A ‘Clayton’s’ Security Bill

Press Release: A ‘Clayton’s’ Security Bill

The New Zealand Security Officers Association

Wednesday 17 September 2008-09-17

The New Zealand Security Officers Association today expressed its disappointment at Clayton Cosgrove’s Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Bill that was introduced to Parliament last week.

The NZSOA remains unhappy with the proposed legislation about the ability of employers to engage and deploy untrained personnel, the ability of clients to avoid requirement to train and licence security officers by going "in house" and the failure to address inadequacies in existing legislation preventing security officers from doing their job.

Security Officers in New Zealand are now expected to perform a greater diversity of tasks, which include assisting the police with the detection of crime in New Zealand communities. However, they are being asked to do this without any powers of arrest, without adequate protection when facing offenders and often, are being asked to perform such duties on their own.

It was reported to the NZSOA that Department of Justice Officers responsible to review the security industry were prohibited from investigating any issue that was not contained within the existing Private Investigators and Security Guards Act with the exception of training. Notably absent from investigation was the issue of amendments to criminal law.

Media Spokesperson of the New Zealand Security Officers Association, Darryn Loveridge said today, “The 2007 consultation has been a complete waste of time. Clayton Cosgrove has ignored good advice from a number of prominent organisations and people including Registrar of Private Investigators and Security Guards, Gary Harrison.”

Registrar of Private Investigators and Security Guards, Gary Harrison suggested in an address in April of this year that would make sense to give security guards some power of detention in the proposed overhaul of legislation

Clayton Cosgrove made it clear at the time that he had no plans to provide such additional powers to security officers.

Darryn Loveridge said, “No attempt has been made to address the shortcomings of this Bill. This is a Clayton’s Security Bill. It is the Security Bill when you don’t have a Security Bill.”

ENDS

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