The regulatory body that governs the private security industry, the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA), is looking to tighten legislation to prevent bodyguards from brandishing high-calibre weapons in public.
This decision comes after several high-profile shootings involving bodyguards who were carrying such firearms. In one restaurant incident, three people died as a result of clashes involving heavily armed bodyguards.
The move has been welcomed by security experts who warned that the security industry is being infiltrated by criminal elements who are using these guns for intimidation and criminal purposes. They stated that bodyguards looking to carry these types of weapons should be subjected to additional scrutiny before they are granted access to these firearms.
Talent Zwane, the Deputy Director of Law Enforcement at PSiRA, said: “This is a serious concern for people to brandish firearms in places where there are young children, taxi ranks, and in malls. We have seen that we are going to amend the regulations". She spoke on SAFM this week.
“We are in the process of issuing the draft amendment for public comment because we want bodyguards to apply if they want to protect someone with those high-calibre firearms. They must apply through us and tell us why they need those firearms because it is threatening.”
Zwane added: “The gap is that we can’t have people threatening the public. Even the President has bodyguards and is not protected with those high-calibre firearms. We do not see the need for people to be protesting using high-calibre firearms.” She stated that cash transport and transit security companies, as well as national key points, will be the only exceptions, and everyone else will have normal firearms.
Zwane emphasised that it does not make sense for people who are guarded in this manner to be in public spaces in the first place, as that instills fear in the patrons around the area. Security experts noted that all guns are supposed to be licensed.
Security expert David Bruce said some private security groups are involved in protecting cash in transit or other work where there is a strong chance of attack by criminals using high-calibre weapons.
“It's certainly an issue that PSIRA should look into, but they would need to take into account the specific work that the company in question is doing,” he said.
Another security expert, Johan Burger, welcomed the tightening of the rules and regulations around the carrying of high-calibre weapons, adding that he has observed this behaviour but does not understand the motivation behind allowing security personnel to possess high-powered guns. “There are exceptions where security companies should be allowed to have these guns, for instance, those that are transporting money. The criminals that attack these people carry high-powered guns, and the security personnel cannot stand with 9mm guns, so there should be exceptions,” he said.
Gareth Newham of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) stated that people who work in private security are different from civilians in terms of carrying firearms, provided they are licensed. He mentioned that a legal process and the right to carry the firearms that people are licensed for are being abused, as there have been many criminal syndicates infiltrating security firms and using these as private militias, gaining access to these weapons and using them to intimidate people and commit crimes. There is massive infiltration of organised crime in the private security industry.
“Personal bodyguards should only be able to carry firearms as part of their ordinary duties. If they believe they need these weapons, they should apply for accreditation, which should only happen once the police have conducted a thorough investigation into the security company that wants these weapons. There must be a thorough security threat analysis against the people requiring protection before any security guard is allowed to carry a high-calibre weapon,” he said.
Cape Times