Examination of the Professional Qualifications of Security Personnel and their Cooperation with the Police in the Process of Ensuring Security in the Republic of Slovenia

Namen prispevka: Namen prispevka je pregledati in oceniti stanje zasebnega varovanja, strokovno usposobljenost zasebnovarnostnega osebja ter sodelovanje s policijo po prehodnem petletnem obdobju od sprejetja Zakona o zasebnem varovanju leta 2011 do marca leta 2016. Metode: V prvem delu smo uporabili deskriptivno metodo. Na podlagi izbrane domače literature in zakonodaje je bila uporabljena metoda analize in interpretacije vsebine pisnih in internetnih virov. Drugi del prispevka zaokrožuje empirična metoda. Izdelana je bila spletna anketa, ki so jo izpolnili varnostni menedžerji zasebnih varnostnih družb. Zbrani podatki so bili analizirani z uporabo programov za kvantitativno analizo (SPSS in Microsoft Excel). Ugotovitve: Večinsko mnenje oseb, odgovornih za zakonitost, strokovnost in učinkovitost storitev varovanja, je, da je regulativa na področju zasebnega varovanja ustrezna. Pogrešajo predvsem večji pomen tehničnega varovanja, konstruktivni nadzor s strani Inšpektorata RS za notranje zadeve, sodelovanje s predstavniki policije, teoretično in praktično kakovostnejša usposabljanja, strokovne monografije in posledično dvig kakovosti storitev zasebnega varovanja ter s tem ugled dela zasebnega varnostnika v družbi. Omejitve/uporabnost raziskave Zaradi načina zbiranja podatkov in vzorca izraža raziskava problematiko zasebnega varovanja skozi oči varnostnih menedžerjev. Ugotovitev zaradi manjšega vzorca ni mogoče posploševati in so namenjene predvsem strokovni javnosti, ki si prizadeva za izboljšanje zasebnega varovanja. Praktična uporabnost: Izsledki članka nam poleg vpogleda v značilnosti obravnavane tematike ponujajo podlago za nadaljnje raziskovanje, hkrati pa nakazujejo možne rešitve obravnavanega problema na ravni države. Izvirnost/pomembnost prispevka: Po pregledu obstoječe literature menimo, da prispevek tovrstno problematiko obravnava med prvimi. Purpose: The aim of the paper has been to review and assess the status of private security in Slovenia, professional qualifications of private security personnel, and the cooperation between the police and private security personnel after a transitional period of five years from the adoption of the Private Security Act of 2011. Design/Methods/Approach: In the first part the author applies a set of interpretative descriptive methods to analyse the selected literature and the existing domestic legislation. The second part is devoted to the empirical (quantitative) analysis. For the purposes of this paper, we designed an online survey intended for security managers. The link to the survey was sent to numerous Slovenian privates security companies. The acquired survey data was then analysed using selected quantitative analysis software (SPSS and Excel). Findings: The majority of security managers see existing regulation in the field of private security as appropriate. However, they do miss more emphasis on technical protection, constructive supervision by the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Interior, cooperation with representatives of the police, theoretical and practical quality training and professional monographs. All of the above would in their opinion help raise the quality of private security services, as well as the overall reputation of the occupation of private security guards in the Slovenian society. Research Limitations / Implications: Given the data collection methods, as well as the survey sample, our findings are mainly a reflection of the issue of private security as perceived by security managers. Due to the small sample, generalizations are not possible. The findings should prove useful primarily for professionals, who aim to improve the state of Slovenian private security industry. Practical Implications: In addition to yielding several important insight into the covered issue, the results of the paper also provide a basis for further research, and serve as a stepping-stone in devising future state-wide solutions to the addressed problems. Originality/Value: Via the review of the existing literature we have not found any similar paper, and thus believe that the paper is among the first to deal with such issues.