An evaluation of the Queensland Security Providers Act: Implications for national regulation of the protective security industry

The expansion of protective security services in the last few decades has r aised concerns about the privatisation of policing and accountability of 'n on-police' law enforcement agencies. One response by governments has been t o enlarge regulatory controls of the industry. A recent example is the Quee nsland Security Providers Act 1993. This paper reports on a study designed to obtain insiders' views on the impact of the Act. A survey of security ma nagers revealed scepticism about the success of the legislation in reducing misconduct and improving competency amongst security providers. Respondent s felt the licensing system was too narrow and enforcement too weak to upgr ade the industry to the desired standard - although there was some support for improved entry-level standards as a result of minimum training requirem ents. Strong support was expressed for a range of reform measures including comprehensive licensing of all industry sectors linked to a national syste m, improved training and assessment, frequent criminal history checks on li censees, more vigorous compliance monitoring, and compulsory insurance and monitoring of firms for award payments. A cooperative approach to regulatio n and national co-ordination of the states and territories is needed to imp lement these measures in order to improve standards of service delivery in security work and protect the public interest.