Consultation Ended; Private Security proposed changes could stagnate industry

#TurksandCaicos, October 22, 2021 – You can find most of the potentially problematic proposals in clause 36 of the Private Security Code of Conduct document shared with the general public last month by the National Security Secretariat. There, one finds a list of recommendations which on paper look ideal, even outstanding to ensure security officers hired in the private sector are above board, properly trained and duly licensed, but the flip side is the standards could prove a logistical nightmare for security firms given Government’s poor reputation on processing.

At this time, there are excruciating wait times reported by the general public when it comes to getting simple police issued character certificates.  Residents who are at home, unable to work because their job requires a clean record and though they have one, they are waiting and waiting and waiting to get that proof from the Criminal Records Office.

Yet, the National Security Secretariat is proposing that security officers in the private sector should meet a list of standards, which make sense, but does the country have the procedures to equitably, expeditiously and efficiently issue the requisite permits.

A regulatory body should grant licenses or registration identifications for each security guard in the private sector says the proposal or else, the officer though hired by a legal and licensed security firm cannot perform the duties of a security officer.

Each security officer has to have a background investigation prior to being stationed on a job; but how long would that take when getting a similar and less-complex character certificate which can be generated in minutes, has a turn-around time of weeks.

Annual refresher courses for security officers must happen and that they happen must be approved by the “competent authorities”.

A significant new cost to security services would result from the recommendation that liability insurance coverage of one million dollars per job be established.

Private security companies in the Turks and Caicos had until close of business today, (October 21) to offer their thoughts on the consultation process which had been extended to this date, an extra two weeks upon the sector’s request.

It is quite startling that many of the proposed standards  had not been formalized before, given the nature of security work.  However, one cannot help but entertain the notion that the new stringencies could end up stagnating the private security sector, instead of strengthening it.

It is not uncommon for normally law-abiding business owners to take shortcuts due to the laborious wait times of Government services and in the case of security firms, it would be to the detriment of public safety and security.

The Consultation was opened on September 23^rd with the documents accessible at the TCI Government website.