{"id":11483,"date":"2024-05-12T02:00:57","date_gmt":"2024-05-11T23:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483"},"modified":"2024-05-12T02:00:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-11T23:00:57","slug":"government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483","title":{"rendered":"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The government is proposing a major overhaul of the legislation governing security guards, private security companies, and their practices.<br \/>\nThe goal, according to the government, is to close loopholes that allow individuals with private security licenses to work for criminal organisations.<br \/>\nA new bill drafted by the Ministry of Justice and Public Order is currently under public consultation. It aims to grant security guards powers similar to police officers, except for carrying firearms.<br \/>\nThis includes wearing uniforms, using detection dogs, and conducting searches on people within their designated areas.<br \/>\nThe bill also increases penalties for non-compliance and is expected to be finalised and voted on by Parliament.<br \/>\nCurrently, over a thousand people in Cyprus work as security guards or hold private security licenses.<br \/>\nThe bill redefines \u201csecurity guard\u201d to distinguish between those offering security services and technical security experts.<br \/>\nA licensed security guard, employed by a private security company, can now provide:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Surveillance, protection, or guarding services for property, facilities, personal safety, events, exhibitions, conferences, competitions, or other sporting or entertainment events.<\/li>\n<li>Secure transportation and guarding of money, valuables, and precious objects.<\/li>\n<li>Passenger and luggage checks at airports and ports using specialised equipment.<\/li>\n<li>Security at migrant detention centres.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A separate technical security license is required for installing alarm systems, while private investigator and cash-in-transit licenses cover their respective specialisations.<br \/>\nThe bill also specifies who can train security guards, with the Police Chief issuing licenses to qualified individuals or educational institutions.<br \/>\nTo prevent the misuse of the term \u201cprotection\u201d as seen in the past, the bill replaces it with \u201cpersonal security.\u201d<br \/>\nSecurity guards will be authorised to conduct searches at entrances to the premises they guard, both inside and outside, along with perimeter surveillance and inspections as designated by the Minister of Justice.<br \/>\nThey can also search people, luggage, and objects within government buildings using specialised equipment.<br \/>\nAdditionally, the bill grants them the power to \u201cconduct a search or inspection of a person entering or exiting the areas under their responsibility.\u201d<br \/>\nThe use of armoured vehicles for cash-in-transit services is subject to new regulations, while batons are prohibited except for those approved by the Police Chief. Bulletproof vests, protective helmets, or other equipment deemed necessary may be authorised on a case-by-case basis.<br \/>\nThe bill also prohibits methods that could harm or endanger public safety.<br \/>\nTrained dogs for tracking or detection are allowed but must comply with existing animal welfare laws. Free-roaming dogs are only permitted inside guarded buildings or enclosed spaces with proper warning signs.<br \/>\nThe bill categorises private security company licenses into three types: security guard services, technical security services (alarm systems), and investigation services. A company can hold multiple licenses based on the services it offers.<br \/>\nA key focus of the bill is addressing the past misuse of security licenses by criminal organisations.<br \/>\nThe Police Chief will have the authority to reject license applications if information suggests the applicant poses a threat to public order or national security. The bill also clarifies the definition of \u201csecurity guard\u201d and restricts \u201cpersonal security\u201d services to licensed professionals.<br \/>\nCompanies can now hold multiple licenses based on their services, and specific requirements are outlined for armoured vehicles used for transporting valuables. The use of force is limited, with batons generally prohibited.<br \/>\nFollowing public consultation, the finalised bill will be presented to Parliament for approval.security guards. overhaul of legislation, security guards, private security companies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The government is proposing a major overhaul of the legislation governing security guards and private security companies to prevent individuals with private security licenses from working for criminal organizations. The new bill grants security guards powers similar to police officers, except for carrying firearms, and includes conducting searches, using detection dogs, and wearing uniforms. The bill redefines &#8220;security guard&#8221; and specifies the services they can provide. Companies can hold multiple licenses based on the services they offer, and the use of force is limited, with batons generally prohibited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[43,833,4791,3492,924,1512,1002,33,1776,3,3929,5142,207,3343,2632,415,5988,2554,2828,1419,582,2685,148,4920,7582,2628,1874,5722,5330,9638,1799,2946,184,5012,214,1004,1390,9639,284,4448,7638,5967,4428,5515,1222,6238,827,3742,1806,1846,114,2666,1364,2463,5129,6404,6305],"class_list":["post-11483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other","tag-airports","tag-animal-welfare","tag-approval","tag-bill","tag-buildings","tag-cash","tag-checks","tag-companies","tag-compliance","tag-cyprus","tag-detention","tag-dogs","tag-entertainment","tag-events","tag-exhibitions","tag-government","tag-grants","tag-inspections","tag-institutions","tag-investigation","tag-justice","tag-legislation","tag-local","tag-loopholes","tag-minister-of-justice","tag-money","tag-national-security","tag-non-compliance","tag-officers","tag-overhaul-of-legislation","tag-parliament","tag-penalties","tag-police","tag-police-chief","tag-police-officers","tag-power","tag-private-investigator","tag-private-security-companies","tag-property","tag-protection","tag-public-consultation","tag-public-safety","tag-regulations","tag-responsibility","tag-safety","tag-search","tag-security","tag-security-guards","tag-services","tag-threat","tag-top-news","tag-transportation","tag-valuables","tag-vehicles","tag-warning","tag-welfare","tag-who"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The government is proposing a major overhaul of the legislation governing security guards and private security companies to prevent individuals with private security licenses from working for criminal organizations. The new bill grants security guards powers similar to police officers, except for carrying firearms, and includes conducting searches, using detection dogs, and wearing uniforms. The bill redefines &quot;security guard&quot; and specifies the services they can provide. Companies can hold multiple licenses based on the services they offer, and the use of force is limited, with batons generally prohibited.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The government is proposing a major overhaul of the legislation governing security guards and private security companies to prevent individuals with private security licenses from working for criminal organizations. The new bill grants security guards powers similar to police officers, except for carrying firearms, and includes conducting searches, using detection dogs, and wearing uniforms. The bill redefines &quot;security guard&quot; and specifies the services they can provide. Companies can hold multiple licenses based on the services they offer, and the use of force is limited, with batons generally prohibited.