Rotorua emergency housing security: Private investigator Terry Reardon granted licence to buy Tiny Deane’s Tigers Express Security

Visions of a Helping Hand Charitable Trust founder and chief executive Tiny Deane. Photo / NZME

A private investigator has been granted a company licence that will allow him to buy a controversial Rotorua security firm — but the deal has yet to be finalised.

Terry Reardon has successfully applied to the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority for a company security licence that would allow his firm to buy Tiny Deane’s Tigers Express Security or purchase shares in it.

Deane was ordered to sell Tigers Express Security and was given an August 20 deadline after the licensing authority found him guilty of misconduct.

The security business is contracted by the Government to look after emergency housing motels. Deane’s trust, Visions of a Helping Hand, is also contracted by the Government to provide social services at the motels.

Visions of a Helping Hand Charitable Trust. Photo / Maryana Garcia

The authority deemed Deane’s actions to be in conflict with the Government’s requirement for a clear separation between social support and security services.

In June, the authority found Deane engaged two security guards — who he knew were linked to gangs — without proper security licences and allowed them to work after their licence applications were declined.

It said his “failures and misconduct” meant he was “not suitable to be the managing director and sole officer of a security company”.

Deane was ordered to sell Tigers Express Security by August 20 or risk his security licence being suspended or cancelled.

Deane, who stepped down from his role at Visions following the authority’s ruling but resumed his role on August 21, has since been granted four extensions to make the sale and the authority has adjourned the final hearing to discuss Deane’s penalty until November 15.

The authority’s decision on Reardon’s security licence application was published in full this week without redaction given the public interest in Deane’s disciplinary proceedings and in ensuring the entity that took over the business was suitable.

Tigers Express Security Ltd is contracted to do security work for emergency housing motels. Photo / Andrew Warner

The authority’s decision showed Reardon had set up a company called Informa Security Limited with his brother, Russell Reardon, with the intention to buy or purchase shares in Tigers Express Security. Terry Reardon is the sole shareholder and he and his brother are directors.

Reardon holds a certificate of approval in the class of private investigator that is valid until May next year and an individual licence in the classes of private investigator and security consultant that is valid until September 2028.

The authority’s decision said there were concerns because neither brother had the required skills or experience in the classes of personal guard, property guard, and crowd controller, but it accepted that Terry Reardon had the required experience for the class of security consultant given his experience as a private investigator.

Terry Reardon also had no experience in running a business of this magnitude in the past, the decision said. While his brother had management experience, it wasn’t in the security sector. It was also advised it wasn’t intended that his brother would be involved in the business on a daily basis.

Terry Reardon told the authority he intended to set up an advisory group consisting of a lawyer and an accountant to help run the business.

A fleet vehicle belonging to Tigers Express Security Ltd. Photo / Andrew Warner

The authority noted Informa was well established and had some experienced senior staff, but it still had concerns about Reardon’s ability to run such a large and established business in an area he was not familiar with.

“I hold further concerns about his advisory group who are also well enmeshed with Tigers and Tigers’ director Mr Deane who has also been found by the authority to have breached the [The Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators] Act,” the decision said.

Despite the concerns, the authority granted a company licence in the classes of personal guard, property guard, crowd controller and security consultant but it was subject to conditions.

These included that Informa obtains corporate membership with the New Zealand Security Association and that Reardon undertakes an accredited management course that includes studying human resources in large companies. He must provide evidence he has enrolled in a course within six months and proof he has completed it within two years.

In 2007, former police detective Terry Reardon resigned from the Auckland drug squad, where he had worked for eight years, after news broke of his affair with a woman he had arrested for conspiring to manufacture and supply methamphetamine. Reardon said at the time his actions had “cost him everything”.

The Rotorua Daily Post this week asked Reardon about the controversy but he said he did not want to comment.

He said he was happy to be “open” about his life if the sale was completed but it would be premature to do so until then.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.