Test Your Knowledge

Malcolm Reid - Trinidad and Tobago riskxpert@gmail.com

Helmant R. Chalke - Qatar hchalke@hemaya.com.qa

Welcome aboard!  We are thrilled to have you join our INTERNATIONAL IFPO TEAM!

I would also like to introduce four gentleman who have done so much in terms of support and representation of the IFPO in their regions that thier efforts have really assisted in putting IFPO on the MAP! Each have contributed many hours towards introducing and implementing IFPO Programs and Services in their respected regions.

Ona Ekhomu - Africa oekhomu@aol.com

Joop Verdonk - Europe joop@europeansecuritacademy.eu

Kevin Palacios - South America kpalacios@ipc.org.ec

Erik Erikson - Costa Rica erikson@racsa.co.cr

The changes include requiring employers to pay guards at least $0.25 over the minimum wage starting this October - and $2.25 by 2017 - to help reduce staff turnover.

The government also wants security guard training manuals reviewed every five years to ensure standards are effective.

Labour Minister Erna Braun says being a security guard is a particularly risky profession.

Perry Clarke of the private security company Securitas Canada says he supports the new rules.

Braun says workplace injury statistics show security guards are six times more likely to need time off work as a result of a violence in the workplace.

"Every day, security guards put themselves at risk to help protect public safety and property," Braun said in a release Monday.

"Building experience in the industry will help security guards better protect the public, property and themselves when faced with violent or aggressive situations."

I have been working in and out of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 2010. I first came to instruct the Certified Protection Officer course for the International Foundation for Protective Officers (IFPO) at a major oil company’s security training center and now I am currently a Security Advisor helping build a “world class A” security department and guard force at a large petro/chemical company that is a twenty-five billion dollar joint venture.

When I first arrived I was told women security guards were only allowed to work post where the client population was female such as at a ladies university, women’s hospital wards or a ladies bank. Women and men bank in separate buildings with only same-sex tellers and loan officers.

I have noticed a major shift toward the use of females in security office positions and use as guards on post. I offer some of my observations of how things have changed since I arrived. My first observation was while working at a large Saudi based oil company that opened a fifty-three million dollar security training center in 2010. The training center had first in class design and construction. But despite the most modern and expensive planning and materials it was built without being fitted with a working ladies restroom, prayer room or ladies cafeteria. I was told in 2010 by a supervisor and staff members that women would never work in the security field at that company, so there was no need for the ladies facilities in the training center. They should learn to never say never because by 2012 a lady had been assigned to work in the building and the ladies restroom and prayer room were retrofitted into the facility. By 2013 there were two ladies working administration assistant jobs at the training center and at least one lady working in the security administration offices at the security operations headquarters. By 2014 she was considering and preparing to in the future become an ASIS International  board certified “Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and was a feature speaker at the 2014 ASIS Middle East Conference held in Dubai.

The change to employing more “Women in Security” in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is slow but none the less has started!  I believe it will soon continue at a more rapid pace now that ladies have their “foot in the door.” They are making female employees and customers feel safer and showing their value to security operations by being attentive to potential security breaches.

The move towards more “Women in Security” got a huge jump start by an ASIS International Security Service Council (SSC) member Ms. Sandi Davies who is also a former SSC Chair. Ms. Davies has been instrumental in the move to more “Women in Security” for many years with her work with ASIS and as the Director of the International Foundation of Protective Officers (IFPO).

She went to the Kingdom in 2009 and was involved in training the first class of female guards in the IFPO “Certified Protection Officer (CPO) ”course. International certification was offered by IFPO to the female students who were able to pass the tough examination.

Recently a second jump start occurred this year from a campaign by Saudi women on Twitter, the online social networking and micro-blogging service. I noticed a seemingly immediate change after the Twitter campaign by Saudi women. In the campaign women were asking for female guards to be used in retail areas. Some female sales ladies stated when they were harassed by a male customer they would rather report it to a female guard because they would feel more comfortable and more confident they would be taken seriously.

No disrespect meant when I use the use the term “Guard” instead of “Officer” but for now the term “Security Officer” is not used in the Kingdom, the term “Guard” is used but the most often term used is “Security Man.” I do hope in the near future the title “Security Officer” becomes the norm to address male and female security personnel.

Women in Security Operational Level

As stated I have noticed an immediate change after a Twitter campaign by Saudi women. In the campaign women working in retail establishments were asking for female guards to be used in the retail areas. Some female sales ladies stated that if they were harassed by a male customer they would rather report it to a female guard because they would feel more comfortable and confident the complaint would be taken seriously.

