Push to regulate car guards in Ballito and Salt Rock

The Ballito area’s public parking areas are a hazard for all who park their cars there, especially at the beaches.

Ongoing reports of cars being stolen or broken into has prompted the Dolphin Coast Community Policing Forum (CPF) to take action.

Unfortunately their efforts were fruitless and they are now appealing to private security companies to volunteer their security guards to do car guard duty on their off days for tips.

CPF spokesperson, Natalie Struwe said the unregulated car guard system currently in operation was a primary source of numerous criminal incidents in public parking areas.

She said not only did unregulated car guards contribute to car break-ins and theft directly, but they also colluded with other criminals, enabling them to freely move through Ballito and commit crimes.

The CPF along with the Ballito and Salt Rock Neighbourhood Watches selected and paid for a group of 12 car guards from the Ballito Beach front in June 2015 to be trained and Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) registered. Unfortunately the initiative failed because all but one car guard had criminal records – mostly drug and firearm related.

Consequently, the CPF has turned to the KwaDukuza municipality (KDM) to enforce bylaws and are hoping private security guards would be willing to do car guard duty on their off days for tips.

Struwe said municipal bylaws required car guards to be PSIRA registered and regulated but unfortunately this bylaw is not enforced.

“People need to carefully consider who they trust to look after their personal possessions. Just because someone wears an orange vest does not mean he is there to look after your best interests and people should not just pay someone because he calls himself a car guard,” said Struwe.

Salt Rock ward councilor, Malcolm Hubner said almost all the car guards in Ballito were lone rangers who are just there to make a buck off naive motorists.

According to the PSIRA website, any person applying for registration with PSIRA, may be registered as a security guard if he is (a) a citizen of or has permanent resident status in South Africa; (b) is at least 18 years of age; (c) has complied with the relevant training requirements prescribed for registration as a security service provider; (d) was not found guilty of an offence specified in the Schedule within a period of 10 years immediately before the submission of the application to the authority; (e) was not found guilty of improper conduct in terms of this Act within a period of five years immediately before the submission of the application to the Authority; (f) submits a prescribed clearance certificate, together with such other information as the authority may reasonably require, if the applicant is a former member of any official military, security, police or intelligence force or service in South Africa or elsewhere; (g) is mentally sound.

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