Rethink arming of private security guards

As this newspaper revealed yesterday, draft Bills to be adopted by Parliament before the end of the year will drastically alter the face of the police as part

of reforms meant to entrench respect for the law within the force.

The National Police Service Bill 2010 and the Independent Oversight Authority Bill 2010 will improve accountability within the force and allow junior officers to question orders from their seniors that they deem unconstitutional.

Anything that seeks to improve the structure, management and competency of the police is welcome.

However, a word of caution. A third Bill, the Private Security Industry Regulations Bill 2010 is meant to transform the way private security firms operate, and proposes to allow their staff on guard duty to carry guns on the job.

The danger of this provision is that unless properly implemented, it could open a door most would rather see shut, reason being that the private security industry is not immune to rogue behaviour.

Several private security guards have in the recent past been implicated in bank robberies and theft of cash-in-transit, raising questions about their true motives for joining the industry in the first place.

Others have been responsible for rape and grisly murders. This is not a condemnation of the entire security industry, but a red flag on the proposal to give them guns.

It would be appropriate, for instance, to insist that private guards are only allowed to carry and use guns in a controlled situation, preferably under the watchful eye of a member of the police force

prevent rogues

Also, it would be wise that the drafters pencil into the Bill a requirement that guards undergo proper training by the police on handling and use of firearms, and that they be thoroughly vetted and get psychological evaluation.

Although these measures may not prevent rogues from cheating the system and going ape afterwards, they could help reassure a sceptical public that an armed guard outside their gates is not a time bomb waiting to explode.