Security industry must clean up its act
With the public perceiving a severe increase in violent crime, the security business may be one of the nation’s fastest growing industries. But you’d never know it by talking to the owners or employees of the city’s half dozen or so security companies. Despite the attention being focussed by the public and police on what appears to be a profession with little regulation, the people in charge remain largely unwilling to discuss their problems on TV. This morning we sent News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams out to do some research…and while the big boys retreated to their offices, she was able to find a few friendly faces.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
One person willing to talk about the private security industry is Bernard Adolphus, owner of the newest security firm, Big Bird. Adolphus maintains it’s unprofessional and embarrassing for a guard to have his gun stolen.
Bernard Adolphus, Owner, Big Bird Security
“You cannot have weapons in the hand of an untrained person. That’s one of the most dangerous act any person can do, whether it’s a guard or a civilian. He or she must know something about that weapon. Must know everything to protect life, property and himself.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“If you talk to a lot of the security owners they will say the guards are trained. Do you think that’s just a farce?”
Bernard Adolphus
“Some of them may be trained because some of them are from the Belize Defence Force, some of them have been from the police.”
Adolphus says the manner in which gun licenses are issued to the companies must be revisited.
Bernard Adolphus
“For example, recently I applied for a licence for my firm…that’s for my firm. Let’s say a position came to me that they want X guard to secure a certain place, I have to also apply for that particular guard. I cannot give a guard my licence or my weapon.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“But it’s just a permit for the guard. Is that enough?”
Bernard Adolphus
“That shouldn’t be enough. The thing is that the guard should be trained.”
John Baptist who’s worked as a guard at three other security companies before joining Anchor Security, says he’s trained as an armed guard and luckily never had his gun stolen.
John Baptist, Security Guard, Anchor Security
“If you carry a firearm, no feel that way that you’ll be attacked that quick as if you don’t have, because mostly they attack you when you noh have. They do attack when you have, but they noh really do it that way…because if you have a firearm and somebody come to attack or rob, I no feel scared. But when I noh have firearms and I have to deal with a place weh (that) deal with money and customers going in and out, I feel scared without no gun because I’ve been through an incident already.”
Adolphus says the only way to avoid guns being stolen is to adequately train guards. However, it doesn’t happen as often as it should because of the pressure of the industry.
Bernard Adolphus
“Someone says, yes, I want a guard now, and you go and hurry select any person. You have to select your people, you just can’t put Tom, Dick and Harry out there with a weapon because if you do that it will be a problem not only for the guard, but society and the shopkeeper himself.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“Shouldn’t there be a security services commission or a board to oversee the proper running of these companies?”
Bernard Adolphus
It’s interesting that you’re saying this. The answer to that I would say, yes it is we should have a security directorate to do that. I’m hoping that when this new private security industry comes into being all this will be implemented within the structure of that piece of legislation that I understand will be out sometime this month. But we should have somebody, some group of persons to look after that, it’s not only the Commissioner of Police or his representatives that should also be on that board to direct.”
Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.
