Ghanaians have been urged to appreciate the immense contribution of private security personnel to community and national security.
Nana Kofi Adu II, Chief of Akpafu Traditional Area in the Oti Region, said the presence of private security personnel in the country served as an additional source of protection to citizens as they supported the work of the Police.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of a new branch of Conso Security in Accra.
Nana Adu II, who is also the Accra Regional Director, Conso Security, said the plight of private security personnel was worth giving attention to, especially in the area of salaries and welfare.
“It is said that these personnel do so much for the clients they serve. Some even go to the extent of doing household chores like pounding of fufu. However, they are restricted from using facilities like washrooms in the house and are relegated only to the gates,” he lamented.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kwaku Dompreh, Staff Officer of the Private Security Operations Directorate, Ghana Police Headquarters, said security was the bedrock of every human activity, as such, Ghanaians should not underestimate its importance.
He said in 2017, the Ghana Police Administration decided to leverage the Private Security sector to complement the efforts of the Police.
DSP Dompreh said this decision led to the upgrade of the private security desk to a Directorate.
He said as part of measures put in place, personnel was first taken through rigorous training, certified, and permitted by Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior before any private security company could employ them.
The Staff Officer said to ensure that personnel provided maximum protection to clients, it was important to review the Legislative Instrument governing their operations to allow them to handle other weapons or gadgets aside from a baton.
Madam Doris Amedior, President, Association of Private Investigators, Ghana, said private security personnel was partly to blame for how badly they were treated by people.
She said most of these officers were indisciplined, and disrespectful and took their job for granted by not reporting on time.
Madam Amedior said such behaviours discredited the security guards and allowed others to take them for granted.
She advised private security operators to instill good work ethics and discipline into their staff to raise their standards in the eyes of the public.
“We can only recover our lost respect by changing our mindset and attitude. Let us not approach security as an alternative venture but with pride and uphold it,” she advised.
Madam Amedior said as part of training given to personnel, the focus should also be directed towards intelligence to make them stand out.
Conso Security is a private organization with its head office in Takoradi, which provides man guards and security cover for businesses and related operations.
It is anchored by its core values of Honesty, Integrity, Professionalism, and Confidentiality.