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Locksmith licence introduced in Ireland
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2017 LOOKS SET TO BE A year of change for the Irish locksmith industry . The Irish Locksmith Organisation ( ILO ) has spent years campaigning for statuary regulation of the Irish locksmith industry and , after long negotiations with the Private Security Association of Ireland ( PSA ), as of February this year , all Irish locksmiths must now be PSA registered . This now means that all ILO members must have a PSA registration number .
Mandatory PSA registration means all locksmiths must undergo a full security audit including Garda background checks and Revenue compliance . There are a host of aspects to this audit that are designed to protect the public and ensure high industry standards are maintained .
The Locksmith Journal spoke to ILO Chairman , Jack Nolan , to find out more about what impact this new regulation will have on the industry …
Jack explains , “ Areas of the security industry have been licensed for some time , such as alarm installers . We have been in discussion with the PSA for the past 3 years and over the last year an agreement was finally reached on the criteria that should be met .
“ All Irish locksmiths have been granted a temporary licence while a company audit takes place . The one-day audit looks at all aspects of company practice . In the event that a company does not meet all the criteria of the audit they will be given 4 weeks to get their house in order .
“ As the largest Locksmith Association in Ireland , we will be working with our members to give advice and guide them through the process . Our members are no stranger to a rigorous vetting process and we require them to have been a practising locksmith for a minimum of 5 years .
“ The ILO has supported this decision as we believe it will be good for both the industry and the customer . It will mean that the fly by night companies , which do not act in the best interests of the customer or the profession , are no longer able to legally operate .
“ Essentially , the new regulation will be self-policing as it will be in the best interest of both the licensed locksmith and customer to report anyone who is not operating within the new regulations . It will be an offence for a locksmith to fit , maintain or change a lock without a licence or indeed for a customer to knowingly hire an unlicensed locksmith , with a penalty of € 5,000 .
“ Although there are fees involved , which some have accused as being a money making scheme , and then the cost of rectifying of any issues identified as a result , I estimate businesses should be looking at an initial outlay of € 2,000 . The audit process itself is also quite onerous , where businesses will need to prove full tax compliance with up-to-date tax and VAT records . Employees will also be vetted and anyone found to have a criminal record will not be granted a licence . But , as an , industry there really was no other choice if we were to weed out the companies that are giving the industry a bad reputation .
“ For the customer , it gives them peace-of-mind and a platform from which to protect their consumer rights . If a company does not meet the requirements , then they have the grounds to make a complaint to the PSA , which they would investigate and take action if necessary .
“ Licenced companies will be re-audited every year and one key aspect of this will be to show evidence of training and upskilling , to encourage best practices and ensure locksmiths keep up-to-date with the latest techniques and products . The ILO can help their members in this area with the provision of training courses .
“ We anticipate it might take a couple of years for the industry to adjust and adapt . And , although there will be significant outlays initially , for successfully licenced businesses it also presents substantial opportunities . I have 2 sons in the business and , for them , I want the industry to continue in the way it should .
“ So , for the ILO , it ’ s a new year , a new website , a new executive and new national regulations , we welcome all these changes and are ready for the challenges that come with them .”
http :// www . ilo . ie /
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL . CO . UK | JAN / FEB 2017 Sponsored by Burg-Wächter