Media Statement:Building Hope For Law Abiding Citizens

Safe Citizen categorically rejects the Deputy Police Minister's defense of the draft PSIRA regulations. Far from addressing genuine risks, these amendments are redundant, restating existing laws without necessity, and pose a greater threat to public safety by exposing the tens of millions of South Africans who are directly and vicariously protected by the security industry to violent crime.

It is rich of the Minister and by implication, the government to be prepared to make these sweeping changes, essentially undermining the safety and security of the public whilst they (the Ministers) benefit from the very best protection at the expense of the tax payer.

The Minister cites isolated incidents to justify sweeping changes, yet fails to acknowledge that current legislation already provides mechanisms to address such issues. Instead of enhancing security, these regulations in the main, disarm private security officers, leaving them and the public more vulnerable in a country plagued by high crime rates.

Moreover, provisions like mandatory electronic tracking of firearms are impractical and unenforceable, demonstrating a disconnect from the operational realities of the industry.

The process has been marred by a lack of consultation, violating constitutional rights to procedural fairness. Economically, these measures threaten the livelihoods of tens of thousands in the private security sector.

Safe Citizen intends to leverage every resource and opportunity to counter these nonsensical amendments to the PSIRA regulations.

We urge the Minister to withdraw these irrational and unnecessary regulations and engage in meaningful dialogue with stakeholders to develop effective policies that truly serve public interest.

ENDS

Jonathan Deal
National Coordinator

Enquiries pertaining to this statement

• Jonathan Deal -  076-838-5150 - or on WhatsApp / Signal - or  jonathan.deal@safecitizen.co.za