The growing organised crime threat inside private security

One of the most worrying lines in this newspaper today is in our lead story about private security companies being plump targets for infiltration by organised crime syndicates.

This country has over 17 000 active security companies and 637 000 active private security officers.

That latter figure dwarfs the 180 000 employees – uniformed and civilian – in the South African Police Service.

Yet, despite those numbers, crime seems to be getting worse by the day.

In some categories, the numbers are down, but the overall picture shows illegal activity – and that by organised crime – is increasing.

With such enormous numbers of personnel and of companies, the private security industry has become a potentially lucrative gateway for organised crime, offering criminal networks far more than a legitimate-looking business front.

Private security companies can provide access to firearms, trained personnel, surveillance infrastructure, intelligence and proximity to businesses, communities and state institutions.

Experts say regulation of the sector is less than effective: while individual security officers can be screened for past convictions, companies are not so easy to police, even if there was a will from the authorities.

Security companies can be set up among a sheaf of fronts, shielding the real ownership from scrutiny… and allowing criminals to run their own law enforcement concerns.

This gives them access to protection, access control, surveillance and information, while their employees work in restricted environments.

If organised crime does infiltrate the sector, it is easy to establish a “legal to illegal” pipeline for firearms.

The Madlanga commission and parliamentary probe of possible police and political corruption and subversion by organised crime is revealing only the tip of a very rotten iceberg.

There must be an equally thorough probe of private security firms.