Make the right choice when choosing a private security provider

JOHANNESBURG – Whether you are a small business owner or a homeowner, choosing a private security provider is an important decision, maybe one of the biggest you can make for your loved ones or colleagues.

Making the right choice means making an informed decision, yet the average consumer knows little about the governing rules, bodies and factors of this industry.

“The private security industry is in fact highly regulated and controlled and most of the country’s larger private security companies do conform to the stipulations. By being regulated, our rights as a service provider as well as those of our customers are protected and the regulations assist with maintaining a high service standard in the industry,” says Clive Humphrey, Managing Director of ADT Central Region, and offers some useful guidelines to help you make the right choice when choosing a private security provider:

• Any security service provider has to be registered with PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority). A registration certificate to this effect must be made available on request.
• You need to check if all of the employees providing a security service are registered with PSIRA. Registration certificates as well as the last PSIRA audit inspection report must be made available on request.
• Training is an absolute necessity and it is important to check that all the security officers deployed to provide a security service are in possession of the necessary training certificates from accredited training establishments.
• Registered reputable companies will also all pay their staff at least the minimum statutory wage applicable in terms of the Sectoral Determination 6 for the private security industry issued by the Minister of Labour. This industry has low barriers to entry and employees can be exploited at times by unscrupulous employers.
• All security officers are required to be members of a provident fund and the company must contribute 6.5% of their salary to the fund and the employee contributes 6.5% of their salary to the fund. Ensure your security service provider can produce a letter of good standing from its provident fund administrator.
• You also need to check if the company you select has a code of conduct which supports the statutory code of conduct applicable to all security service providers. This is an important protection for you as a consumer.
• Finally it is important to check your security provider runs a legitimate business. Confirm whether the security business registers for tax and that they can provide their tax clearance certificate and up-to-date contribution.

“Choosing a private security provider is one of the most important decisions you can make, so please ensure it is an empowered and informed one,” says Humphrey.