Question NW2276 to the Minister of Police

Reply:

(a) According to PSiRA’s records as at end August 2017, there are just under 500 000 registered active employee security officers deployed by over 9 000 registered and active security businesses. These security businesses and employee security officers represent all the different categories or classes of security service providers as defined in the Private Security Industry Regulation Act, with the majority, falling within what is generally described as the guarding sector.

The geographic breakdown of the private security industry was at August 2017 as follows:

Registered and active security businesses per province:

• Gauteng - 3 789
• Eastern Cape - 707
• Western Cape - 1 019
• Limpopo - 827
• N/West Prov. - 367
• Free State - 217
• N/Cape - 141
• KZN - 1 444
• Mpumalanga - 533

Total - 9 044

Registered and active security officers per province:

• Gauteng - 194 358
• Eastern Cape - 42 996
• Western Cape - 54 900
• Limpopo - 37 438
• N/West Prov. - 26 756
• Free State - 16 233
• N/Cape - 4 706
• KZN - 87 335
• Mpumalanga - 34 774

Total - 499 496

(b)(i) All security businesses are required to report to PSiRA, in terms of the Private Security Industry Regulation, 2002 the details of any security officer employed or deployed within 10 days. PSiRA therefore keeps records of all security officers employed and reported by the 9 044 registered and active security businesses. Details of each business as well as the details of the security officers in its employ can be provided.

(b)(ii) The positions each of the security officers hold within the security business are not known to PSiRA and it is also not a requirement for businesses to report information of this nature to PSiRA. The regulator does however record the details of the owners/partners/members/directors, etc. of security business on an electronic database or register of security service providers