Govt suspends nine security companies
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga. The government has suspended operating licences of nine private security companies and revoked that of two others over failure to meet the required standards and indiscipline. Photo / File
What you need to know:
- Those whose operating licences were suspended include Tracker Uganda Ltd, Range Protection Services Ltd, Stariat Security Company, Crown Security Ltd, and Delux Security Group.
The government has suspended the operating licences of nine private security companies and revoked that of two others over failure to meet the required standards and indiscipline.
Those whose licences were revoked are Damocles Security Solutions Ltd and Detail Protection Services Ltd, who are accused of giving out guns to the wrong elements.
“The two security companies have been involved in a number of robberies, where they directly rob their clients and hire out guns to robbers to commit crimes,” Mr Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, said during a press conference yesterday.
Those whose operating licences were suspended include Tracker Uganda Ltd, Range Protection Services Ltd, Stariat Security Company, Crown Security Ltd, and Delux Security Group.
Others are Supreme Security Ltd, Delta Force Protection, Premier Security System, Stariat Security Company, Alert Guards Security and Systems.
“The licences have been suspended in accordance with regulation 10 of the Control of Private Security Organisations regulations 2013. We have instructed our DPCs (district police commanders) to withdraw all firearms from them and also inform their clients to seek services from other private security organisations,” Mr Enanga said.
He added that whereas private security companies have to file returns with police for use of firearms, the above-mentioned companies failed to comply for many years, prompting action against them.
“They were not filing returns whereas we have also been getting several complaints of indiscipline and unprofessional conduct by the staff of these companies,” Mr Enanga said.
He added that some of the companies were paying their employees poorly.
The development comes at the backdrop of reports that several security guards have on a number of occasions been involved in robberies in several parts of the country.
Whereas some carry out the robberies themselves, others connive with robbers.
Previous incident
Robbed
In 2020, two security guards were arrested for robbing Shs100 million from a businessman they were guarding in Kamwokya, a suburb of Kampala.
The incident occurred when the two guards attached to Tight Security Company Ltd put Kunal Sethi, 35, a gold dealer at gunpoint and robbed cash before fleeing.
