New security industry training regulations to strengthen public safety

New mandatory training regulations for the security industry announced today will ensure security personnel have the skills to do their job safely, says Associate Justice Minister Chester Borrows.

“The security industry does an important job and the public rely on them for their safety,” says Mr Borrows.

“The new training requirements we’re announcing today will ensure security personnel have the skills they need to work safely and effectively.”

The new regulations will require any person who is acting as a crowd controller, personal guard or property guard to undertake training. The training, made up of three NZQA unit standards, will cover conflict management skills, communication and risk identification.

“The changes focus on the minimum training necessary to ensure security personnel can do their jobs safely. They strike the right balance between ensuring public safety without putting too high a burden on the security industry,” Mr Borrows says.

“Making the training compulsory avoids inconsistency across the industry and gives the public confidence that the people employed to protect them are suitably qualified.”

The training requirements are an extension of the reforms that came into force in 2011. These reforms were aimed at ensuring security personnel are appropriately qualified and licensed, and behave appropriately.

Those who hold or have applied for a licence or certificate of approval before 1 October 2013 will have a year to complete the training.

Those who apply from 1 October 2013 will need to complete the training before they can get a licence or certificate of approval. However, these people will be eligible for a temporary licence (valid for three months) which will allow them to work while they train.