Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee signs the commencement order for the private security Services Act.
authority to regulate the private security sector.
This follows the signing of the commencement act on Wednesday, officially putting into effect the Private Security Act, which Bill was passed in the National Assembly on November 19, 2009 and assented on December 31, 2010 by then president Bharat Jagdeo.
The act, will now allow for the proper regulation of the private security industry, which accounts for close to 10,000 workers.
Head of the private security umbrella body The Guyana Association of Private Security Organizations (GAPSO) Major General (retd) Norman McLean congratulated the Ministry of Home Affairs for bringing the Act into force.
He said that private security personnel are the eyes of the established law enforcement body, the Guyana Police Force, and assured that GAPSO will play its part in ensuring that the provisions in the Act are adhered to.
“We are here to work hand in glove with the police,” McLean said.
At the official signing, that took place at the Ministry of Home Affair’s temporary office at Eve Leary, Minister Clement Rohee said that the event was important in the history of private security services in Guyana, despite the long gestation period before the act was manifested.
He said however that the signing of the commencement order signaled the commitment of the Guyana government to regulate a very important industry.
According to Rohee, the expansion of Guyana’s economy has resulted in the demand for extra protection by private enterprises who value their property, and the gap in the market for this type of demand has been filled by private security in areas such as armed escorts and personal security.
He said that the formation of the umbrella body, Guyana Association of Private Security Organization, signals the desire by private security industry to regulate itself.
But Rohee said that as with any other sector, there is the need for formal and legal oversight in order to ensure compliance with established standards, to prevent exploitation and to allow for the targeting of rogue elements who can tarnish the image of the private security sector in Guyana.
“The Private Security Services Act envisages the appointment of the Commissioner of Police by the Minister of Home Affairs as the controlling authority for the purposes of this Act,” Rohee said.
Under the Act, a private security agency will first have to be registered and then pay a fee of $50,000 for a licence which is valid for one year.
“A disciplinary code governing the conduct of its guards and supervisors has to be lodged by each private security agency with the controlling authority within one month of the licence being granted, for the purposes of review by the controlling authority,” the Minister outlined.
Further, a private security company has to maintain a register, containing information in respect of persons employed by the agency, persons or the establishment to which the agency has provided or is providing security services and the arms and ammunition in its stock or custody.
The security firm is now compelled to issue to every security guard and supervisor within its employ, a photo identification card, with distinct ID numbers, a special uniform, special badges and caps with its logo or emblem.
Also under the Act, the Commissioner of Police is responsible for approving the logo or emblem of the security firms, as well as cancelling or suspending the licences and inspecting the place or places of the business of the private security agency.
“Subject to the provisions of the Firearms Act, Chapter 16:05, the Guyana Police Force, upon an application, is empowered to grant a private security agency permission to use firearms and ammunition or weapons of defense in the performance of certain prescribed functions by the private security guards who are sworn SCs employed by the agency,” Rohee said.
He added that the aim of the government is not to inhibit the functions of private security agencies nor is to be seen as exercising unwarranted interference with the sector but is rather to ensure that the workers are not exploited and that unsuspecting clients are protected from deceitful practices.
