New laws governing bouncers and security guards have been watered down and some of the previous requirements for people applying for new licences have been altered.

All guards working in the security industry must be in possession of one of the new licences by June 30

The latest changes to the Private Guards and Local Wardens Act were published in a legal notice last Thursday, nine days after the deadline for the full application of previous amendments to the Act had expired.

The requirement that applicants for the new ‘Private Guard at a Place of Entertainment’ (bouncer) licence have to prove they have served for a period of five years as a private guard or in the police, armed forces or prison services no longer applies to people who had held a private guard licence for at least six months prior to January 31.

Such people must apply for the new licence before April 30 and submit a reference from the private guard agency currently or previously employing them.

New licences will indicate whether the holder is a ‘Private Guard’, a ‘Private Guard at a Place of Entertainment’, a ‘Specialised Private Guard (driving)’ or a ‘Specialised Private Guard (non-driving)’.

Those who do not have the necessary five years experience but have held a private guard licence for at least six months prior to January 31 are also eligible to apply for the new specialised guard licences, as long as they do so before March 30.

All guards working in the security industry must be in possession of one of the new licences by June 30.

A further change stipulates that if the Police Commissioner does not require applicants to attend a specialised training course, he may request a reference from the private guard agency that currently or had previously employed the applicant.

New laws distinguishing bouncers from other security guards and assigning them specific requirements and responsibilities were originally published in a legal notice on April 1 last year. The security industry was given six months to adapt and ensure all security guards had a new licence. Another legal notice published on August 12 extended the transition period to January 31, but a Home Affairs Ministry spokesman told The Sunday Times two weeks ago that this deadline had been extended again because “the sector specifically requested more time in order to be fully able to comply with the new provisions”.

Industry stakeholders had told The Sunday Times at the time that the five-year experience requirement was “completely unrealistic” in Malta’s context and that they would be forced to circumvent the regulations through legal loopholes.

The police have so far failed to respond to questions sent on January 31 asking how many new licences have been issued to date and how many applicants were asked by the Police Commissioner to attend a specialised training course.