Security guards have an important job to do in protecting the people who work within their organisation, and licensing is one of the ways of ensuring that they do this.
This is according to Sharon Rawlins, Manager of the Career Development Institute (CDI) and Coordinator for the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) for this Institute, who spoke to the Barbados Advocate after the graduation for security officers funded by the Competency Based Training Fund (CBTF) at the CDI, Coles Building, Lower Bay Street.
She said that the course does not include the licensing, but it does help them to be better prepared to get that licence.
“The licensing is basically separate.…The course is to bring security officers to a level of qualification.… There are several units, several components in the course including, using defence tactics and how to apprehend offenders, how to operate within your security environment, all of that.”
She stated that one of the goals of her organisation is to help these officers do precisely this. “One of the goals for the Career Development Institute is to raise the standards of security officers in Barbados and in so doing, when you go now to apply for your licence, we want to get to the point where persons who go and apply for a license, have the background of a recognised qualification.”
Earl Deane, a Security Officer at the Ministry of Defence and Security in the Prime Minister’s Office, said that his role at the ceremony was to let these security officers know exactly how important this licensing really is.
“They need to be qualified first of all and also, they need to be licensed under the Private Investigators Securities Guards Act. Under that Act, Section 14, all security guards in Barbados and all security agencies and private investigators must be licensed under that Act. No guard in Barbados should be working without a licence. So my role here today is to emphasise that fact that all security guards must be licensed across Barbados.”
He said that there are certain requirements to get this licence. “The licence of security guards requires that every security guard must have a police certificate of character, a testimonial, and we do necessary checks to make sure that the people who are being liscenced in Barbados are well qualified, well checked out, to be a fit and proper person to operate as a security guard.”
This course of Industrial Securities Operations is just one of the National/ Caribbean Qualifications (N/CVQs) that are offered. The CDI also offers N/CVQs in Management, Customer Service and Occupational Health and Safety, added Rawlins.
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