Why arming security guards is fraught with many risks

The proposal to allow security guards carry guns as a crime prevention measure calls for serious thought before implementation.

This is because Kenya’s challenge, as I see it, is the proliferation of small arms and the need to mop them up.

What should concern the authorities is controlling the arms in civilian hands instead of adding fuel to fire. In fact, the sharp rise in illegal firearms acquisition and circulation in Kenya has defied efforts by authorities to control small arms that drive the wave of violent crime.

Regulating firearms has not been successful because only 5,000 illegal firearms were confiscated in three years out of more than 800,000 in civilian hands.

And tragically, most of these guns have not been registered by licensing authorities. It is now estimated that on average, one in every 100 civilians in Kenya owns an illegal gun. Given this, arming security guards could compound the situation.

This attempt to arm security guards seems to be following in the footsteps that “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”.

In the end, arming security guards would only increase the number of fraught situations that could endanger the Kenyan public.

Many police officers and safety officials agree that arming security guards  would put members of the public in more danger during confusing, high-adrenaline situations.

Furthermore, the rigorous training and monitoring efforts, background checks and character assessments and the protocols and standards that would be necessary to ensure security guards are prepared to safely handle firearms is simply not feasible for a long time to come.

Escalating crime

Admittedly, anybody who wants to use a gun for the wrong reasons will always pick the time and place of attack, and would surely attempt to avoid striking when (and the specific locations where) armed guards are. The risks should be seriously considered.

Among other reasons, there are already too many lethal weapons in the hands of civilians and the argument that a few thousand more will be necessary to fight the escalating crime is not only laughable, but dangerous. The exact opposite is more likely to happen. Unless of course we have a robust disarmament policy for civilians and our gun control systems are made corruption free zones.

Added to this is the fact security guards are not trained well enough in the use of firearms. What they get is very basic training, all in the name of making money for the security companies.

The fact is that they are not taught to fight crime, for this would require them to undergo training at a multi-disciplinary level — from human psychology to law itself.

Insecurity situation

The fact that the guards are paid low wages, overworked in very poor conditions of work and their morale is at the lowest, if anything, underscores the danger in trying to give them guns. This can only exacerbate an already bad situation.

What I’m imagining is that giving a gun to someone who’s not motivated but simply works to earn his pay (meagre of course), and who is harassed, fatigued and has lost hope in life, is pulling the inevitable.

Unless we just want wrong experiments with known results, arming guards is not the answer to insecurity.

Add this to corruption and incompetence within our systems and you will be staring at a real crisis. If there have been allegations that uniformed police officers hire out guns  to criminals, imagine what can happen if security guards are armed.

These suggestions mostly amount to security threats, and there is little data suggesting that armed security guards have a meaningful impact on our security.

Logically, even as we think and suggest ways of enhancing security, arming security guards is still a suspect idea.

We need to re-look at why “Nyumba Kumi” initiative has not been successful. This should be part of a robust security counter-terrorism strategy with all the activities lined up to make our lives safer.  

It must be one which is built on an approach that unites the public and private sectors, communities, citizens and overseas partners around the single purpose to leave no safe space for terrorists to recruit or act.

Ultimately, it is not lost in the observation that Kenyans — many of them wanting a peaceful life — have been pushed into the grip of militarism.

And now all Kenyans find themselves in the line of fire. We ought to be collectively careful in these steps, lest we continue digging.

Prof Mogambi, Communication and Social change expert, teaches at the University of Nairobi: hmogambi @ yahoo.co.uk