The Chairperson of the Security Officers Association of Botswana, Mpaphi Magezi has expressed concern over the killings of security guards in the line of duty. He said most of the time the poor security guards are murdered by criminals because they are not properly trained to deal with circumstances that they find themselves in.
Speaking in an interview last week, Magezi said there is need for collective responsibility by all stakeholders in the security industry to address the rising problem. Although he could not provide any statistics at the time, he said the killings of security guards whilst on duty by criminals is a reality and should not be overlooked.
“The killings of security guards in the line of duty is a reality and most of the time this issue is not taken seriously. There is no doubt that most of these killings could be avoided if proper measures are in place especially if the security personnel is well trained on security issues,” he said
Magezi gave an example of the gruesome murder of a 60 year old security guard, from Nata village who was found dead in Francistown last month during a robbery. The deceased was found dead by a passersby in the morning and his hands had been tied. The robbers made away with P300 000 and two of the suspects have since been arrested and in custody. Magezi said incidents of this nature are becoming rampant in the country.
“Obviously being a security guard entails some life risks but some of these risks can be avoided if proper measures are in place. We hope the security bill which has been passed by Parliament will also place a duty of care and responsibility on the hands of employers and in the event there is a lapse or breach on their part, there should be penalties imposed. We are also of the view that there must be clear and explicit legal provisions on what kind of security defense equipment are legally permissible,” he said.
Magezi said it is crucial to ensure that when deploying security officers, measures are employed to ensure safety and protection, monitoring and close supervision. He also said security companies need to implement stringent policies governing the conduct of their employees such as drunkenness and sleeping on duty. He further said there is need to train the security guards on vigilance and danger evasion tactics.
“Although there are various security guards from various security companies, our view as SOAB is that security guard officers must also cooperate, work as a team, be compassionate and should keep an eye on each other’s backs especially when they are deployed in the same area on duty,” he said.
He emphasized that age requirements must be reviewed more so that the security profession needs young, able bodied and energetic people who can be able to act swiftly when faced with danger from criminals. He expressed concern over a growing trend where security guard companies prefer to hire elderly people instead of the youth.
“There is a growing trend where security companies prefer to hire elderly people rather than the young and energetic youth. This makes it easy for the security personnel to become easy targets for criminals to execute their plans. The business community must also play an active role in the protection of their assets. They should set the expected standards for the service providers such as minimum expected response time following an alarm activation. They should scrutinize and confirm whether security operatives provided are competent, trained and able bodied to secure their businesses,” he said.
For his part, The Chairperson of the Botswana Business Security Sector, Gaolathe Mudongo also told the Sunday Standard in an interview that the deaths of security guards in the line of duty is a serious concern.
“The deaths of security guards in the line of duty is indeed a reality and it is happening. However what I can confirm is that security guards are trained. One of the main problems that we have as security providers leading to murder incidents of security guards is that most of the time we are pressurized by our clients not to deploy more than one officer at their premises mainly because they feel it is expensive. In such cases, when an officer is on duty alone, they become vulnerable to criminals leading to such unfortunate incidents,” he said.
On why security companies prefer to employ elderly people rather than energetic youths, he said most of the youths are not interested in the profession as they despise it. He also said the reason why they prefer elderly people is because they are loyal, committed and diligent.
“The problem with the youth is that they are not interested in this profession and we are left with no option but to employ senior citizens. One other thing is that senior citizens are committed, loyal and responsible. The youth prefer to jump from one job to another and some of them are irresponsible,” he said.
Asked what defence weapons they equip their employees with, Mudongo said security guards are allowed to carry defence weapons such Tasers, pepper sprays and batons. He however ruled out arming security guards with guns saying that it would put the lives of the security guards at risk and make the situation even worse.
“Let me tell you what guns do,” he said. “Guns do not protect, but they were invented to kill. I am totally against our security guards being armed with guns as they can be a danger to the guards themselves. Criminals would also reinforce by carrying guns and that would lead to a spiral of killings. When criminal attacks a guard who is not carrying a gun, most of the times they would rather tie, injure them and leave the guard alive,” said Mudongo.
In conclusion he said the passing of the security Bill by parliament is a move in the positive direction as it will iron out their differences with employees and have a win-win situation.
According to Mudongo, the Bill has not been implemented yet as regulations are still being drafted.
