Security training standard as a tool for unification of professional competences and requirements for private security employees

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Security employee; Professional training standard; Competence; Qualification.

ENThe quality of services provided by private security employees are determined by acquired knowledge, developed skills, gained abilities and provision of values. Academic studies examines the scope and content of employee’s professional competence in security field, impact of professional training to the quality of security services, raises problems of searching common regulatory requirements for security services providers in Member States and discuss a need to have the necessary (specialized) education for working in the security area. At first glance, it seems that in the EU exists a single understanding about the legal status of private security employees, but the research studies reveals the domination of various professional requirements for security personnel and different regulatory standards as well as a diversity of security personnel training and education. Legal status of private security employees is influenced by a constantly changing social, economic, technological or risk-based community environment, which raises new objectives for security employee’s profession and defines the professional criteria according to the customers’ needs of such services. Member States still has no general security training standard, which would legitimize and unify security employee's areas of activities, professional competences, learning objectives and assessment methods of professional competences. Variety and loopholes in normative regulation causes practical problems of private security employees training, when trying to speculate what professional knowledge and competences they need, what evaluation criteria is necessary to determine and how to assess their competence. Society is increasing the requirements for private security employees such as professionalism, competence, integrity, accountability and responsibility, publicity of activities, etc.The author adheres the provision that the absence of a clear methodology of defining the professional competences and setting common requirements for private security employees causes the mistakes of performing functions and providing security services to various clients. These issues are based on the evidence provided through research methods such as document analysis, comparative analysis, problem analysis and determinant analysis, which clearly shows that the security employees’ education and training problems are indeed relevant. Member States could start discussions about the development of security training standard for all employees involved in the private security market, as well as the harmonization of common requirements and legal status for all security employees. [From the publication]