke a licence, and may impose conditions; operating an unlicensed service is a criminal offence.

The PSA maintains a public register of licensed contractors and employees; employers must verify that staff hold a current licence before deployment.

Regulations made under the Act set licence categories, application procedures, fees, identity and vetting requirements, and the duration and renewal of licences.

The PSA issues standards and codes of practice; compliance with them is a condition of holding a licence and may be assessed during audits and inspections.

The PSA has investigative and enforcement powers, including the power to enter premises, require production of records, and prosecute offences.

The Act establishes appeal routes against licensing decisions, allowing an applicant to seek review of a refusal, suspension, or revocation.

A contractor licence applicant must demonstrate legal establishment, tax compliance, and suitability, and must nominate a responsible person for the service.

An employee licence applicant must meet the minimum age requirement (18), provide proof of identity and residency status, and pass Garda vetting.

Basic training must be completed and certified before an employee licence is granted, and refresher training is required for renewal.

Applicants must disclose all convictions and prosecutions; failure to disclose is grounds for refusal or revocation of a licence.

Licences are time-limited and must be renewed before expiry; operating on an expired licence is an offence.

Licensed contractors must ensure that only licensed employees provide security services and must maintain records of licences held.

Changes in directors, ownership, or key personnel must be notified to the PSA as required by regulation.

A licence is specific to the category of service and the named holder; it cannot be transferred or lent to another person or entity.

Fees, application forms, and supporting documentation are prescribed by the PSA, and incomplete applications are not processed.

PSA standards specify requirements for service delivery, staff competence, supervision, record keeping, and complaints handling.

A documented operational procedure should exist for each service type, covering deployment, reporting, escalation, and emergency response.

Supervision requirements include defined ratios and the availability of a competent supervisor or control room for deployed staff.

Uniform and identification standards require clear display of the licensee's identity and licence status while on duty.

Incident reporting standards require timely, accurate, and factual recording of security incidents and retention of records.

Complaints must be logged, investigated, and resolved within defined timeframes, with outcomes communicated to the complainant.

Equipment standards cover radios, body cameras, access control devices, and protective equipment, including maintenance and testing schedules.

Training standards require induction training, site-specific training, and periodic refresher training with records retained.

Codes of practice require cooperation with An Garda Síochána and other agencies while respecting the limits of a security operative's legal authority.

A security operative has no powers beyond those of an ordinary citizen; powers derive from common law and statute, not from the licence.

Under section 4 of the Criminal Law Act 1997, a person may arrest without warrant someone reasonably suspected of committing an arrestable offence, and must hand the person to An Garda Síochána.

A citizen's arrest must be based on reasonable grounds; the arrested person must be told the reason for arrest and delivered to Garda custody as soon as practicable.

Use of force must be necessary, proportionate, and no more than the minimum required; force used in self-defence or defence of others must be reasonable.

Detention by a security operative is limited to preventing escape or protecting persons and property pending Garda arrival; prolonged detention risks false imprisonment.

A search of a person or their belongings generally requires consent or lawful authority; refusal should be managed by denying access rather than by force.

Reasonable suspicion requires specific facts and observations, not a hunch, stereotype, or generalised assumption.

Excessive force can give rise to criminal liability and civil claims for assault, battery, and false imprisonment.

Records must show the grounds for arrest, force used, time of detention, and time of handover to An Garda Síochána.

Theft under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 requires dishonest appropriation of property without consent with intention to permanently deprive.

Burglary requires entry to a building or part of a building as a trespasser with intent to commit theft or an arrestable offence, or committing such an offence after entry.

Assault is an unlawful attack or threat of immediate unlawful violence; assault causing harm requires actual harm and is a more serious offence.

Criminal damage requires damaging property belonging to another without lawful excuse, intentionally or recklessly.

Handling stolen property requires knowing or believing the property to be stolen and dishonestly receiving, retaining, or disposing of it.

Public order offences include threatening, abusive, or insulting behaviour, and drunken or disorderly conduct in a public place.

Possession of an offensive weapon in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse is an offence.

Conspiracy, aiding, abetting, counselling, and procuring are inchoate or accessorial offences that can make a security operative liable for another's crime.

Evidence gathered by security staff must be lawfully obtained; unlawfully obtained evidence may be excluded and can expose the operative to liability.

