NOV 6 — Three cases of security personnel involved in theft or robbery have taken place in the Klang Valley in 10 days, sparking fears that the people entrusted with guarding our condominiums and offices could be either illegal or unqualified individuals with evil intent.
Owing to lack of police, we have come to rely on security personnel. According to home ministry statistics, there are 751 registered security firms offering 226,368 security guards — a ratio of one to every 123 Malaysians.
The Security Services Association of Malaysia has said, of the 280,000 security guards employed nationwide, 180,000 are foreigners. Of these, 53 per cent are legal, 11 per cent illegal foreigners. Malaysians make up 36 per cent.
The Private Agencies Act 1971 makes it clear that only Malaysians and specific Nepalese nationals can be hired as security personnel, meaning many of the security guards are unlawfully employed.
Poor public security has made the security industry lucrative, and many operators do not abide by the law because enforcement is almost non-existent. It is learned that some security firms can make up to RM1,000 a month from each illegally hired foreign security guard, or RM200,000 to RM300,000 in monthly profit.
On October 23, a bank security guard working in Subang Jaya shot a 37-year-old female clerk of the bank and ran away with the cash in the safety vault.
The Indonesian suspect not only carries a fake ID, but has also opened an account at the bank while skipping the police verification to obtain the licence for possession of 10 different types of guns and firearms.
If the ID carried by the suspect is fake, how could he have escaped undetected over the so many levels of verification?
It is imperative that the home ministry and police vet applications for security guards to make sure they are Malaysian citizens with no criminal record, and with at least six months working experience and professional skills.
I am wondering if police conformed to standard operating procedures when issuing the firearm licence to the suspect.
If our MyKad boasts enhanced security features, how could the suspect get away with it and be allowed to open a bank account using false identity?
The home ministry is proud of its sophisticated biometric technology, and is planning to issue ID cards for foreign workers in the country by November 15. Will this help if even a foreigner carrying a fake ID can be hired as a security guard?
It is understood that one of the conditions to set up a security firm is that 30 per cent of the company’s stake must be held by either a retired senior police officer, retired military officer or a senior civil servant. This sort of explains the lax supervision because the authorities often overlook changes in management, personnel or equity of the companies.
If foreigners can gain access to firearms so easily with a fake ID, I wonder if such firearms could fall into the hands of criminal syndicates, which is possible given that the security industry is in such state of “anarchy” and even police weapons could disappear.
The large number of foreigners working as security guards highlight problems the country faces, including poor efficiency on the part of government agencies, pathetically low level of spirit in rule of law, irregularities in our security mechanism, as well as our over-reliance on foreign workers.
Can a country with this many problems ever become a developed nation? I doubt it.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
