Poor pay, lack of training turn guards into criminals

The Chief Security Officer in the Office of the President (OP), Ernest Nthobelang, has attributed the frequent involvement in crime by security guards to lack of in-house training by their respective security companies.

In an interview with Mmegi this week, Nthobelang admitted that security guards are involved in crime at an alarming rate more especially in premises they are detailed to guard.

"For some time, the number of security guards getting involved in robberies and burglaries is a matter of concern to this office. When investigating what might be forcing officers into crime, we came to the realisation that most of those we visited were underpaid and some were lacking security training. Most of our local security companies are not adhering to the Employment Act on security guards," he said.

According to the employment Act, a security guard is rated at P3-80 per hour on a normal shift of between eight to nine hours. When they work overtime or during holidays, the rate doubles.

Therefore a security guard's monthly pay is roughly P1,333, 88. A survey together with some officials from the Labor Department, found that some security companies were not paying their guards as per the Employment Act. In fact, some have been penalised for that even though we still receive a lot of complaints regarding underpayment.

"If guards are not motivated at their work places, they are most likely to turn to crime as a last resort. Where an officer is taken good care of by his or her company, their chances of stealing from their clients is minimal," noted Nthobelang.

Moreover, Nthobelang said that a number of local companies fail to induct their employees in courses relevant to their line of duty. "Security guards should be better placed to know the importance of not divulging confidential information regarding their customers or clients.

If they go for in-house training, chances of them being involved in crime will definitely be reduced," he suggested. On a different note, Nthobelang warned security companies to desist from deducting what is termed 'uniform' money from their employees' earnings. He said that the license regulations clearly stipulate that security companies should provide their personnel with equipment, including uniforms.

 

Source :  Sila Press Agency 2011/02/02 

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