(Please read the article from Arab Times newspaper and you will see there is still some resistance to be overcome for utilizing more female guards.) 

My observation directly after the sales women’s twitter campaign appeared to show an immediate response by a large global (Swedish owned) home goods store in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The home goods store is one of the most popular shopping venues for both male and female shoppers. Of note is the significant importance of shopping in Saudi Arabia. Shopping is considered a major source of entertainment in Saudi Arabia since no mixed-sex music concerts, movie theaters, sports venues such as bowling or amusement parks are allowed. Within a week of the twitter campaign I began seeing two uniformed female guards stationed by the stores popular cafeteria at lunch time.  These were the first female guards I have seen working in public location in Saudi Arabia. While female guards are used in public locations in other Gulf Countries for example at the malls in Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar, in Saudi they have up to now been limited to work only post where the client population was female such as at a ladies university or a women’s ward of a hospital.

Interview with a Female Guard

Recently I conducted a brief interview with one of the female guards at the retail home goods store using the assistance of a female coworker. By Saudi custom and law I am not allowed to engage in a personal conversation with an unknown or unrelated female. For this reason the interview had to be kept general and short.

It was explained to the female guard by my female coworker that I was seeking information on her job as a guard and how she liked it. She agreed to answer the questions so long as I didn’t use her name, as her family and supervisor would not like that. She was wearing a full length black Abaya – the abaya covers the entire body and the veil covers the head and hair. She also had a Nigab covering her face. The Nigab has a small slit open for the eyes. Over her abaya was a tan ¾ length security uniform jacket with a security patch on the shoulders to identify her as a guard (see the picture).

Although I could not see a smile because of her face covering I could see the pride in her eyes and those little lines that occur around the eyes when you smile. I could also detect from her tone and her verbal enunciation that she enjoyed her job and being asked about it.

The Interview

The brief interview provided the following information from the guard.

1. Question: What brought you to a job in security?Answer: I needed work and saw the job advertised. I thought I like to be out in public so I will try it.
2. Question: I know you need your father’s permission to work, was he supportive of the idea of you working in the security field?Answer: Yes my entire family was proud of my wanting to try the job and wear the security uniform jacket over my abaya.
3. Question: How do the male guards treat you?Answer they are very respectful and treat me well.
4. Question: What about the public? How do they talk to you or treat you.Answer many ladies come up and say I want to thank you for being here. Especially for watching out for the children’s safety. Some men show respect but sometimes when I tell a man that no shopping trolley’s (carts) are allowed in the cafeteria area they say “Why are you telling me what to do? You are not in charge of me. Some men have said why are you doing a man’s job? Your father should not allow this.”
5. Question: Did you receive training for this job?Answer: Yes with the guards at the ladies hospital.
6. Question: Should more ladies work as security guards?Answer Yes, I think they will enjoy having a job and looking out for people.

Comments on Female guards at the Retail Location

Some of my Saudi coworkers said the use of the female guards at the retail location would soon be reversed but I am happy to report they were wrong. This type opinion is common in the Saudi work place but is rapidly changing. These female guards have weathered any complaints. They seem very attentive and approach violators softly to get compliance. They are equipped with two-way radios to get any backup from male coworkers when needed. The two lady guards have been on this retail post at lunch time for over three months now! They have showed value. My guess is if they were replaced customers and store employees would miss their work and ask they be returned. When you consider the over all restrictions placed on women by the culture and law it this is a monumental accomplishment.

Progress is being made

I believe that the use of women in security will increase in Saudi Arabia due to the skills and talent the ladies have to offer the security field. Compared to the males applying for a security position many of the ladies are at least or more qualified many with university degrees and excellent English skills making them ideal guards and supervisors for public and retail locations where English speaking expats shop.

Secondly because is a shortage in the security workforce is due partly due to the law of the land requiring all security officers to be Saudi Citizens. Allowing women to work as security guards could fill the empty positions and help solve the high female unemployment rate.

Cultural Considerations toward more “Women in Security”

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Considering the social and legal blocks to more women entering the workplace. Women that want to work and companies that want to hire them have an up hill battle breaking the glass ceiling.

There are limited numbers of available jobs for females due to cultural issues, for instance a female cashier would only operate a cash register for females or families that are shopping. An unaccompanied male customer would be required to go to a checkout line in a male area to make his purchase from a male who is most often an expat who works at a cheaper pay rate.

