PSIRA Proposals Will Ban Essential Non-lethal Weapons Carry by Security Officers

Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) strongly opposes the draft amendments to the Private Security Industry Regulations, published on 28 March.

If enacted, these amendments by the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) will severely undermine the private security industry in South Africa and compromise public safety.

We call on PSIRA and the Department of Police to immediately withdraw this draft and return to the table with a genuine commitment to stakeholder consultation, grounded in operational realities, and focused on enforcement of existing laws.

The proposed amendments are riddled with vague, impractical, and legally problematic provisions and imposes severe restrictions on where and how armed security officers may operate.

In practice, these provisions would make it near impossible for armed officers to provide services in public areas such as malls, schools, churches, and hospitals, unless those service providers and locations meet a strict list of compliance requirements.

The result would be increased difficulties in ensuring effective armed response capabilities precisely where they are most needed.

In addition, the regulations propose limiting ammunition carried by officers to a so-called “reasonable” quantity, without defining what this means exactly. What may be considered excessive in one context may be entirely appropriate and necessary in another.

The absence of a clear standard exposes security firms to arbitrary and inconsistent enforcement, further increasing legal uncertainty in an already over-regulated environment.

The proposals also attempt to limit the use of semi-automatic rifles to a narrow set of use cases – for cash-in-transit safety, critical infrastructure protection, and anti-poaching services – effectively disarming tactical response units and high-risk protection teams operating in other environments where violent criminal threats are a daily reality.

At the same time, the regulations require all security firearms to be fitted with tracking devices – a highly burdensome and costly requirement, without any guidance on their implementation.

Perhaps most bizarrely, the draft prohibits the use of essential non-lethal weapons such as rubber bullets, water cannons, and even Tasers; unless registered and approved by the Authority. This kind of blanket prohibition on standard security equipment will not make the public safer. On the contrary, it risks stripping officers of the ability to manage potentially violent situations with non-lethal force, increasing the danger to both the public and the officers themselves.

The DA believes that the focus should be on the few rogue elements in the private security industry, rather than punishing the entire industry.

The DA’s policy position, as outlined in the DA Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Policy, is clear: we must treat the private security industry as partners instead of a threat, making it easier, not harder, for them to operate.

Members of the public and industry stakeholders have until 25 April 2025 to submit written objections. Submissions must be sent to Regulations@psira.co.za (correcting the Gazette’s erroneous address).

If the state cannot protect you, you must retain the right to protect yourself—and to lawfully appoint private security providers to do so on your behalf. The DA will not stand by while this vital industry is dismantled by poor regulation masquerading as reform.

Regards

Ian Cameron MP
DA Spokesperson on Police