UNLAWFUL PROTECTION
On March 25, 2020, the government, by Resolution No. 239, amended Resolution No. 211 of March 11, 2020, “On Prevention of the Spread of Acute Respiratory Disease COVID-19, Caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus on the Territory of Ukraine” (hereinafter – Resolution) of March 11, 2020, expanding which can work during quarantine. But the activities of private security services were not included in this list.
Such inaccuracy raises many questions for managers of security firms. Oleksiy Abusov, the head of the Security Group association of security companies, expected that security would be included in the register of objects operating under quarantine conditions. Colleagues shared these expectations: “It is surprising that in Ukraine they recognized the need for the work of communal services, the police, pharmacies and grocery stores, service stations and companies that service office equipment, but not security. Although these enterprises use security services, they forget about it. At first, we faced the fact that the local authorities did not want to take lists of people for issuing special passes. There were problems with the timely arrival of security at work. “Our employees had to leave 2-3 hours in advance to get to their shift on time. I drove some of them in my own car,” recalls Ihor Sorokin, deputy director of the Kamrat security agency.
A month after the publication of the resolution, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has not made the appropriate amendments that would allow the security business to function unhindered. Security companies resolve the situation on their own: they organize transportation by company transport, negotiate with clients about obtaining passes for security guards, transfer employees to facilities that are within walking distance of the house. In a number of cities and regions, municipalities went to a meeting to resolve the situation. For example, on April 6, the city hall of Kryvyi Rih added employees of private security structures, along with law enforcement officers and security forces, to the “List of categories of employees who can use public transport with an official ID/certificate without a special pass.”
IN STANDBY MODE
Unlike most medium-sized and small businesses, which are slowly smoldering against the background of new strict quarantine measures, security companies’ work has increased significantly. Some employees have been transferred to remote mode, but most are still working. These are remote control operators, mobile response teams, security guards and inspectors.
Security guards became in demand. The Security Group, an association of security companies, points out that the transition from technical means of protection to physical protection is not only a strengthening of object protection, but also the most effective solution for minimizing financial risks in case of robberies. If the amount of material and technical responsibility rarely reaches UAH 20,000 under a contract for technical protection, then this amount can cover all possible losses under a contract for physical protection. We are talking about a hundred thousand and even millions of hryvnias.
There is also the opposite situation. Educational institutions, shops, restaurants, pawnshops – all those for which physical security ensured access control during the day, and they were under alarm at night, switched exclusively to technical security, abandoning “physics”. “We had to transfer employees, change shift schedules, adapt to the circumstances that have arisen again. As a result: not a single employee was sent on vacation at his own expense, – Oleksiy Abusov proudly notes and adds: – For the first time in 6 years, we do not have a shortage of personnel. We didn’t advertise, but the phones are ringing off the hook: everyone wants to work in security. Many managers, sent on vacation at their own expense, decide to make extra money in the security field, forgetting about the special knowledge and skills that security guards should have. We can’t take everyone who wants to, because they don’t have the document that confirms their discharge, which is required by the guard.”
IN THE RISK GROUP
Security guards not only remain one of the most in-demand professions during quarantine, but are also constantly at risk of contracting Covid-19. As foreign experience has shown, the most susceptible to infection with the coronavirus are security guards who provide access control in public places (banks, supermarkets, plants and factories), personal security groups and prison guards. According to the DW channel, on April 2, 29 prisoners and 30 guards were infected in 122 US prisons. After five guards of the Yerevan prison were diagnosed with Covid-19, the remaining 28 guards were sent to isolation. In the Russian village of Komunarka, the entire security service of the hospital was also isolated, because one of the guards suspected the coronavirus. Infection of a security guard threatens not only problems with the health of a specific person, his relatives and colleagues, but also great trouble at the guarded facility – from thefts and riots to murders and mass infection. Security business owners are implementing strict preventive measures and preparing for possible disruptions due to mass infection of staff with Covid-19. “Providing protective equipment is one thing, and teaching how to use it correctly is another task for us as employers,” says Serhii Karas, director of the Taipan security agency. – Our mobile groups are constantly moving around the city, while the employees spend one part of an hour in a closed space – a car, and the second – visit protected objects. It is not known with whom they contacted, with whom they will contact in half an hour or an hour. Constant wearing of a mask, regular disinfection of hands and car surfaces are mandatory. We act according to WHO instructions. Penalties have already been applied to some employees for non-compliance with anti-epidemiological regulations during working hours.”
In the fact that heavy watches require non-standard solutions, Oleksiy Abusov is also convinced: “So that our employees do not use public transport for work transportation, we have changed the work schedule. If earlier the shift started at 8 or 9 in the morning, now it starts at 10-11. We transferred many security guards closer to their place of residence (at a distance of up to five kilometers) so that they could walk to work. Also, for the duration of the quarantine, they stopped the practice of replacing employees between different facilities, we try to replace a person with a colleague from the same facility if necessary.”
