Richard Worth

A Bill which aims to overhaul the regulation of the security industry today passed its first reading in Parliament and was referred to the Justice and Electoral Select Committee.

The Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Bill, which was introduced by the previous government, seeks to repeal and replace the Private Investigators and Security Guards Act 1974.

Associate Minister of Justice Dr Richard Worth said the existing legislation had become outdated, and reform was needed. "We are conscious of the need to revisit the current regulatory system, particularly in light of major upcoming events like the 2011 Rugby World Cup."

Dr Worth said the Government was keen to encourage detailed scrutiny of the Bill at Select Committee stage as it recognised there was scope for improvement. "We have decided to proceed with this Bill as it is, rather than withdraw, review and redraft it, because it is time to make some real progress on reforming the existing regulatory regime.

"We want to get the Bill before a Select Committee so that it can give detailed consideration to the proposed reforms and so that the public can have its say," he said.

Dr Worth said most members of the security industry were consummate professionals, in whom New Zealanders could happily place their complete trust. "However, regulation has the ability to encourage all members of the industry to meet the high standards that are expected today. It is my intention that this Bill, when finally enacted, will achieve this an efficient and cost-effective way."

The Bill proposes three key changes:

The obligation to be licensed or hold a certificate of approval will be extended to a wider range of security-related activities. In particular, crowd controllers such as bouncers, and bodyguards and private security staff guarding people in legal custody, would have to be licensed or hold a certificate of approval.

It will be possible to make regulations requiring private security staff to undertake training.

A dedicated enforcement body, the Complaints, Investigation and Prosecution Unit, would be created to investigate complaints and improve compliance with the new legislation. There would also be heavier penalties for breaches of the regulatory regime.

Dr Worth said it was expected that a significantly larger number of security staff would have to be licensed under the new legislation if it was enacted in its current form.

"Some of the increase is expected to come from greater compliance, while some of the increase would come from the wider range of security personnel who would be regulated. I am encouraging the Select Committee to look closely at whether the scope of the proposed regulatory system and the associated compliance costs are appropriate," said Dr Worth.

Dr Worth said he also expected the Select Committee to pay close attention to the specific obligations of private investigators, which the Bill had carried over unchanged from the 1974 Act.