Currently when women are introduced to a work location the logistics have to be worked out just as they have been in other countries in the past. The logistics have to comply with the Saudi culture norms and current restrictive laws of the land. For instance transportation to and from work must be provided by the security company, this is an additional cost. The male security guards can drive themselves to work which in general makes it cheaper to employee them. Females are not permitted have drivers license to drive automobiles and must be accompanied by a family member or acceptable male driver when in public.

A complete list laws that are specific to women in Saudi Arabia are not within the scope of this article and would be a too lengthy and for this format but I should attempt to explain the over all cultural climate and types of restrictions women face in Saudi Arabia. Women don’t have the authority to drive a car, work out at a local gym, utilize a public pool, or wear beach attire while at the separate “families only” beach area. They must be accompanied by a male family member when outside their family home. Generally they are under the male guardianship of their father or other senior male family member Females cannot book a trip or travel without their father, brother or husband’s permission. The government has a notification system that sends a text to the male guardian if they arrive at the boarder or an airport for an international flight.

In Conclusion

From my personal observations there is no doubt a positive change has begun toward more woman being employed in the security field in Saudi Arabia. I commend the company where I observed the retail security females for the first time. By providing the opportunity for these female guards to enter the security workforce they are demonstrating a true commitment to employment equality. Their employees and the shopping public will reward them for their business leadership.  I strongly encourage other companies to join in this move to have female guards work in public venues.  I believe this change will be soon be supported by the business community’s need for increased numbers of reliable employees and the public’s request for more female security guards. Because of these first steps the growth of females in the security industry will multiply rapidly in the near future.

Some of the world’s largest security guard providers have a good size footprint in the Gulf States and particularly in Saudi Arabia. These companies have the experience employing woman globally in the security field. Hopefully as the public support for women guards increases these international security companies will see the value in hiring and training this huge newly available work force. Once the global companies set the example the other Saudi owned security companies will follow.

If the public continues to show it appreciates the added value of having the female guards on post in public and it becomes more of a common sight at retail and other locations security companies will be encouraged to find a way to factor in any additional cost. I encourage these global companies to put some thought into supporting this effort and being in the forefront of the movement toward more “women in Security.”

I am looking forward to the day when these new Saudi female guards are mentored by females in the vast global security community and become the future managers and supervisors of the inevitable coming wave of “Women in Security” in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia!

The below article is from the Arab-Times Newspaper. You will see the public has some mixed feeling about the use of females in security.

JEDDAH: RIMA AL-MUKHTAR ARAB TIMES Published — Thursday 6 February 2014

Several Saudi women have started a campaign on Twitter calling on shop owners to hire women as security guards.

However, not everyone agrees that women are capable of running after thieves or stopping men from harassing women.

“We are keen to have more Saudi women take up jobs in various sectors. There are already women in existing security jobs at universities, colleges and airports, so why not expand this and employ them at boutiques and shops,” said Salma Haddad, a saleswoman.

“This will be great for us because if we have a problem now we have to call the male security guard who will come into the shop to investigate. Working with a female security guard will make it easier for all of us,” she said.

Sarah bin Sahal, a retail manager at Nayomi, disagrees. “We usually depend on the security guards hired at the malls." She thinks it is "impossible" for women to work in these positions because female thieves at stores are usually accompanied by male members of their family.

“Women are not physically capable of dealing with these situations, running after thieves in malls, handcuffing them and then taking them to the management offices where only men work and can deal with the police and file cases,” she said.

Sarah said she supports hiring female security guards at malls only to search female thieves.

Mariam Amran, a stay-at-home mother, agrees with Sarah and argues that people tend to be more comfortable with men security guards at shops.

“I don’t think these jobs should be occupied by women because it is almost impossible to arrest thieves and take steps to charge them,” she said. “We women feel safe when we see security men, especially if we've been harassed at the mall. I wonder what a woman security guard would do if something like this happens. I don’t think she would be able to stop young men from bothering female shoppers,” she said.

Seba Ahmed, owner of an abaya shop, said hiring women security staff would be an added financial burden for her business.

“It was easier back when I had non-Saudi employees because they were paid less than Saudis,” she said. She said that since the Labor Ministry forced them to hire Saudis, many businesses have had to spend more money on salaries and transport costs to ferry workers to and from their homes. "Now this. I don’t think I can do it,” she said.

