“Bodyguards should be subjected to polygraph tests and this should be part and parcel of the vetting process,” Stadam president Khirudin Tajudin said as he welcomed a suggestion from the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) that security companies evaluate their personnel for mental fitness.

Khirudin said MCPF vice-president Lee Lam Thye had made a good suggestion, but he added that a psychological evaluation alone would not be enough to test personal integrity.

“The polygraph test can determine whether the bodyguard is a liar or someone of suspicious character,” he said.

Recently, the Home Affairs Ministry announced that all personal security guards or bodyguards would be required to undergo special training and would have to be commissioned by the Royal Malaysian Police to qualify for the annual licence to carry and handle firearms. The new ruling is effective next year.

Khirudin suggested that the Human Resources Ministry work with the police to come up with a competency certificate for bodyguards who carry firearms.

“The training by the police is a good idea, but requirements for the handling of firearms should be made as stringent as possible,” he said.

“The certificate is to show that they are competent in the use of firearms and that it is not just about going to the shooting range and getting a licence.”

He said training should also be given to armed security guards who work at banks and jewellery shops.