Up to 5,000 door supervisors and private security guards have yet to apply for licences from the Private Security Authority (PSA) despite the introduction of mandatory licensing of the sector in April.
This suggests that a significant number are continuing to work in the "informal economy". It is thought that in particular door supervisors, or bouncers, may not have applied due to the "cash-in-hand" nature of much of this work.
Providers of security services and the businesses that employ them face fines of up to €3,000 and/or 12 months in prison for breaches of the new licensing regime. While the PSA had received nearly 15,000 applications for licences by the middle of May, its director of licensing Paul Scallan told The Irish Times that as many as 70 per cent of these applications were incorrectly filled out.
He said the Garda vetting section of the application form, or the criminal record certificate for foreign national applicants, were the areas where most of the errors had occurred. Applications had been received from people from 92 countries, Mr Scallan said. Both industry and PSA estimates suggest that the total number working on a full and part-time basis in this sector of the industry is about 20,000. This would include individuals working as security guards. Mr Scallan said this suggested that up to 5,000 individuals had so far failed to apply to the PSA for licences to work either as door supervisors, security guards, or both.
Private security guards typically work in retail stores, office complexes, industrial estates and building sites. The PSA now intends to target individuals and their employers in the relevant sectors to ensure compliance with the law. To obtain a licence, applicants must prove they have received training relevant to their sector. A previous criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an individual from obtaining a licence. Last week, the chairman of the Revenue Commissioners Frank Daly said the security industry was one of those his officials would target this year.