NEW FUNCTIONS
At many facilities, clients entrusted the monitoring of compliance with anti-epidemiological requirements, in particular, to security. If earlier the guard of the supermarket, carrying out access control, made sure that a person who had drunk a lot or a visitor with an animal did not enter the premises, now her work instructions include checking the presence of a mask and measuring the body temperature of visitors. “No one will pass the mandatory hand disinfection and temperature screening at the checkpoint of one of the Kryvyi Rih dairies,” says Oleksandr Yarchuk, deputy director of security activities of the security company “KR1”. “The security guard will be severely fined if anti-epidemiological measures are not taken at the facility.”
In a private area, for example in a supermarket or an enterprise, the security guard is guided by the instructions and orders of the customer, so he can prevent the access of visitors. In the case of objects of communal property (parks, squares, as well as children’s playgrounds and sports complexes located on their territory), the rule applies: detect, warn and timely notify law enforcement authorities. Oleksiy Abusov explains the intricacies of the work of private security in recreational public areas: “The security guard in the park not only fulfills the tasks of the customer, which are prescribed in the contract, but also must not exceed his powers, thereby violating the rights and freedoms of citizens. If, in a quarantine situation, the local authorities have issued an order banning the conduct of economic and entertainment activities (cafes, attractions, etc. are not open), then the security, carrying out this order, must detect and record illegal activities, as well as notify law enforcement agencies in a timely manner. And the police will react accordingly. If the playground is located on the territory of a protected park, and the local authority (customer of the protection) has given an order that it is prohibited to use it, then the protection will carry it out according to the same instructions: to warn citizens who want to use it, to inform about the current prohibition and, in if necessary, call the police.”
The online publication “Fakty” reports on the rules for burying the dead from Covid-19, allegedly developed by the Ukrainian headquarters for the fight against the coronavirus. They provide that cemetery guards and representatives of local authorities should write down the contacts of everyone who attended the funeral, and ensure that no one opens the coffin with the deceased. This is the first time Oleksiy Abusov has heard about such security duties: “First of all, I have never seen such a document. And secondly, it is not completely clear to me how the security guard will compile the lists of those present. Security has no right to extract confidential information about a person: personal data and place of residence. The guards must first be authorized to take certain actions, inform the visitors of the cemetery, and only then oblige the citizens to obey the letter of the law. A few words about the norm “not to open the coffin”. The guard has the authority only to monitor compliance with the regulations and, in case of violations, to notify the police. But it must be understood that during the quarantine period, non-standard decisions are made, aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. Therefore, I am inclined to the fact that if the city authorities adopt such an ordinance, we will not discuss it, but proceed to its implementation. But such a decision should first be passed down to the local authorities, and they should be transferred to the facilities for implementation.”
WORST SCENARIO
Hoping for the best, one has to prepare for the worst. The coronavirus pandemic brought a lot of trouble to the world: it caused not only a wave of diseases and deaths, but also other phenomena among the frightened beggars of society. In Italy due to the quarantine, people began to steal food from supermarkets, in the Netherlands Van Gogh’s painting “The Spring Garden” was stolen from a closed museum, in the USA car thefts have increased (and this is against the background of the fact that in the states some of the goods that are bought are ammunition and weapons). “Imagine what awaits us! – Oleksiy Abusov thinks with horror. – Taking into account the experience of these states, we assume that if Ukrainians continue to sit in starving isolation, in two months the criminogenic conditions in our region and country will be critical. “Taipan” is confident that they will not have to wait long, and looting will begin as soon as the state runs out of money to pay salaries to civil servants. “Not only teachers will be left without means of livelihood,” says Serhiy Karas, “but also security forces: people in good physical shape, prepared (taking into account six years of military operations in the country), who have special knowledge and skills.” Information has already appeared that the soldiers of the law enforcement agencies are being sent at their own expense.”
The subjective opinions of top security managers are confirmed by the latest polls by the Rating and Info Sapiens sociological groups: since the beginning of the quarantine, every 10th Ukrainian has lost his job and part of his March salary, and 63% of respondents will exhaust their financial reserves by the end of April.
Most of the business is frozen. Oleksiy Abusov notes: “I assume that small and medium-sized businesses that do not have large financial cushions will begin to refuse protection in May-June due to a lack of money. This will happen precisely in the period of the same food riots and uprisings as in Italy, when bags with newly purchased products were taken from people on the streets, calls were made for pogroms and looting of supermarkets, hardware stores, jewelry stores and warehouses. I am sure that the government will involve the National Guard and strengthen the protection of public order. But the first thing that will start to be stolen is the business, so the owners must clearly understand how to protect themselves.”
READY TO HELP THE POLICE
Private security structures, like businesses, are ready to help the country avoid the spread of the virus. Oleksiy Abusov emphasizes: “I am watching how Ukrainian and foreign businesses invest money in solving the situation. And if there is a need to patrol the streets together with the National Police, we will help. Such a practice was already there. About 10 years ago, the security service together with the police ensured public order.”
Taipan agency, managed by Serhii Karas, has such experience. He notes: “Five years ago, our mobile groups helped the police in searching for suspects. Unfortunately, the result of cooperation did not live up to expectations for two reasons. The first is the lack of clear tasks, target instructions and established communication; the second is the lack of legal powers to protect a number of actions that the police are empowered to do. We are certainly ready to help. But our effectiveness depends on the clarity and practicality of the instructions that regulate partnership relations between private security organizations and law enforcement agencies.”