Private investigators in Ireland earned close to €10m in 2023
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Almost €10m was paid out for private investigators in Ireland last year, new figures have revealed.
The annual report from the Private Security Authority highlights how "private eyes" are one of the fastest growing businesses across the entire private security sector. Private security in Ireland now has a turnover of more than €1bn a year.
Within this, private investigators took €9.5m. There are more than 202 people working within private investigation, and 92 contractors licenced to work as investigators.
“Most sectors experienced a growth in turnover, the most substantial being the security guard (event), locksmith and private investigator sectors,” the report said.
Under the law, private investigators are defined as those who obtain or furnish information relating to the personal character, actions or occupations of someone, or the character or kind of business in which someone is engaged.
The law also applies to those who search for missing persons, or those who obtain or furnish information in relation to the loss or damage of property.
Since November 2022, any employee working as a private investigator has had to be licenced by the Private Security Authority. Workers falling under this requirement can be those involved in services such as debt collecting, tracing agents, loss assessors and adjusters and security consultants.
Such investigators can be hired by insurance companies and those in similar industries. Those who break the law can face fines of up to €3,000 and/or a five-year prison term.
The Private Security Authority, which acts as a regulator for the industry, visited more than 1,300 premises to check if contractors and staff were complying with the required legislation, and opened 932 enforcement investigations which was an increase from 871 the year before.
It also processed a “record” 16,579 applications for a licence.
“The growth in business created demands on our strained resources,” its chair Jillian van Turnhout and chief executive Paul Scallan said in the report.
Giving a breakdown by sector, the report said that just over 30,000 individuals and 178 contractors were operating in the general security guard sector, with turnover of €493m.