Opinion will be divided on the intention and effects of the draft regulations pertaining to training in South Africa's private security industry.
Media outlets have recently reported that South Africa's Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, has published draft regulations for training in South Africa's private security industry, including minimum standards that will need to be followed.
Opinion will likely be divided on whether the regulations will be beneficial or unnecessarily onerous. The first portion of Cele's proposed amendments deals with the training that all personnel in the private security sector will need to undergo. Some companies may feel that the red tape created by the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority already regulates the industry heavily. Should the private security services include armed reaction / security functions, the personnel and companies will also need to comply with the Firearms Act, No. 60 of 2000. On the other hand, there are companies and persons that believe the draft regulations will be good because the private security sector is under-regulated in comparison to the South African Police Services. Time will tell whether the proposed training will add value, or if it will simply create additional red tape and costs for companies in the sector.
In addition to proposed amendments to private security training, the Minister also weighed in on changes to regulations pertaining to drones for security purposes. The amendments will be welcomed but will likely create problems should the drones not be clearly identifiable by the public, as everyone has the right to privacy and having a drone fly over private property can create problems when the property owner disputes any crime having taken place in their area.
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