Call to set up security industry association

Kenneth De Martino, chairman of G4S Security Services (Malta) Ltd, has reiterated a call for an association bringing together all those with an interest in the security industry.

“The security industry should be bound by legislation to be self-regulating in terms of licensing and working conditions through the setting up of an association in a similar manner to that for the local warden agencies,” Mr De Martino said.

The association would seek common ground, putting aside competition among the various companies, to be able to advance the interests of the security industry as a whole. Progress is being made, with recent legislation making it compulsory for security guards to obtain a licence and those working in specialised areas of security, including CIT (cash in transit), hospital security, aviation security and diplomatic security, needing specific licences.

Furthermore, employment legislation has also tackled issues such as the practice of subcontracting or direct outsourcing by local security companies rather than employing security guards on regular employment contracts.

Another area where the new association would be active is in the setting of basic minimum conditions for which security tenders should be issued. “Security personnel should be employed under basic minimum conditions, which are identified in each tender. Those who quote below these conditions should be disqualified,” Mr De Martino said.

These basic conditions do not only include the minimum salaries paid to security personnel but all the additional costs that have to be borne when there is a cost of living adjustment, increased national insurance contributions and the pro rata increases in sick leave and annual leave entitlements.

According to G4S General Manager Patrick Busuttil, tenders would be more professional if they adopted the matrix system, clearly identifying the percentage to be allocated for technical competence and the quality service to be provided on the one hand and the all-important price element on the other.

“When we are dealing with the private sector, there is a greater appreciation of the quality of the human resources and the level of service being offered,” Mr Busuttil said. “There is a huge difference between a person employed as a watchman, who will raise the alarm if someone goes into a private territory, and security personnel with more skills – fire fighting, first aid, being a bit more proactive and capable of taking decisions on the spot.”

There are also individuals who set up security companies that methodically employ only part-time personnel with a military or police background and in this way do not have to incur the costs of professional companies with full-time employees. “These companies would therefore incur no overheads and can thus afford to pay rates as low as €2 per hour to their employees and then undertake contracts for under €6 per hour,” Mr Busuttil said.

Several security companies and the General Workers’ Union have complained to the authorities about these uncompetitive practices and a lack of standards brought about by a price war that makes professional set-ups unsustainable.