PETALING JAYA, May 21 — The Home Ministry will help the Education Ministry in vetting security companies hired to guard schools.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the ministry’s legal department had been in discussion over the past three weeks about amendment to the Private Agencies Act 1971.

“I had a discussion in the last few weeks to review a total amendment of the Act because it was made in 1971. Those laws cannot solve the problems in 2015,” he said.

Wan Junaidi said the other aspect to be looked into was the 11 directives issued by the ministry which the security companies must comply with.

“If the directives were not adhered to, there is no law to enforce it. So I have instructed the directives to be converted into a regulation of the Act itself,” he said.

“Once that is done, we can enforce it. If there is any breach, it can be charged in court.”

He said with the amendments, the management board, owners, directors and managers of the security company would be held responsible.

Wan Junaidi said the process of vetting the security companies were under way but the process was lengthy as there were over 700 security companies with 200,000 security guards employed nationwide. 

“The process of retraining, certification and thorough screening of guards is a constraint because of the slow process.”

The review of the Act came to light after two brothers, aged 21 and 23, employed as security guards at a school, were arrested on Sunday. Police had received a tip-off from another security guard who found a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver hidden in the ceiling of the guard post.

Further investigations led to the arrest of another 22-year-old male suspect.

Sentul police chief ACP R. Munusamy confirmed the trio had past records of burglaries.

Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan said the ministry was carrying out their own investigation and action would be taken against security firms that flout the law.