New Dawn: Security guards to collaborate with police in combating crime

Private security officers will now be officially collaborating with the police and other security agencies in crime prevention following successful efforts to regulate the sector.

According to statistics from the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA), the sector employs more than 1.3 million Kenyans from all walks of life who play a key role in complementing security efforts across the country.

After the September 2013 Westgate terror attack, the government noted that guards remain a key first line of defence in potential terror attacks, hence the need to integrate the sector with the national security architecture.

It is for these reasons that on Saturday, PSRA rolled out a mass registration drive for the guards based in Nairobi, where 30,000 officers were issued Guard Force Numbers (GFN), the sole evidence that a private security officer has undergone proper registration and licensing by the authority, in line with the provisions of the Private Security Act.

The GFN will be displayed by all guards while on duty as evidence of their legitimacy.

Once registered, a guard's details are added to the authority's database. Anyone can verify whether the number is fake by following the same prompts.

Director General Fazul Mahamed announced that, starting immediately, private security firms must now pay their guards a salary of not less than Sh30,000 per month.

Fazul noted that despite the industry being worth an excess of Sh150 billion, the officers remain highly underpaid, a factor that works against the sole purpose of their employment.

"When you give a guard Sh10,000 and you want them to protect property worth billions of shillings, are you deploying security or insecurity? Compliance with the minimum wage is not a suggestion but a law, so from today going forward, a guard must be paid Sh30,000," he said.

He further called for the issuance of medical cover to the guards, who will be paid for work done overtime.

While marking the 10th anniversary of the attack last year, Interior Permanent Secretary Raymond Omollo said utilizing private security agents is essential to enhancing the country's overall security as well as safeguarding citizens' lives.

"We acknowledge the private security sector for plugging into our national security architecture. We have set about streamlining the industry, which has not only elevated our overall security infrastructure but also spurred significant job creation and contributed to economic growth," the PS said at the time.

Studies show that after the Westgate attack, the country experienced unprecedented growth in the private security sector.

The Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS) says the move was driven by fear and demand for private security guards and sophisticated surveillance equipment in major urban areas thereby positioning the industry as a key player in overall state security.

Nairobi Area Regional Commander Adamson Bungei said on his part he will hold private security officers accountable for an incident that occurs in their areas of deployment even as he plans on enhancing areas of collaboration under the guidance of the Inspector General of police.

He said his officers will now be required to recognize the security guards manning the area where they are deployed and collaborate with them to secure Nairobi.

"After the Easter holiday and Ramadan, we shall sit with my security committee and your leaders and kick off a new dawn of policing in Nairobi. I believe there is no snatcher, murderer or criminal that goes on about their activities without being spotted by security guards. We shall sit and agree that you shall be responsible for the street you man."

"You are the right resource, let us now unite and work together for the interest of the country's security. Our interest is the safety of the public," said the police boss.

The event was also attended by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja who directed Private Security Union's Secretary General Isaac Andabwa to create a roadmap that will address issues to do with the guards' welfare.

United Democratic Alliance's Secretary General Cleopas Malala urged the PSRA to lobby government parastatals and county governments to increase their budgetary allocations to security to enable security firms to remit the new salaries.