Here is what FMT found: To get around the home ministry’s vetting of private guards, private individuals are “renting” security licences from registered firms, especially those which are not owner-operated.
These individuals would then run security for clients under the licence of the registered company, but by using their own, and illegal, guards.
In return, the registered company will get a slice of the security contract.
These renters hire guards that are illegal because they are cheap and available. But these illegal guards – who have not been vetted by the authorities – may then have access to the client’s protected areas.
Coming on the news of separate arrests of two armed security guards with links to IS — one of them was working for Malaysia Airlines — the Home Affairs ministry has warned companies it will revoke the licences of those who haven’t been following its vetting procedures “to the tee”.
But perhaps an even bigger problem looms with the widespread existence of illegal guards who have not gone through any vetting at all.
In May last year, 60 foreign security guards who didn’t have any documents were among 92 guards arrested in a special operation in the Klang Valley.
City deputy police chief Abdul Hamid Mohd Ali said his team conducted 815 checks on armed and other guards in various locations including schools, shopping malls, banks, jewellery shops, moneychangers, neighbourhood areas and construction sites to find the 92 illegals.
Whether any illegal guards were involved in the numerous violent armed incidents last year and in past years is not clear. Those crimes may have been committed by licensed guards.
But what is clear is that the “illegal guards” pose an even greater threat because they have not gone through any vetting at all.
How this scam works was explained to FMT by the president of the Security Training and Development Association (Stadam) Khirudin Tajudin.
He said: “The big problem is that registered companies are ‘renting’ out their licenses to third parties, which aren’t registered with KDN.” KDN refers to the home ministry.
“These individuals will hire illegal guards who aren’t vetted. One way to spot them is through their uniforms.”
He said that most of the time, illegal guards would not have the Security Services Association of Malaysia (PPKKM) patch on their uniforms and would instead have a generic black shield patch with the words “security services” on the left sleeve.
He added that clients of these third parties didn’t care whether the service they are getting comes from a legitimate party or not because their main concern is cost.
It was reported that in the two years from 2014 to 2015, some 40 security companies had their licences revoked. Another 49 got final warnings from the ministry for a number of offences, including hiring illegal guards.
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