QUEENSLAND'S Office of Fair Trading (OFT) continues to protect the public from rogue security guards by turning away from or kicking them out of the security industry.
Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor says Queensland has more than 27,000 licensed security providers and the OFT, which administers and checks security licences throughout the state, would not tolerate those who pose a risk to the community.
"As well as training and character reference checks, anyone who applies for a licence or applies to renew their licence goes through criminal history checks to ensure their suitability for working in the industry," Lawlor says.
"If these checks show the person has criminal convictions for disqualifying offences, they are refused a licence outright – it’s as simple as that.”
According to Lawlor, since 2009, OFT has refused 133 people security provider licences and those who hold a licence continue to be monitored.
"Our SCRAM system - short for Suitability, Checking, Reporting and Monitoring - checks every licensed security provider against Queensland Police Service records each night," he says.
"If a security licence holder is detected by SCRAM as having been charged with one of these disqualifying offences they have 28 days to show cause why they should not be suspended pending the outcome of the charges.
"If convicted of the offence, the licence is immediately cancelled."
He also says the OFT has issued a total of 194 show cause notices, of which 170 were a result of SCRAM, since July last year with 31 licences also cancelled.
The main reasons security providers had their licences cancelled, or refused on application, included drug related offences, stealing, assault and endangering other's life and health.
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