Please, don’t get me wrong; I enjoy doing personal protection, in spite of such encounters; decent money, travel, variety, and the satisfaction of providing – at the very least – peace of mind to people who, for one reason or another, might be at risk. In general, I am respected – by clients, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers – by virtue of my profession. And, right or wrong, this respect is something that makes my job worthwhile, something I value tremendously. No one has ever seen me draw a weapon, disable an attacker with martial arts training, or evacuate a client from a dangerous situation. Yet I am (generally) respected because I am called a “bodyguard” or “executive protection agent.” A few people have been impressed simply because I’ve had my photo in a major magazine, for example, standing next to an A-list movie star and watching over his children. And yet, inexplicably, if you put me in a guard’s uniform instead of a suit, in an office building, mall, or armored car instead of limo or Bel Air mansion, I somehow become a “Mall cop” or “Rent-A-Cop” i.e. a big fat joke.

So-called “security guards” are expected to put their safety on the line every day for the public in hundreds of thousands of offices, schools, shopping malls, hotels, airports, and sport and entertainment venues at, in many cases, little more than minimum wage. Licensed and trained (by state mandate in California), they screen visitors, control traffic, patrol and inspect property, transport valuables, and monitor emergency and security systems for signs of danger in order to protect you and your children every day. They will be the first to confront any intruder, and the last to leave in an evacuation. They work graveyard shifts so that your property won’t be stolen, and to enable other night workers to be safe. They are expected to perform many of the dangerous duties of a police officer with only the powers of a private citizen. Personally, I am outraged and confused by the vast discrepancy between the treatment of the “glamorous” bodyguard and lowly security guard. And I believe you should be too.

Perhaps you think I exaggerate. If so, consider the following: sixty-four police officers died in the 9-11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, men and women who remained on site to help evacuate occupants. Understandably, the NYPD received a great deal of press and media attention for their heroic efforts during the crisis. Slightly less clear, however, was the nearly complete absence of press or public tribute to the 33 security guards and managers who died at their posts that same day. https://ifpo.org/resources/articles-and-reports/officer-issues/death-by-homicide-and-the-american-security-guard/. At Morgan Stanley, the largest tenant at the World Trade Center (21 floors of the south tower), only six employees died; three were “security officials” who stayed behind to help evacuate the building.http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2001/12/19/usatcov-wtcsurvival.

Security guards have also , during certain years, been the biggest casualty of workplace homicides. In 2011, for exqmple, 38 “officers” were slain on duty.http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/work_hom_2011.pdf (down from previous years). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the American security guard consistently occupies one of the most dangerous professions in the U.S..http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2012/02/art1full.pdf. Yet the mean (average) annual wage for a security guard in America was $27,240 as of 2012. In New York, that number was slightly higher, with an average hourly wage of $14.32. http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes339032. But that is only an average. Those same BLS statistics show that, as of 2012, half of all security guards in the U.S. earned $11.52 an hour or less. And in Los Angeles, one of the most expensive cities in the country, I frequently see guard jobs posted at under $10 per hour. Should a woman who is willing to put herself at risk to protect you earn less than the barista who makes your latte each morning? Am I the only person who thinks this is ludicrous?

Of course the way we think about certain jobs is deeply embedded in our culture. In parts of the world where the public safety has been pervasively affected by violent attacks (e.g. England and Israel), I have experienced a greater degree of cooperation and mutual respect between the community and security personnel; in those places, people are aware that, in public, their safety is to a large extent dependent on security guards. But in the U.S., where people still consider themselves relatively safe, and depend primarily on an off-site police force as their first line of defense, a security guard remains an annoyance, a mere obstacle between a law-abiding citizen and some form of immediate gratification. As a result, it is almost always a thankless job which tends to invite sarcasm, hostility, and even verbal abuse i.e. all the attitude an average (sober) person would never dare to unleash on a police officer.

For better or worse, as more and more security guards become a permanent fixture in schools and workplaces, we must all find a way to co-exist for the foreseeable future. This should not be difficult, at least in theory; we are on the same “side,” and we do not delight in complicating your day. When we ask to see your work ID for the umpteenth time, or remove the backpack you left in the lobby, we take those sensible precautions so that you can go home to your loved ones at the end of the day. And when you unleash your wrath, we can still go home and sleep easy knowing that we have not cut corners simply to appease you.

Personally, I believe that the American security guard will eventually be seen as a valuable player – a facilitator – especially as state standards become more demanding and training improves. Until that time we may all continue to feel like strange bedfellows, as least while daily life remains relatively safe. Unfortunately, society pays a price when security measures are “reactive” rather than “pro-active.” Let’s hope that the impending attitude shift comes sooner rather than later. In the meantime, when you see a security guard at the mall, your church or synagogue, your office, or your child’s school, say “Thank you,” whether you mean it or not; once the shock wears off, you will make someone’s day.

Honor Boone is an executive protection agent and security officer based out of Los Angeles, CA.