Letting our guard down
By - 27 April 2015 @ 9:17 AM
SHOCKING, isn’t it? The very people who are supposed to be protecting us
(other than the police) could very well turn out to be wolves in sheep’s
clothing.
It’s not enough that there are untrained security guards out there, among the 30,000 illegal guards in the country. We also now hear officially (yes, officially, because most will likely have heard the rumours before this) that there are unsavoury characters involved in the security industry.
We now know that police are investigating several security services companies which have ties with triads. Some have infiltrated these companies as guards, perhaps because checks on personnel being hired by these companies don’t follow the set guidelines.
Some are actually run by triads, either as a front for money-laundering activities, or just to supplement the secret societies’ “income”.
These triads either threatened security company owners into handing over the reins, or bought them off, leaving the owners in place as mere figureheads.
Another shocking thing we have learned is that there may be anywhere between 1,500 and 5,000 illegal security companies in the country. Even if you take the lower number, it is ridiculous, as it is twice the number of legitimate security services firms in Malaysia.
How has this come about? There is a set of 11 guidelines that security services companies need to follow. So how is it we are facing such a problem?
The problem here, is two fold. First, these are just guidelines. Not laws. Not regulations. Just guidelines.
The second problem is what is called a no-brainer. Only legitimate companies would follow these guidelines, wouldn’t they? If you’re an illegal company, why bother following guidelines?
The answer to the first problem seems (yes, seems) simple enough. These guidelines should be more than just guidelines. In other words, they should be made enforceable.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said recently that this was exactly what the ministry was looking into. All well and good.
But it must not, by any means, end there. They need to not just be enforceable. They need to be actually enforced. In fact, all laws pertaining to security services companies need to be enforced.
This means stringent and frequent checks need to be done on security companies, without fear nor favour.
Under Malaysian law, only Malaysians and Nepalese are allowed to work in the security industry as guards. And, they have to meet certain prerequisites.
For instance, Nepalese brought here to work as guards must be ex-servicemen. Malaysians working as guards (as well as the Nepalese) should not have criminal records.
Enforcement is also the key to the second problem. The operations of illegal companies need to be stopped, and the only way you are going to do that is to step up enforcement.
As mentioned, the answer seems simple enough. But nothing in life is ever simple, or so the saying goes.
The will to enforce current and future laws governing the security industry must be there. The manpower to address enforcement issues must, too. And, as far as will is concerned, it must permeate the entire enforcement organisation, from the minister right down to the lowest person on the totem pole.
And not just that. It will take the collective will of the people, the ordinary rakyat, as well. It may be a cliche, but there is no denying that the people are the eyes and ears of every single enforcement agency in the country, or any country, for that matter.
Residents association committee members have been quoted as having been approached by illegal security services companies for contracts. Have they reported such approaches to the authorities? Chances are, they haven’t.
It’s the same with any crime. This column has touched on this before. There are those among us who do not see the value of reporting a crime, unless it’s a big one or you need a report in order to claim insurance or benefits. It may be a generalisation to say this, but it seems like it is a typical Malaysian malaise.
All said and done, if we want not to live in fear, then we ourselves need to do something about it. And, no. Taking the law into our own hands is not an option.
Reported in New Straits Times 27-04-2015
It’s not enough that there are untrained security guards out there, among the 30,000 illegal guards in the country. We also now hear officially (yes, officially, because most will likely have heard the rumours before this) that there are unsavoury characters involved in the security industry.
We now know that police are investigating several security services companies which have ties with triads. Some have infiltrated these companies as guards, perhaps because checks on personnel being hired by these companies don’t follow the set guidelines.
Some are actually run by triads, either as a front for money-laundering activities, or just to supplement the secret societies’ “income”.
These triads either threatened security company owners into handing over the reins, or bought them off, leaving the owners in place as mere figureheads.
Another shocking thing we have learned is that there may be anywhere between 1,500 and 5,000 illegal security companies in the country. Even if you take the lower number, it is ridiculous, as it is twice the number of legitimate security services firms in Malaysia.
How has this come about? There is a set of 11 guidelines that security services companies need to follow. So how is it we are facing such a problem?
The problem here, is two fold. First, these are just guidelines. Not laws. Not regulations. Just guidelines.
The second problem is what is called a no-brainer. Only legitimate companies would follow these guidelines, wouldn’t they? If you’re an illegal company, why bother following guidelines?
The answer to the first problem seems (yes, seems) simple enough. These guidelines should be more than just guidelines. In other words, they should be made enforceable.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said recently that this was exactly what the ministry was looking into. All well and good.
But it must not, by any means, end there. They need to not just be enforceable. They need to be actually enforced. In fact, all laws pertaining to security services companies need to be enforced.
This means stringent and frequent checks need to be done on security companies, without fear nor favour.
Under Malaysian law, only Malaysians and Nepalese are allowed to work in the security industry as guards. And, they have to meet certain prerequisites.
For instance, Nepalese brought here to work as guards must be ex-servicemen. Malaysians working as guards (as well as the Nepalese) should not have criminal records.
Enforcement is also the key to the second problem. The operations of illegal companies need to be stopped, and the only way you are going to do that is to step up enforcement.
As mentioned, the answer seems simple enough. But nothing in life is ever simple, or so the saying goes.
The will to enforce current and future laws governing the security industry must be there. The manpower to address enforcement issues must, too. And, as far as will is concerned, it must permeate the entire enforcement organisation, from the minister right down to the lowest person on the totem pole.
And not just that. It will take the collective will of the people, the ordinary rakyat, as well. It may be a cliche, but there is no denying that the people are the eyes and ears of every single enforcement agency in the country, or any country, for that matter.
Residents association committee members have been quoted as having been approached by illegal security services companies for contracts. Have they reported such approaches to the authorities? Chances are, they haven’t.
It’s the same with any crime. This column has touched on this before. There are those among us who do not see the value of reporting a crime, unless it’s a big one or you need a report in order to claim insurance or benefits. It may be a generalisation to say this, but it seems like it is a typical Malaysian malaise.
All said and done, if we want not to live in fear, then we ourselves need to do something about it. And, no. Taking the law into our own hands is not an option.
Reported in New Straits Times 27-04-2015
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