NEW LEGISLATION which makes it compulsory for security guards and doormen to wear identity badges while working is to come into force at the beginning of next month.
The move comes as new figures show that there are now close to 25,000 individuals licensed to work as door supervisors and guards in Ireland.
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Dermot Ahern yesterday signed the Private Security (Identity Badge) Regulations 2009, which make it mandatory for all licensed bouncers and security employees to wear one of two types of identity badges while on duty from September 1st.
Under the new rules, employees can either wear their existing licence card as a badge or may use one which has been supplied by their employer, so long as it complies with guidelines set out by the Private Security Authority (PSA), the statutory body with responsibility for licensing and regulating the private security sector in Ireland.
Store detectives, whose duties require them not to be immediately identifiable to the public, are exempt from wearing badges. However, they are required to carry their licence at all times.
Licensing of doormen and security guards began in April 2007 and, to date, more than 31,800 applications for licences have been made with 24,884 licences granted. A total of 5,733 applications were rejected by the PSA.
All applicants for licences are vetted by the Garda before any licence is issued and any applicants from outside of Ireland must provide a criminal record certificate from their country of origin. According to the PSA, licences have been approved to individuals from 115 different nationalities. Two-thirds of all licences go to Irish nationals.
More than 17,000 licences have been issued to individuals working as security guards, with 6,122 issued for doormen employed in shops, bars and nightclubs.
Some 96 per cent of licence holders are male and the average age of holders is 39 years.
Under the new legislation coming into force on Tuesday, an individual’s licence can be suspended or revoked if they fail to wear their badge and they could face fines of up to €3,000 or imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both.
The PSA said it would be carrying out inspections to ensure the new legislation is strictly adhered to. All identity badges worn must be clearly visible at all times and must display a photograph and licence number of the wearer, together with the authority’s logo.
“The new legislation will give added confidence to the public to see that people are properly licensed, because this means that they have been trained to a certain standard and vetted,” said Paul Scallon, head of licensing with the PSA. “It also means that if someone has an issue with a member of the profession they can easily identify them which will help if they want to proceed with a complaint.”
Mr Scallon said the compliance rate for licensing had risen by 30 per cent over the past year and currently stood at 80 per cent, which he attributed in part to the introduction of identity badges. He added that standards in the industry had “greatly improved” since the authority was established in 2004.
No right to refuse: legislation covers bouncers, door staff and store detectives
The front of the badge showing the photograph and licence number of the wearer must be displayed
The front of the licence card must be clearly visible at all times and displayed on the upper torso
The identity badge may be displayed in a card holder or plastic pocket, provided the view of the badge is unobstructed
Where licence holders use an ID badge issued by an employer, the holders must also carry their PSA licence card on them as well
Store detectives are exempt from wearing the badge, but must carry their their PSA licence with them while on duty
Licensing of doormen and security guards began in April 2007
15,906 licences issued to Irish nationals - 64%
1,721 issued to Polish nationals - 7%
1,169 issued to Pakistani nationals - 4.7%
1,159 issued to Nigerian nationals - 4.7%
675 issued to British nationals - 2.7%
