– Rohee acknowledges increasing role of entities By Dale AndrewsThere can be no question that because of the changing circumstances of societies, the demand for the provision of security services by private companies has been increasing.This fact was endorsed by Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee and former Jamaica Top Cop Francis Forbes when they both addressed the Guyana Association of Private Security Organization (GAPSO)/Guyana Police Force- sponsored one-day symposium on ‘The Awareness and Relevance of Security in Today’s Environment.’The symposium was held in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force and comes at a time when businesses are encouraged to recognize the problem of crime and the role of security in creating primary and secondary crime prevention strategies.Delivering the feature address, Minister Rohee welcomed the symposium stating that in his opinion it “is long overdue and is being organized at a time when the demand by our citizens for more security has been increasing concomitantly with the continuing upsurge in economic activities in our country.”Former Jamaica Top Cop Francis Forbes.The Minister observed that private security companies have been expanding at a rapid rate to meet the demands of stakeholders in Guyana.According to Rohee, because of the recognition of the vital role private security plays, there has been an emerging trend all over the world where the collaboration between the private and public security apparatus has been increasing and Guyana is no exception in this regard.“Guyana has long ago recognized the need for this level of cooperation between the two Sectors, thus the Guyana government is supportive of this collaborative arrangement between the Guyana Police Force and GAPSO,Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic,” Rohee stressed.His views were echoed by the former Commissioner of Police of the Jamaican Constabulary, Francis Forbes, who told the symposium that the Caribbean is witnessing a paradigm shift regarding the provision of security by private security companies.“In areas previously considered the domain of Caricom states’ law enforcement officials, it is beyond question that the private security industry has grown exponentially over the last decade…and that private security employees are likely to outnumber their counterparts in law enforcement in member states,China Jerseys Cheap,” said Forbes, who is also the Interim Executive Director of the region’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).Presently in Guyana, private security companies employ close to 20,000 persons, which by far outnumbers the traditional law enforcement agencies.According to Forbes, the situation is similar in Trinidad and Tobago with the 300 private security companies employing 20,000 persons compared with the sanctioned strength of the Trinidad Police Service of 8,000.He said that there is reason to believe that these numbers may be even higher, given that not all operational private security companies are registered.The increase in private security companies, he said, is a direct result of the growth of private properties such as hotels and commercial businesses; the increased demand for security in the wake of domestic and international issues; the fear of criminality; the need to protect critical infrastructure; the accessibility and affordability of security-related technological products; increasing diversity of the private security industry; increased international standards at ports of entry and security becoming a lucrative market for local and regional companies.Forbes predicted that the momentum of increased private security personnel is unlikely to slow over the next few years.He, like Minister Rohee, is convinced that the private security industry is critical to the region, since it is a known fact that individuals working in the industry make a significant contribution to everyday life.“Private security personnel, on any routine work day, are usually responsible for the lives of staff and customers alike, as well as the clients’ property and in so doing, by extension, are expected to prevent the occurrence of criminal activity. Indeed we are all indebted to the services provided by the private security,” Forbes told the symposium.Cricket World Cup 2007, he explained, was a prime example of the collaboration between the private security sector and other law enforcement agencies.But even as praises are showered on the private security industry, the former Jamaica Top Cop urged that focus be placed on the lack of comprehensive industry standards, which poses risks to citizens’ security.He explained that while an accountable and effective private security industry can help to increase safety and security, an uncontrolled or poorly regulated sector often functions as an obstacle to citizens’ security.“Indeed an unregulated and unsupervised private security sector frequently results in inadequate protection in every regards, added insecurity and much ignored exploitation of labour.”According to Forbes, the absence of effective legal or regulatory structures for activities of the industry naturally raises issues of legality and accountability.He said that while some Caricom member states now have some form of limited legislation, gaps in the private security regulatory framework still exist.“In many states,Cheap China Jerseys, the existing laws are insufficient,Discount NFL Jerseys, too limited in depth and do not guarantee the professionalism of the sector. Admittedly,Cheap Jerseys, most private security legislation provides for the licensing, regulation and supervision of private security businesses and for that commendation is deserved.”“Unfortunately, however, adequate and comprehensive regulations of private security employees remain absent from most legislations,” Forbes observed.He noted that this gap contributes to the employment of untrained and sometimes unscrupulous employees, who end up contributing to insecurity, rather than providing relief from it.Private security companies, he said, provide new challenges and where these companies are armed, further problems may arise in relation to the proliferation and control of guns.“Increasingly, employees of private security companies are implicated in criminal activities, including armed assault. Given the nature of the services private security services provide and the perceptions of matching the criminals with similar or greater force to adequately defend their clients’ property, private security companies inevitably contribute to the demand and proliferation of small arms.Private security companies,China Jersyes Cheap, if not properly managed, can present a risk by contributing to significant increases in guns in our region, and the misuse of guns or diversion of those weapons to the illicit trade, thus further contributing to violence at all levels.”Forbes said that Jamaica is the only country within the region that has an oversight mechanism – a Private Security Regulation Authority – which is a statutory body under the country’s Ministry of National Security.“It is my view that the only way to improve the effectiveness and acceptance of private security companies as agents for national security…is for everyone in the industry, both employer and employee, to be accountable for their actions through adequate regulations,” Forbes said to the gathering which included executives from local security companies most of whom are retired officers from the traditional law enforcement agencies.This, he stressed, will raise the standards of competence and professionalism in the industry and increase public safety and confidence, which in the end will make security an attractive career choice.Minister Rohee pointed out that the Guyana Government has gone even further to put in place a legislative framework to ensure that there is synergy between the private security sector and the traditional law enforcement agencies.But he referred to what he called self-regulation, noting that “as the Private Security industry develops, there is the need for adequate self-regulatory mechanisms to be put in place by Private Security Companies. GAPSO could play a pivotal role in this regard”.The Home Affairs Minister said that private security companies could provide tremendous assistance to the police in its work, as in the many instances, private security operatives may be the first persons to be at scenes when crimes are committed against the properties which they protect.He added that the initial information provided about the crimes could be of help in their speedy resolution.“We cannot deny the fact that the provision of inadequate security could have a negative effect on the well being of societies. In our world, all Governments face the enormous challenge of providing adequate security to their citizens,” Rohee said.He however cautioned that Private Security Companies should also ensure that while they expand their businesses, their operations are formulated in such a manner that the rule of law, including human rights issues, is given the requisite attention.“I therefore call on both the Guyana Police Force and GAPSO to work closely together so that both entities could learn from each other’s experiences. This would result in a more coordinated approach to our overall goal of enhancing the security of our citizens,” the Home Affairs Minister stated.”
