KUALA LUMPUR: About 30,000 illegal security guards with shady backgrounds are believed to be working freely nationwide.
Describing the situation as a security threat, Security Services Association of Malaysia (PPKKM) President Mustapa Ali said it was difficult to monitor the presence of illegal security guards because their background particulars were not recorded.
He also said the figure was just a estimate based on intelligence conducted by the association.
“We do not rule out that there may be those with criminal records or who are ex-convicts,” he told Bernama, here, today.
Such a development was confirmed by Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Amar Singh Ishar Singh. He, however, declined to comment further.
Crime cases involving security guards have often made headlines. Last Oct 25, a security guard was picked up by police in connection with the rape-cum-murder of a Form Five student in Teluk Kumbar, Penang.
Police confirmed that the 20-year-old suspect had a drug-related criminal record.
Mustapa said apart from locals, most of the illegal security guards comprised of Indonesians and Bangladeshis.
“In Malaysia, other than locals, only Nepalese nationals are allowed to work in this sector.”
Without full registration being done, he said such a situation would complicate matters pertaining to the welfare of the security guards themselves, besides posing a risk of their involvement in crime.
“Some of them are even exploited such as not being paid, but this is not reported to the authorities because they are not registered. The companies and PPKKM do not have their records.
“Therefore, we (PPKKM) are looking at this illegal and unregistered security guard issue seriously,” he said.
Mustapa believed that some security companies were willing to compromise national security by not adhering to the correct procedures when hiring workers, for the sake of making more profits.
“This is because they (companies) can pay lower salaries to reduce their expenditure,” he said.
The total number of registered local security guards stood at 163,000 while Nepalese made up 28,000, he said.
In tackling the issue, Mustapa said the association had collaborated with the Royal Malaysian Police and Immigration Department, and formed a special task force early this year.