Parliamentary Question: DoP: Private Security Industry Regulation Authority

Mr G R Krumbock (DA) to ask the Minister of Police:
(1) With reference to the Private Security Industry Regulation Authority (PSIRA), (a) what is the vetting process with regard to foreign security officers and (b) how many foreign security officers are employed in each province;

(2) whether the PSIRA has impacted training of security officers; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) in respect of each province,
(a) which businesses have paid fines for contravening the Private Security Industry Regulation Authority Act, Act 56 of 2001, during the period 1 January 2011 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and
(b) what (i) is the breakdown of outstanding fines for the 2009-10 financial year and (ii) steps have been taken to recover these outstanding amounts;
(4) (a) how many private security companies are registered on the PSIRA database, (b) what is the breakdown with regard to each province and (c) how many of these companies are dormant?

REPLY:

Question 1 (a)

The applicant must meet the requirements for registration as prescribed in section 23 of the act. Those requirements are:
1.Be a fit and proper person; and
2.Citizenship or permanent residence status in South Africa;
3.Must be 18 years of age;
4.Compliance with registration requirements as prescribed in the regulations i.e. regulation 2;
5.Was not found guilty of a criminal offence prescribed in the schedule of the Act within a period of 10 years immediately before submission of the application to the Authority;
6.Was not found guilty of an improper conduct in terms of the Act within a period of 5 years immediately before submission of the application to the Authority;
7.Must submit a clearance certificate if he is former member of SAPS, military, intelligence in South Africa or elsewhere.
8.Is mentally sound;
9.Is not in the employment of Public Service in circumstances where his registration may conflict with legislative provision applicable to the applicant;
10.Payment of the prescribed application fee;
11.Is not in the employment of DSO, SANDF, SSA or the Department of Correctional Services; and
12.Any other requirements which may be prescribed by the Authority in terms of the Act.

More specific to foreign nationals is the requirements of Regulation 2 sub regulation 6 which requires applicants to submit an original police clearance of her /his criminal record status from every country outside South Africa where he or she has been resident in the past 10 years.

In the case of foreign nationals who are former members of any official military ,security , police or intelligence force or service , Section 23(1)(f) requires them to submit a prescribed clearance certificate prior to being registered.

Question 1 (b)

NUMBER OF REGISTERED SECURITY OFFICERS WITH FOREIGN ORIGIN

PROVINCE

NO OF REGISTERED SECURITY OFFICERS

Eastern Cape
219

Free State
85

Gauteng
3 720

Kwazulu Natal
742

Limpopo
106

Mpumalanga
112

North West Province
217

Northern Cape
55

Western Cape
1 814

Unknown
4

Total
7 074

Question 2

Security officers are trained by Security training providers that are both registered and accredited by Authority and Sasseta. During the financial year 2010/11, there was a total were 530 training providers accredited in the Country. In the same year under review the Authority processed 536,825 course reports from security training providers.

Q 3 (a) and (b)

During the period January to August 2011, a total 963 fines were imposed to businesses for contravening the private security legislation and its regulations. The value of fines imposed during the period January to August 2011 is R6.3 million against a total of R3.7 million collected over the same period. With respect to collection of fines, these are done through collection procedures, which includes amongst others, issuance of statements to security businesses. Measures such as suspension or withdrawal of business registration are also used as a means of facilitating collection in respect of those amounts.

 

NUMBER OF REGISTERED SECURITY OFFICERS WITH FOREIGN ORIGIN
PROVINCE	NO OF REGISTERED SECURITY OFFICERS
Eastern Cape	219
Free State	85
Gauteng	3 720
Kwazulu Natal	742
Limpopo	106
Mpumalanga	112
North West Province	217
Northern Cape	55
Western Cape	1 814
Unknown	4
Total	7 074

 

 

Question 2

Security officers are trained by Security training providers that are both registered and accredited by Authority and Sasseta. During the financial year 2010/11, there was a total were 530 training providers accredited in the Country. In the same year under review the Authority processed 536,825 course reports from security training providers.

Q 3 (a) and (b)

During the period January to August 2011, a total 963 fines were imposed to businesses for contravening the private security legislation and its regulations. The value of fines imposed during the period January to August 2011 is R6.3 million against a total of R3.7 million collected over the same period. With respect to collection of fines, these are done through collection procedures, which includes amongst others, issuance of statements to security businesses. Measures such as suspension or withdrawal of business registration are also used as a means of facilitating collection in respect of those amounts.

FINES IMPOSED FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY TO AUGUST 2011
	Amount of fees imposed	Fines collected	PROVINCE
1	75 350.00	133 634.05	Eastern Cape
2	329 650.00	189 406.31	Free State
3	3 808 352.35	2 101 444.66	Gauteng
4	248 300.00	229 535.63	Kwazulu-Natal
5	420 647.90	196 251.43	Limpopo
6	501 100.00	242 567.69	Mpumalanga
7	419 600.00	219 740.01	North West
8	124 513.61	70 539.75	Northern Cape
9	441 700.00	288 417.11	Western Cape
Totals	6 369 213.86	3 671 536.64

Where fines collected exceed fines imposed, this is as a result of fines imposed in prior periods

 

 

 

OUTSTANDING FINES AS AT 31 MARCH 2010
OUTSTANDING BALANCE	PROVINCE	COLLECTION RATE
152 288.88	Eastern Cape	52%
58 058.01	Free State	68%
122 497.17	Gauteng	86%
73 127.85	Kwazulu-Natal	82%
3 051.05	Limpopo	99%
94 733.27	Mpumalanga	68%
61 655.58	North West Province	69%
20 912.86	Northern Cape	80%
68 441.35	Western Cape	82%
654 766.02		78%

Q 4 (a), (b) and (c)

The number of registered and actively participating security service providers in the industry is provided below:

NUMBER OF REGISTERED ACTIVE BUSINESS AS AT 31 AUGUST 2011
Province	Number of security service providers	Percentage
Kwazulu-Natal	1 430	17%
North West Province	344	4%
Gauteng	3 064	36%
Mpumalanga	608	7%
Free State	265	3%
Western Cape	889	11%
Limpopo	1 085	13%
Eastern Cape	664	8%
Northern Cape	110	1%
Total	8 459	100%

Dormant businesses are those that are in terms of the Authority’s database either, withdrawn or suspended. Details are provided below in a form of a table:

NUMBER OF INACTIVE BUSINESS AS AT 31 AUGUST 2011
Province	Number of security service providers	percentage
Eastern Cape	819	7%
Free State	445	4%
Gauteng	4 701	41%
Kwazulu-Natal	1 843	16%
Limpopo	615	5%
Mpumalanga	736	6%
North West Province	599	5%
Northern Cape	123	1%
Western Cape	1 457	13%
Total	11 338	100%

 

Reply to question 2830 approved by the Minister