Licensing of Private Investigators mandatory from 1 November 2015

On 14 May 2015, the Private Security (Licensing and Standards) (Private Investigator) Regulations 2015 (S.I. No 195 of 2015) were signed into law.

The Regulations mark the outcome of a Private Security Authority (PSA) public consultation conducted last January, following high profile prosecutions for breaches of data protection law in the Private Investigator (PI) Industry (see our IP blog here and here).

The Regulations, which come into effect on 1 November 2015, shall make it an offence for any contractor to offer a service as a PI without a licence after that date.

It will also be an offence for a person to engage or employ an unlicensed PI. Only those licensed by the PSA will be able to advertise or represent themselves as a licensed PI.

The Department of Justice and Equality Press Release is available here.

For further information please contact Davinia Brennan at dbrennan@algoodbody.com.

Date published: 23 June 2015