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 places duties on employers to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safety, health, and welfare of employees.

Employees have duties to take reasonable care of themselves and others, cooperate with safety measures, and report hazards and defects.

A written risk assessment must identify hazards, assess risks, and record control measures for each site and task.

A safety statement must be prepared, maintained, and brought to employees' attention, describing the safety management system.

Personal protective equipment must be provided where risks cannot be eliminated or adequately controlled by other means, and its use must be enforced.

Incident and accident reporting procedures require recording and investigation, with notification to the Health and Safety Authority where required.

Welfare facilities include access to drinking water, washing facilities, rest areas, and adequate lighting, heating, and ventilation.

Lone working requires specific controls such as check-in procedures, communication devices, and defined escalation arrangements.

Manual handling, slips, trips, falls, and violence at work are common security-sector hazards requiring specific control measures.

Fire requires fuel, oxygen, and heat; removing any one element of the fire triangle extinguishes or prevents combustion.

Fire safety duties include maintaining means of escape, fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, and fire-fighting equipment.

Fire doors must be kept closed or, where held open, released automatically by the alarm system; they must not be wedged open.

Escape routes must be kept clear, unobstructed, and adequately signed, with exits opening in the direction of travel.

Emergency procedures must cover alarm activation, evacuation, assembly points, roll call, and liaison with the fire service.

Fire drills and evacuation exercises must be conducted at planned intervals and recorded, with lessons learned acted upon.

Fire extinguishers must be appropriate to the risk, serviced and inspected, and staff trained in their safe use.

On discovering fire, the priority sequence is to raise the alarm, call the fire service, evacuate, and only then attempt to fight a small fire if trained and safe.

Fire wardens have defined roles including sweeping areas, assisting evacuation, and reporting completion at the assembly point.

Communication should be clear, courteous, and proportionate; assertiveness differs from aggression and should be used to defuse conflict.

Active listening involves attending to the speaker, reflecting back understanding, and clarifying facts before acting.

Conflict de-escalation uses calm tone, personal space, non-threatening body language, and offering choices to reduce tension.

Professional conduct requires impartiality, honesty, confidentiality, and avoidance of conflicts of interest.

Security staff must not accept gifts or favours that could compromise judgement or create an obligation.

Radio and telephone communication follows defined protocols: identify, state location, describe the situation, and request specific assistance.

Customer complaints should be acknowledged, recorded, and escalated to the appropriate manager within defined timeframes.

Appearance, punctuality, and adherence to site instructions form part of the professional standard expected of licensed operatives.

Social media and disclosure of site information or images can breach confidentiality and data protection obligations.

The Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2018 prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods and services on nine protected grounds, including gender, civil status, family status, age, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and membership of the Traveller community.

The Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015 prohibit discrimination in employment on the same protected grounds, plus the ground of housing assistance.

Discrimination can be direct, indirect, by association, or by imputation; harassment and sexual harassment are forms of discrimination.

Reasonable accommodation must be provided for people with disabilities unless it would cause more than nominal cost.

Reasonable grounds for suspicion must be based on behaviour and facts, not on a person's protected characteristics.

The European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003 requires public bodies to act compatibly with Convention rights; private security should respect rights to liberty, privacy, and non-discrimination.

Data protection law, including the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, restricts the collection, use, and retention of personal data, including CCTV images.

Profiling or targeting based solely on race, religion, or appearance is unlawful discrimination and damages public trust.

Equality policies should be communicated, applied consistently, and supported by training and complaint procedures.

Records must be accurate, legible, contemporaneous, and factual, distinguishing clearly between what was observed and what was reported by others.

Entries should include date, time, location, persons involved, actions taken, and the identity of the recorder.

Corrections must be made by a dated, signed strike-through or addendum; erasing or overwriting entries undermines evidential value.

Incident reports should be completed as soon as practicable and submitted through the defined chain of command.

Evidence must be preserved and continuity maintained through a documented chain of custody recording every transfer.

Physical evidence should be handled minimally, packaged appropriately, labelled, and stored securely.

Digital evidence such as CCTV footage must be exported in original format where possible, with hash values or audit logs to demonstrate integrity.

Notebooks and electronic records may be disclosable in legal proceedings and must be retained for the period required by law or policy.

Personal data in reports must be collected and retained only as necessary, in line with data protection principles.