ISIA Awards 2013 - Celebrating the Best in Private Security

The ISIA Awards 2013 were held on the 23rd November in The Powerscourt Hotel.  The awards were attended by over 250 guests and celebrated outstanding individuals across different sectors of the private security industry in Ireland.  This year there were nine award categories and the Irish Security Industry Association (ISIA) also celebrated the contribution to the industry and the ISIA by former Council of Management member, Les McLindon.  McLindon was awarded with honorary life membership of the association.

To read a full overview of the highlights from the night click here or relive the excitement of the night by checking out our video here.

Thank you to all of the members for supporting the event and of course a very big thank you to all of our sponsors, the ISIA Awards would not be possible without you.

Sponsors of the ISIA Awards 2013  

 

 

ISIA Awards 2013 - Details Announced

The Irish Security Industry Association (ISIA) has launched the details of the ISIA Awards 2013 which will be held on the 23^rd November 2013.  The Irish Security Industry Association (ISIA) each year highlights the achievements of the private security industry at its Annual Awards.  The ISIA Awards 2013 will be held in the Ritz Carlton, Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow and is promising to be our biggest event to date.  “The key to the success of the ISIA awards is the way it celebrates the outstanding achievements of member companies and their people” said Sheenagh McCullagh, President of the ISIA. 

This year the ISIA is thrilled to announce two new award categories.  For the first time ever, the ISIA will celebrate those locksmiths who are valued by their clients.  Sarah O’Donnell, Communications Director explained, “the ISIA Locksmith of the Year award is really a customer’s choice award.  ISIA locksmiths make the nomination survey available to their client base and it is the customer that selects the winner.  We are really pleased we were in a position to introduce this category as it should increase awareness about the importance of this area in the overall security strategy”. 

Popular individual awards will of course be present again this year such as the Security Officer of the Year Award, Event Security Person Award and the Security Supervisor of the Year Award introduced for the first time last year.  The ISIA Awards 2013 will also recognise Electronic Security as part of the event with a category introduced for these individuals.  “Last year we started to recognise people in the electronic security sector with the ISIA FÁS Apprentice award, but this really opens things up to those long standing professionals in the industry who have not come through and apprenticeship” said McCullagh. 

The Innovation in Security award introduced in 2011 was introduced to encourage companies in private security to foster a culture of innovation.  This award will feature again in 2013.  The past two recipients of this award were Niscayah (now Stanley Security Solutions) in 2011 and last year’s winner was TDS.  “We are really looking forward to this year’s submissions.  Innovation is a recognised component for success and it is has been wonderful to see how many companies is the security industry recognise this” said O’Donnell. 

Nominations are open to the members of the Irish Security Industry Association and must be submitted by the 4^th October 2013.  Sponsorship packages are still available.  

All of the ISIA Awards 2013 details may be found here.  

Thank you to the sponsors of the ISIA Awards 2013!

     

Event Security Licensing: Will it happen and when?

Last year assurances were made by Minister Shatter that the licensing of the event security industry would be introduced.  We now find ourselves at the beginning of the busiest period in the annual calendar of events and licensing of this sector has yet to be introduced.  

You may be wondering, like we were, is licensing of the event security sector going to happen and if it is when is it likely to be introduced?  

The Chairman of the Irish Security Industry Association's (ISIA) event security division recently wrote to Minister Shatter to ask just that.  For a full update of the progress of event security licensing in Ireland, please read our most recent news story on the ISIA website available here. 

Finding a Security Company: Taking the Hard Work Out of an Important Task

Finding a security company in Ireland can be a daunting task.  If you decided to take on this task tomorrow and you went onto the website of the Private Security Authority (PSA) you would find a lengthy list of licensed contractors providing a variety of security services ranging from security guarding services (static guards/door security), companies providing installation and maintenance of electronic security systems (alarms, CCTV and access control), not to mention the companies that monitor alarms, along with those providing cash-in-transit service.  We didn't count, but as of today the list is 62 pages long.  We estimate it could include over 700 companies! 

How can you narrow down your list of options without wading through that very long list and what do you need to make sure your prospective security supplier has in place?  

The Requirements

If you are securing the services of a security company they will need to hold a valid PSA license if they are providing you with any of the following:   

• Static Guards
• Door Security 
• Alarm installation 
• Alarm maintenance 
• CCTV installation 
• CCTV maintenance 
• Access Control System installation 
• Access Control System maintenance 
• Remote monitoring of alarms 
• Transport of Cash

In order for a company to obtain a license they must meet a number of requirements and they must be independently audited against the relevant standards for the area of private security that they are operating in.  For further information on standards and licensing requirements please click here. 

The employees working in Cash in Transit, from today 1st May, static guards and door security will also need to hold an individual license as an employee in that area.  

Getting a Short List of Suppliers

As we already mentioned, there is a lengthy list of companies you can select from, so we are sure you will want to make the task of selecting a security supplier that bit easier.  You may rely on word of mouth referrals from people you know and trust.  However, you should still always check that the company you are referred to holds a valid Private Security Authority (PSA) license, licensing may not have been a legal requirement when your contact dealt with this company.  So always check.  Many security companies will also have sought to demonstrate their standards by gaining certification to various international standards, so it might be worth asking them what standards they operate to.  In other words, try to find out how they differentiate themselves from the hundreds of security companies that are licensed.  However, don't let them blind you with a series of numbers that may just be the minimum required for licensing (refer back to the link on standards for licensing, all companies will have these). The standard they operate to may simply be the minimum standards that they have to meet to trade legally.  If you are looking for a company that stands out from the crowd, ask them if they have achieved any standards outside those required by licensing, such as ISO 9001 or the Irish Security Industry Association's (ISIA) quality requirement, Qualsec.  

If you are considering using members of the Irish Security Industry Association (ISIA) as a supplier, all of the members of the Guarding Division, Electronic Security Division and Event Security Division will hold Qualsec, the ISIA's own quality scheme which is designed with the customer in mind.  Members of these three divisions must achieve Qulasec Silver at a minimum, but may progress to Qulasec Gold or Qulasec Platinum.  There is further information available on our website which you may access here.  We would also encourage you to always check the validity of a companies ISIA membership and Qulasec standard.  If you are not sure, just call us in the ISIA +353-(0)1-4847206.  

If you are still uncertain about where to start in the search to find a security company to supply the specific security services you need, we can help.  Simply submit the form, available here and we can do some of the hard work for you.  

More Reason to Believe Stiffer Sentencing a Must

Earlier this month we issued a press release highlighting the number of cash-in-transit robberies that had occurred already this year, the threat these incidents are to public safety and employees in the industry, the concerns that the industry have that many are being perpetrated by the same criminals and therefore, the need for stiffer sentencing.  

That press release can be viewed here. 

Since that press release has been issued there was a further incident last Saturday, during the day at the Orwell Shopping Centre near Templeogue.  A handgun was held at a security man's head forcing the security worker to hand over a cash box he had just collected from a supermarket and leaving shoppers terrified.

These incidents are happening during the day, in public locations and are a serious public risk.  As the Irish Security Industry Association's (ISIA) recent press release mentioned, our members fear that these incidents are often being carried out by the same criminals repeatedly.  An article in yesterday's Herald has confirmed those fears, highlighting that the two men currently being held in custody are "also suspected of a spate of similar crimes across counties Dublin, Meath and Cork...and one of them previously served a lengthy jail sentence after the attempted armed robbery of a ex-Dublin GAA player.  He also served a three-year sentence for a separate cash-in-transit robbery in 2002."