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ch.jfdi.cc\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-11T23:00:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"648\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"PhileNews (Cyprus)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"PhileNews (Cyprus)\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"PhileNews (Cyprus)\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b84b88c4fd397cc2d0104b41d48fad84\"},\"headline\":\"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-11T23:00:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483\"},\"wordCount\":571,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"airports\",\"animal welfare\",\"approval\",\"bill\",\"buildings\",\"cash\",\"checks\",\"Companies\",\"compliance\",\"Cyprus\",\"detention\",\"dogs\",\"Entertainment\",\"events\",\"exhibitions\",\"government\",\"grants\",\"inspections\",\"institutions\",\"investigation\",\"justice\",\"legislation\",\"Local\",\"loopholes\",\"Minister of Justice\",\"money\",\"national security\",\"non-compliance\",\"officers\",\"overhaul of legislation\",\"parliament\",\"penalties\",\"Police\",\"police chief\",\"police officers\",\"power\",\"private investigator\",\"private security companies\",\"Property\",\"protection\",\"public consultation\",\"public safety\",\"regulations\",\"responsibility\",\"safety\",\"search\",\"security\",\"security guards\",\"services\",\"threat\",\"Top News\",\"transportation\",\"valuables\",\"vehicles\",\"warning\",\"welfare\",\"WHO\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Other\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483\",\"name\":\"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-11T23:00:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b84b88c4fd397cc2d0104b41d48fad84\"},\"description\":\"The government is proposing a major overhaul of the legislation governing security guards and private security companies to prevent individuals with private security licenses from working for criminal organizations. The new bill grants security guards powers similar to police officers, except for carrying firearms, and includes conducting searches, using detection dogs, and wearing uniforms. The bill redefines \\\"security guard\\\" and specifies the services they can provide. Companies can hold multiple licenses based on the services they offer, and the use of force is limited, with batons generally prohibited.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":648,\"caption\":\"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?p=11483#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/\",\"name\":\"ch.jfdi.cc\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b84b88c4fd397cc2d0104b41d48fad84\",\"name\":\"PhileNews (Cyprus)\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/in-cyprus.philenews.com\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ch.jfdi.cc\\\/?author=5\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards","description":"The government is proposing a major overhaul of the legislation governing security guards and private security companies to prevent individuals with private security licenses from working for criminal organizations. The new bill grants security guards powers similar to police officers, except for carrying firearms, and includes conducting searches, using detection dogs, and wearing uniforms. The bill redefines \"security guard\" and specifies the services they can provide. Companies can hold multiple licenses based on the services they offer, and the use of force is limited, with batons generally prohibited.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards","og_description":"The government is proposing a major overhaul of the legislation governing security guards and private security companies to prevent individuals with private security licenses from working for criminal organizations. The new bill grants security guards powers similar to police officers, except for carrying firearms, and includes conducting searches, using detection dogs, and wearing uniforms. The bill redefines \"security guard\" and specifies the services they can provide. Companies can hold multiple licenses based on the services they offer, and the use of force is limited, with batons generally prohibited.","og_url":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483","og_site_name":"ch.jfdi.cc","article_published_time":"2024-05-11T23:00:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":648,"url":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"PhileNews (Cyprus)","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"PhileNews (Cyprus)","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483"},"author":{"name":"PhileNews (Cyprus)","@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/#\/schema\/person\/b84b88c4fd397cc2d0104b41d48fad84"},"headline":"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards","datePublished":"2024-05-11T23:00:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483"},"wordCount":571,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg","keywords":["airports","animal welfare","approval","bill","buildings","cash","checks","Companies","compliance","Cyprus","detention","dogs","Entertainment","events","exhibitions","government","grants","inspections","institutions","investigation","justice","legislation","Local","loopholes","Minister of Justice","money","national security","non-compliance","officers","overhaul of legislation","parliament","penalties","Police","police chief","police officers","power","private investigator","private security companies","Property","protection","public consultation","public safety","regulations","responsibility","safety","search","security","security guards","services","threat","Top News","transportation","valuables","vehicles","warning","welfare","WHO"],"articleSection":["Other"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483","url":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483","name":"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg","datePublished":"2024-05-11T23:00:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/#\/schema\/person\/b84b88c4fd397cc2d0104b41d48fad84"},"description":"The government is proposing a major overhaul of the legislation governing security guards and private security companies to prevent individuals with private security licenses from working for criminal organizations. The new bill grants security guards powers similar to police officers, except for carrying firearms, and includes conducting searches, using detection dogs, and wearing uniforms. The bill redefines \"security guard\" and specifies the services they can provide. Companies can hold multiple licenses based on the services they offer, and the use of force is limited, with batons generally prohibited.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/government-bill-aims-to-expand-authority-of-private-security-guards.jpg","width":1000,"height":648,"caption":"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=11483#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Government bill aims to expand authority of private security guards"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/","name":"ch.jfdi.cc","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/#\/schema\/person\/b84b88c4fd397cc2d0104b41d48fad84","name":"PhileNews (Cyprus)","sameAs":["https:\/\/in-cyprus.philenews.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?author=5"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}