Framework for professional private security practice
Private security industry is proving to be one of the major employing sectors in major economies.
HOWEVER, considering the distressed economic condition in Zimbabwe the sustenance of the security industry in such an environment warrants research to gain contextual understanding. There are evidence showing demand for security services and products are on the increase worldwide. It is therefore difficult to suggest whether growth in demand for security services and products in Zimbabwe is in harmony with the world trend as a natural of the security industry response relationship to economic conditions.
Security is a function that develops protective measure secure property including national sovereignty. In individual and private setup security is needed to protect property including information, infrastructure, systems and financial and non-financial assets including human beings. Private security plays a critical role in commercial organisation seven though it is equally relevant to individual and public entities. Security may be regarded as a practice, discipline and profession and it is witnessing increased popularity in private sector with its application of advanced knowledge, skills and technology.
Private Security as a practice is influencing the need for professional approach in understanding both the discipline and the practice. Profit focused organisations and individuals stand to benefit more from such an approach which brings professionalism in the security and loss control industry.
There has not been any Private Security Representative Professional Association or Board in Zimbabwe to lead the professionalisation process until the launch of ICLM in October 2014. Existing Private Security Associations are registered as employer representative institutions under Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. The mandate of these associations is not built on professional foundation and their affiliates are employer institutions and not individual professional members. Zimbabwe’s private security regulatory instrument, the Private Security Investigations and Security Guards (Control Act) Chapter 27:10, has not helped in bringing professionalism in the industry as it lacks clear provision for registration of professional private security member associations.
Never the less it provides for registration of Private Security Guards and Private Investigators not as professionals but as business entities. This prevailing scenario does not serve majority of security and loss control practitioners who are in need of international network and access to critically relevant literature and information for them to gain professional qualifications.
It has also deprived industry and commerce, as stakeholder, of the professional quality serviced they need. The importance of the role of Security Management and Loss Control, in the circumstance, remains obscured. On this background, as well, no facility exists for captains of industry to have light of the importance of the profession and its role in driving corporate governance and ensuring efficiency and profitability. Few qualified practitioners have gained membership of some external Professional Associations such as ASIS International (USA) and Security Institute (UK) and have made significant contribution to the sector.
It is appreciated that the relevant Ministry is already taking steps to address the existing professional gap with a view to make the Act aligned to present realities of modern private security industry requirements.
Technology is driving organisations to employ relevant management systems and personnel on a global scale and, in the process, influencing transformation of the profession. In most countries, including Nigeria and South Africa in Africa, private organisations are already incorporating professionalised security management and loss control systems into their management structures. A lot of benefits have been proved to accrue from such arrangements.
The basic requirement of any profession is the existence and adoption of Constitution, Code of Conduct, Regulations and approved Standards and Guidelines. This requirement is meant to provide service assurance for quality of professional service and promotion of compliance. It is therefore equally common cause that every practice that calls itself a profession bears commitment to knowledge and literature research and development to facilitate continuous improvement of member skills.
The absence of Professional Associations in Zimbabwe and the rest of other countries in Africa are making the private security industry to employ unqualified practitioners on the basis of only their public security service experience.
Never the few with qualifications such as Certified Professional Loss Manager (CpLM), Certified Protection professional (CPP), Chartered Security Officer (CSyO) have joined ASIS International or ICLMZ. One Zimbabwean is known to have qualified for admission to the United Kingdom’s Institute of Security as a Chartered Security Professional and that makes him probable the first on the continent to have such qualification.
Practitioners who join professional organisations are bound to observe professional standards in their practice. Professional Associations in most countries have chosen to adopted Standards and Guidelines developed by ANSI and ASIS International.
These standards and guidelines have been approved by International Standards Organisation (ISO) and International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA). The Institute of Chartered Loss Management in Zimbabwe (ICLMZ) has followed the same route and recently concluded the development of its own Constitution, Code of Conduct and Regulations which will be presented to members at the Council at its SecondAnnual Convention in November 2017.
ICLMZ members are bound by and expected to comply with professional standards and guidelines.
On the same direction the Institute of Certified Loss Management has also taken the lead by becoming the first in Zimbabwe to offer a home brand professional security management and loss control training programme and certification which meet international standards and guidelines. Curriculum and syllabus for the programme includes standards and guidelines with requirements for ISO 14001:2004, ISO/IEC 2701:2005, ISO 28000:2007 and ISO /IEC 17021:2011reflecting the following embraced standards and guidelines; Conformity Assurance and Auditing Management Systems for Quality of Private Security OperationsANSI/ASIS PSC.2-2012, Maturity Model for the Phased Implementation of a Quality Assurance Management Systems for Private Security Service Providers ANSI/ASIS PSC.3-2013, Audit Management Systems: Risk, Resilience, Security and Continuity-Guidance for application ANSI/ASIS SPC.2-2012,Chief Security Officer-Organisation Model ANSI/ASIS CSO.1-2013, Private Investigations ANSI/ASIS INV.1-2015, Private Security Officer Guidelines ANSI-GDL PSO-2010, Risk Assessment ANSI;ASIS/ RIMS RA.1-2015, Pre-employment Background Screening ASIS GDL PBS 2009, and Security Officer Selection and Training ASIS GDL PSO-2010.
Security practitioners anywhere in the world can no longer expect to be accorded professional status if they do not satisfy the necessary conditions which any professional must satisfy. They cannot as well expect to have equal conditions of employment conditions such as those enjoyed by colleagues in Accountancy, Engineering and Medical Professions whose professions.
Fulfilment of professional requirements is what the private security sector throughout the world is on the path to achieve. With Zimbabwe’s fast growing security industry professionalisation of the practice is inevitable thus ICLMZ has set a target to ensure its members move with the rest of the world and embrace professional requirements in executing their work. The Institute’s recommendation is for the relevant Ministry to take steps as they have already shown and create an appropriate framework for the operation of a professionalised security and loss control industry.
Institute of Certified Loss Management’s launch of its Advanced and Executive Diploma in Security and Loss Control is leading the Zimbabwe security industry in the professionalisation programme ice breaking process. As demand for professional loss control and private security service continues to grow security practitioners need to develop public confidence in their role and competency. Practitioners are recommended to join Professional Associations such as ICLMZ which has a Constitution, Regulations and Code of Conduct framework and encourage compliance with international professional security and loss control standards and guidelines in the execution of their professional work.
Research and development on private security literature and information data base is one critical area that ICLMZ has embarked on in an effort to assist the sector in implementing transformation the much needed professional transformation process.
To be published in the Sunday Mail on 13 August 2017. For more information please contact ICLM on 2634781995/870, 2634253894
Retired Lt-Colonel Joshua Murire is an Independent Loss Management Researcher and ICLM Executive Director.
Security practitioners anywhere in the world can no longer expect to be accorded professional status if they do not satisfy the necessary conditions which any professional must satisfy. They cannot as well expect to have equal conditions of employment conditions such as those enjoyed by colleagues in Accountancy, Engineering and Medical Professions whose professions.