Chief Executive
The Chief Executive of the Private Security Authority Ms.
Geraldine Larkin was appointed in January 2005 following an open competition by
the Public Appointments Commission.
Geraldine’s
background is as a civil servant where she has experience in a number of key
posts in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, including areas
such as Courts Policy, International Policy, Security and Northern Ireland, and
Human Rights. Prior to her appointment, she was involved in a major review of
the criminal law as a Principal Officer in the Criminal Law Division.
Geraldine holds a degree in Public Administration from the Institute of Public
Administration and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the Open
University.
Speaking after her appointment she said
that the position is a hugely challenging opportunity to transform the private
security industry through regulation. Looking forward to the formulation and
implementation of the strategy to support this transformation, she said real
change would only happen if the Authority worked in co-operation with the
industry. This transformation will not happen overnight and will require tough
decisions, advised by industry, in terms of setting and maintaining
standards.
She added that the Authority would operate in
a far and balanced way so as to balance the competitive needs of the industry
against regulatory needs. In doing this her ambition is to promote high
standards for the industry and in this way to increase consumer confidence and
public confidence generally in an industry which impacts so greatly on
public.