Canadian Security Personnel Face Stricter Rules

Aug 28, 2007 3:16 PM

Ontario's private security industry quietly entered a new era when legislation governing private security guards and investigators came into force, reports The London Free Press.

Designed to better define the role of a growing number of security personnel and ensure stricter standards of training, the new act overhauls rules that had been in place since 1966.

The new legislation, the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, requires all private security practitioners to be licensed, including in-house security staff, such as those working for retailers and bars, who were previously exempt.

"We need to make sure that security personnel have the resources and training they need to help make Canadian communities safer," Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter told The London Free Press. "The law sets out new and stricter standards to better protect the public while improving professionalism within this important industry."

About 30,000 security guards and private investigators are licensed by the province, says Chris Tait, vice president of investigations and corporate security with G4S Security Services, a global security company with about 480,000 security guards and 6,000 across Canada.

Tait says the industry estimates about 60,000 security guards are employed across the province because under the old legislation, in-house security staff, including bouncers, didn't require licensing.

"I think this is a really good thing for the industry," Tait says. "There has to be consistency in how we do our jobs, and that consistency must be held to a high standard."

The legislation was prompted by the 1999 death of Patrick Shand at a Loblaws store in Scarborough and the recommendations of a coroner's jury that looked into the 31-year-old drug-addicted shoplifter's death in 2004, reports The London Free Press.

Chief among the jury in the cases' 22 recommendations was amending Ontario's Private Investigators and Security Guards Act to provide mandatory licensing for guards.

Those not licensed have until Aug. 23, 2008, to obtain their licenses. Businesses that employ in-house security staff must register with the ministry's Private Security and Investigative Services Branch by the same date.

Another big change is that the licenses will be portable, allowing individuals to change jobs within the industry without having to reapply for a license.

The new law also sets out training requirements and regulates the type of uniforms, equipment and vehicles that can be used by private security personnel to reduce the possibility of confusing security guards with police officers.

The new training and testing standards come into force Nov. 30, 2008, and will set out competencies and examinations for applicants and current license holders.

Tait says the new training program, to be unveiled this fall, may shake out a few guards that aren't up to the task, but it also will bring all guards up to speed on how to properly do their jobs.

"Right now, there is no standard and some personnel either have a few hours of training, a few days of training or, in some cases, no training at all before they go out into the field," he says. "Even within agencies, one office in one city may have a certain level of training and at its office in another city, it's completely different.

Eventually, Tait expects there will be two tiers of security guards -- highly trained personnel and the basic concierge-type personnel to reflect the differences in job requirements.

The new basic training standard includes:

* Knowledge of relevant legislation, such as the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, the Trespass to Property Act and relevant sections of the Criminal Code

* Powers of arrest

* Communications and public relations skills

* First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

* On-the-job skills such as report writing, note taking and diversity sensitivity

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