Those who abuse security officers will now receive harsher penalties.
The amendment to the Private Security Industry Act (PSIA) on 5 October 2021 addresses the common types of harassment and abuse security officers face, and the penalties for such offences will be higher than if they were committed against members of the public.
For example, under the Protection from Harassment Act, intentional harassment carries a maximum fine of $5,000 and a jail term of up to six months. Under the PSIA, those who do the same to security officers will receive a jail term up to a maximum of 12 months.
Concurrently, the amended PSIA see the removal of licensing requirements for security consultants.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) urged security consultants to instead go for accreditations such as the Security Consultants Accreditation Programme by the Association of Certified Security Agencies and Security Association Singapore annually to ensure that they remain up to date with the industry’s requirements.
Standing in support of the amendment, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Desmond Choo said: “Security officers are our frontline workers who have tirelessly kept Singapore safe and protected. They deserve our respect and protection. Imposing harsher punishments on abusers of our security officers will ensure that our officers can carry out their duties without the fear of repercussions.”
Meanwhile, he also asked if off-duty security officers are also protected under the new law
He also suggested that the ministry included the offence of doxxing in PSIA. Calling it a “gap”, Mr Choo believes that abusers could use social media to publish personal information to harass officers and their families.
Nominated Labour Member of Parliament Abdul Samad Abdul Wahab called for security companies to implement other measures to prevent abuse and not rely solely on legislative protection.
According to Mr Samad, the better deployment and use of technology and manpower can help minimise in-person interactions with officers, and by extension, the possibility of abuse.
“This is also in line with NTUC’s push for workplace transformation and achieving worker 4.0,” he said.
Echoing the call for the better use of technology, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong suggested that all security officers don body-worn cameras while on duty. He argues that doing so will act as a deterrent against potential abusers, and that the footages could also serve as evidence for police reports.
Meanwhile, NTUC Operations and Mobilisation Director Fahmi Aliman took the opportunity to encourage the adoption of outcome-based contracting and technology to help make security officers’ work safer and more effective.
He said: “Outcome-based contracts advocate for the use of technology and job redesign which can help to make the work of security officers more effective and efficient.
“With the use of technology such as remote gate guarding, facial recognition, visitor management system, and remote video surveillance the Service Buyer has been able to achieve the same or better outcomes.”
Mr Fahmi also believes educating security officers of their rights according to the amended law will allow them to assertively carry out their duties.
