THE PRIVATISATION OF STATE SERVICES: THE CASE OF SECURITY

Nov 22, 2009 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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A few days ago, bandits attacked a business in one of the municipal markets. The owners handed over what was demanded but we are told that in a later confrontation with members of a private security firm, one of the bandits opened fire on the security officials who responded, fatally wounding one of the bandits.
It struck me that a police outpost was not far away from where the robbery took place, yet it was members of a private security firm who were at the ready and who took the necessary action. This shows just how valuable private security firms can be in the fight against crime and why there is need for the Ministry of Home Affairs rather than simply developing legislation to regularise this sector, to develop policies that would integrate the private security companies in the overall fight for law and order in Guyana.
An amazing statistic was recently provided. It showed that today there are over five thousand persons employed in the private security sector, far more than the combined Joint Services. This is truly an astonishing statistic, confirming the gravity of the security crisis within this country today, but which had its origins in the decline of the State sector in the seventies.
It was during this difficult period in our country’s history which saw private security firms mushroom rapidly in order to meet the demand initially of businesses which needed protection against thieves. There used to be a time in this country when businesses did not need to employ security guards for when their businesses were closed. A businessman could lock up his business and be assured that when he returned the next day that it would be intact. This is not to say that there were no thieves who broke and entered businesses. There were, but not to the extent that developed when the economy dipped in the seventies and the State began to decline.
There was a time also in this country when stores did not need shutters and grillwork since the police were able to provide protection without property owners having to install such devices. During the run up to Christmas, all the stores along Regent and Water Streets used to decorate their show windows and entire families used to go out walking at nights to ‘window-shop’.
There are not many show windows today. Most store owners in the city have had to reinforce their buildings firstly with grills and after the protests of 1992 and the terrifying events of 1997, with metal shutters.
Most of the beautiful show stores had their windows sealed off following the violence which occurred during the fifty-five day public service strike in the late nineties. However, if you want to see what decoration is all about you should visit those stores during the daytime and take a look at the fantastic décor in the showcases as well as interior and you will appreciate how much is being denied the Guyanese public when businesses have to establish shutters.
Stores have not only had to install grill doors, steel shutters and electronic surveillance cameras, most have also had to employ the services of private security firms. Today the private security sector is a billion-dollar industry and it growing with each day as more and more homeowners are utilising the services being offered. It’s more than five thousand members explains why there is a shortage of recruits for the Guyana Police Force. Why go and work with the State when there is a more flexible, and some will argue, better option of working with a private security firm.
The size of the private security sector has now made it a sector which cannot be ignored as a major player in national security. The size of this sector is a case of the failure of State security which has forced citizens to have these services provided by the private sector.
Private security has also become more integrated into national law and order policies. The Ministry of Home Affairs must now devise policies that would recognize the importance of private security firms and try to work with these firms to give them certain temporary powers of arrest so that, for example, when there are public events such as sporting games, the private security personnel can have the powers to arrest persons misbehaving and have the powers to take these persons down to the police station.
Private security firms are here to stay and there are many good, decent hardworking members within these firms. The government must work within these companies to establish a framework for greater cooperation, collaboration and communication in the fight to rid our society of crime.
If without such a framework private security firms have made a difference in securing the assets of property owners, imagine how much more of a difference can be made if there is in place a framework to integrate these firms into the national security network.

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