The mental well-being of private security officers continues to be of concern to the Union of Security Employees (USE) after a recent survey found that one in two security officers reported feeling nervous and stressed at work.
The survey was conducted from July to September 2021 and involved responses from 1,000 security officers. It was also the third survey conducted by the union in partnership with the University of Social Sciences Singapore (SUSS). The findings were released on 27 December 2021.
Additionally, the incidence of abuse at the workplace remained a key trend observed across all three surveys. The findings of the previous two surveys were released in June 2020 and March 2021.
The latest survey found that about 39 per cent of security officers have faced abuse at the workplace. This was slightly lower than the 42 per cent reported in the second survey but higher than the 32 per cent reported in the first.
The security officers surveyed also indicated that the frequency of abuse has also risen, with 40 per cent of those who indicated having faced verbal abuse sharing that they experience the abuse at least once every two weeks.
All three surveys found that security officers faced more verbal abuse than physical abuse.
Older Security Officers More Prone to Abuse
The findings also reflected that older security officers above 50 experienced more abuse than their younger counterparts.
At least 40 per cent of the respondents above the age of 50 indicated having faced abuse at work. In contrast, only 26 per cent of security officers aged up to 29 reported the same.
The abuse perpetrators came from the public, to which the union said signals “the need for society at large to accord due respect to security officers who are performing their jobs to keep Singapore safe and secure.”
The surveys also covered other aspects of security officers’ working conditions, such as wages and work prospects.
USE General Secretary Raymond Chin said: “USE is concerned that security officers continue to be abused while doing their jobs as provided for under the law. We urge the general public to recognise the important work of our security officers as frontline warriors protecting property and lives and co-operate with them when required.”
New App for Security Officers
Meanwhile, USE has launched a new mobile app to further extend assistance to security officers who face abuse at work.
“While the survey showed that security officers generally know who or where to seek help from when they face abuse at work, more can be done to expedite the process and enable neutral, third-party bodies to help investigate and mediate the case at hand,” said USE in a release.
According to the union, the app will act as a first-stop, one-stop application that allows security officers and agencies to report any issues or work-related grievances.
After registering for an account, users can key in details of the issue, including location and photos.
The cases submitted through the app will be routed to the USE Mediation Service for follow-up. Users may also check back on the status of their submissions via the app and be kept updated on industry and union-related news.
The USE mobile app is now available for download on Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
