Help police secure property, private security guards urged

Private security guards have been asked to help the national security arm  to secure property and investments within the country to attract more investors.

Kiambu subcounty deputy county commissioner Titus Macharia said the government initiated reforms in the sector to enhance their communication skills and how they relate with the public.

Macharia spoke on Thursday during the graduation ceremony of 500 guards from 10 private security firms who graduated from Dazzling Centre of Professional Security Studies School in Ndumberi.

"There is a curriculum set by the government which guards must undertake and it involves communication skills which is important. Having a uniform does not mean guards are bigger than other Kenyans, they must learn how to interact with people so that they can feel free to engage the guards," Macharia said.

He said the guards are critical stakeholders in the security space and that police have welcomed them onboard so that they can help Kenyans and assure them of their security to go on with their businesses.

"We want Kenyans to enjoy their rights, we want them to invest, we want them to be sure about their safety and security so that their creative juices may flow to create opportunities for employment," he said.

Macharia challenged the guards to be passionate about their job and maintain a positive energy while handling the public.

He also called upon the private security firms to balance between the profits they are making and the guards salaries as they have families who depend on them.

"Every time you look at an employee know that there are several people behind him or her who are depending on the salary they are getting," he said.

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba who was a guest in the ceremony, said the private security officers should work, earn money and fend for their families in dignity.

"The stomach of a man goes hand in hand with his brain, if he does not earn good money even his brain will not function well," she said.

She added that the legislators should not put up laws and policies that oppress Kenyans.

"You cannot dignify a security guard if the small salary they are earning the government is waiting for it to impose VAT," she said.

Thomas Kimari director Gratom Babz security firm and director Dazzling school said the guards will be issued with a personal guard force number which will help in tracking their activities and root out bad elements in the sector.

Danson Thuo the business development and facility manager said the institution is accredited by Private Security Regulatory Authority and the National Industrial Training Authority to train guards in an effort to compliment the national security arm.

He said they have trained them on counter terrorism, health and safety, emergency preparedness, career progression, ethics and integrity, life skills and customer service, physical fitness, emergency level first aid, legal and regulatory framework among others.

"The regulation is that we are supposed to train the guards to certification for a minimum 40 hours but we have extended the learning so that the guards can be well equipped and knowledgeable," he said.

Peter Soita, a security guard graduate, said allowing guards to be issued with firearms is a noble idea but they need to undergo more training and rigorous physical training and mental health checkup regularly to be able to handle a gun.