Doha, Qatar: With more than 50 licensed manned guarding security providers in the country, the private security market remains saturated and diverse, stated an industry official.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Gary Miller Thomson, General Manager of G4S Qatar, said that the market encapsulates various opportunities.
Yet, the standard of manned guarding in Qatar is not where it should be despite the World Cup hosted last year.
“The World Cup was an opportunity to increase the standard of security compliance and governance in Qatar, however, this has not been realised post-tournament and, in the opinion of many security experts, has actually regressed,” Miller highlighted.
Pointing out the reasons, the expert said that Qatar is regarded as one of the safest countries in the world and there is “no real reason to invest in improving the standard”.
However, the World Cup has benefited the national level of risk-based security in Qatar, reflected Miller.
He said: “This is the process of evaluating the actual risk against the threat, impact, and likelihood of an event and then building a security plan to mitigate at the correct level.”
He noted that this “mature approach” should be used across all sectors, as it delivers greater security assurance, transparency, and understanding and potentially reduce the number of manned guards through the integration of security systems and technology, which allows those guards left to be better trained, qualified and paid.
He emphasised that the market could leverage in terms of quality of life and fair financial remuneration for security personnel.
Clients in the region do appreciate private security providers, reflected Miller, however as the country still views security as a manpower-focused industry, they still have to keep up with other GCC countries, who have embraced integrated security technology.
Miller underscored the single greatest development in the market would be the introduction of a national security association whose mandate would be to create the highest level of security and safety through the implementation of security best practices in security systems and manned guarding.
“The role of the association would be 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,” he outlined.
Miller added, “The association would also be responsible for promoting best practice in Qatar to ensure that it remains one of the safest countries in the world whilst providing a viable profession for security personnel at all levels.”
Due to the nature of the industry in Qatar, job prospects are striving for growth, he said adding that the authorities are reviewing and working towards carrying out the standard of security provision for the years ahead and will continue to create a positive impact.
