Prioritising training for young women Meet PSiRA Deputy

Prioritising training for young women Meet PSiRA Deputy

Director: Training and Communication- Mpho Sechoaro

The mandate of PSiRA derives from the Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001. The primary objective of the Authority is to regulate the private security industry and to exercise effective control over the practice of the occupation of security service providers in the public and national interest and in the interest of the private security industry itself.

You form part of a regulatory body that regulates private companies that protect people’s lives and their homes. Please share with us what your roles at PSIRA entail.

I oversee the Training and Communication Division. On the Training side, my work mainly emanates from Section 4k of the PSIR Act, which is to effectively manage the provision of industry training accreditation services, i.e. I oversee the accreditation and withdrawal of security training providers and provide the policy direction thereof; monitor and audit the quality of training functions and activities performed by accredited providers. I participate in the activities of other bodies or persons entitled by law to set standards in respect of training of security service providers or bodies entitled to formulate, implement or monitor skills development plans for the private security industry. etc.

Regarding Communication, I am responsible for promotion and advocacy of PSiRA mandate. My role is to manage the organisation’s brand or image by creating and implementing marketing plans that align with the organisation’s mission and goals; manage all aspects of marketing including advertising, public relations, social media and digital marketing; promote products and services to create brand awareness among current and envisaged stakeholders.

Please touch on the importance of women forming part of this industry?

The private security industry is indeed a maledominated industry from its inception to date, with many believing it’s a masculine occupation. Since the post-Apartheid era, most ex-military personnel mainly men elected to join the private security industry when they retired. This created an opportunity for them to set standards for the industry which w ere mainly men focused. This is evident in the changing rooms which mainly cater for men than for women. Most instructors are men who are mainly drawn from the ranks of male police officers.

The more the security industry grows, the more opportunity it creates for women. I believe that the status quo must change. It will make perfect sense for women to claim their role in the industry because the more the industry grows, the more it caters for women. The law has created an opportunity for women to claim their space because it prescribes that when it comes to conducting an arrest or searching culprits for instance, it must be done by people of the same sex, i.e. women must be searched by women. This has partly led to the number of female officers rising in the last 10-20 years. It therefore makes sense that women must have full representation to a point of owning security companies. The status quo cannot remain that security companies are predominantly male owned and reduce females to ‘subservient’ roles of being in the control room and not out there where activities are taking place as some women are even stronger and braver than men. So why keep them indoors or in roles that are not challenging to them!

What is PSiRA doing to equip young women who are keen on joining the security industry?

We are prioritising the training for young women through the UIF project. We intend to expand training to Institutions of Learning to assist in combating Gender based Violence.

Leading from the front

Meet PSiRA Deputy Director: Law Enforcement - Talent Zwane

As the Deputy Director of Law Enforcement,Talent Zwane’s role at PSiRA is to overseethe operations of the Law Enforcement andLegal Services division in making sure thatthe private security industry is effectivelyregulated. We asked her to describe some ofthe challenges she has faced as a woman inthis industry:

Working in male-dominated industry, the security sector being one of them, one faces a variety of challenges, including societal expectations and beliefs about women's leadership abilities. Women have developed soft skills necessary for effective leadership. Traits like empathy, communication, and listening are qualities that serve women well when in management positions. It is about time that women rise and take up space in male-dominated industries. Leadership is not about the physical being, but it’s more about making sure that decisions are made and effectively implemented.

Do you think private security companies need more responsibility to assist SAPS in dealing with crime?

Yes, I do believe that to deal with crime, theremust be an undertaking from all law enforcementagencies. Both police and security personnel doat times perform tasks which are proactive. Forexample, routine patrols involve driving aroundneighbourhoods in the hope that crime will beless likely to occur because of the visibility of alaw enforcement officer. Similarly, a guard whois employed to patrol business premises couldprevent crime from happening by being presentand observing. This is visible policing. The role thatthe private security industry can play together withSAPS in crime prevention is certainly significant.

Do you often encounter private security companies that go a little bit beyond their mandate and end up performing official police duties, even when not authorised to do so?

Yes, we do sometimes find security officers thatoverstep their mandate. A private security serviceprovider, being a security officer as a first point ofcontact can sometimes be put in compromisedsituations in an effort to protect people, property,and assets hence they sometimes push theenvelope of what is acceptable. As a regulator, wedo not condone such behaviour.

Traits like empathy, communication, and listening are qualities that serve women well when in management positions.

Contact details: Head Office Address:

Switchboard:: 420 Witch-Hazel Avenue, 086 10 PSiRA (77472) Eco Glades 2 Office Park Highveld Ext 70 Email: info@psira.co.za Centurion, 0158