The need for law, order, and security is an inevitable human need. As humans, we live in groups and the security of life and property becomes an issue.  Thus, this is an issue every society (developed, developing, and underdeveloped) contends with daily. No state can claim to be 100 percent secured and crime-free, and this is evident in the daily reports of crimes being perpetrated.

Crime and insecurity pose one of the greatest dangers to human existence and the lives of Nigerians, as many Nigerians do not have sound sleep out of fear of crime.

The continuous slaughter of persons in the northern part of Nigeria and the recent invasion of criminals known as One Million boys in some parts of Lagos State and Ogun State bear witness to the criminality perpetrated in the country. This is in addition to various murders, kidnappings, and oil pipeline vandalism, which are issues battled with on a daily basis.

To minimize the perpetration of crime, it is imperative that several preventive and reactive measures are put in place. Some of these measures include camera surveillance in public places (particularly high crime zones), panic alarms, intruder alarms, access control systems, and continuous patrolling by security agencies.

While the Government is largely in charge of ensuring the security of the citizens by Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which provides thus: “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”, the presence of private security practitioners is also of great importance.

There is a long history of private security in Nigeria, ranging from the various vigilante groups, “may guards”, etc. The first uniformed private guards company (PGC) in Nigeria is the Nigerian Investigation and security Company (NISCO) registered in 1965 which is still in existence. The fourth Republic witnessed a surge in the number of privately owned and registered uniformed PGC’s in Nigeria, which includes Hogan Guards Limited (formerly known as Guardsmark Nigeria Limited) founded in 1981, thus bringing the current number to about 1500.

To regulate the activities of this industry, the Private Guards Act 1986 was promulgated while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps was charged with the regulation and registration powers.

While the PGCs are by legislation limited in operation, e.g. they cannot carry firearms, they have a role to play in national security. Some of these roles include:

  1. Due to ubiquity and number of PGCs they often serve as communal eyes and ears for the Police and other security agencies. Well-trained private security guards consistently play a part in foiling crime. Take, for example, the Hogan Guards security guard who foiled an armed robbery attempt.
  2. They can serve as emergency responders pending the arrival of the appropriate government agencies. Most reputable private security companies are licensed with armed police units attached to them and posted at strategic locations for swift emergency armed response, which is essential in a country where rapid response to emergencies is not always guaranteed.
  3. They can monitor remotely. All reputable and longstanding security companies, including Hogan Guards, have 24-hour control rooms capable of remotely monitoring surveillance systems and deploying nearest first responders (tracked on a map through GPS technology) should a security breach occur.
  4. They can also call the attention of the police and other emergency responders in the event of riots, robberies etc. As the largest employer of labor in the nation, private security companies are essentially everywhere in organizations and residences, meaning a security guard is likely to have knowledge of a crime in progress regardless of where it is.
  5. In addition to the police, they can control the crowd to avoid stampedes etc. where the situation requires.
  6. Their presences serves as a deterrent. When there is knowledge that they will encounter resistance from security personnel, especially in multiple numbers, criminals often think twice about intruding a particular location.
  7. As is their current responsibility, they can provide security and prevent unathorized access to premises and other areas requiring access control.
  8. They can assist the police in making arrest, responding to civil unrest, safe guard events e.g. football matches, concerts etc.

Hogan Guards provides private security personnel backed by the latest technology to ensure maximum protection for clients. Learn more about us or get in touch with us today to see how we can keep you protected.