Haiti urged to regulate booming private security industry

A new report from the Canadian-based think tank, the Center for International Governance Innovation (CCIGI), urges Haitian authorities to pass tougher laws to control the flood of private security firms in Haiti.

With a thinly spread MINUSTAH peacekeeping force and an under-staffed and underfunded police, private security has been booming in Haiti. Countless foreign security firms have established operations in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake, with only more expected to come. The CIGI report states an anticipated growth of 7 to 8 percent for the industry.

These security firms however are profit-driven with limited public responsibility, causing critics to express concerns that the privatization of security will expose the public to abuse. But the report argued that "in societies undergoing security sector reform, private security can buttress weak or ineffective public security institutions."

To regulate this risk however, the CIGI report argues that Haiti must "maintain a reasonable degree of control over the industry." The report claims the current regulations lack "specificity" and "contain an insufficient level of detail to cover many likely eventualities."

The report outlines immediate actions needed from the government, including a government oversight mechanism over the industry, clear procedures for operation licenses, and strict guidelines controlling the licensing and storage of firearms.