Hariri assassination and its aftermath have caused demand for private protection to rise rapidly

Apr. 04, 2007- The municipality of Beirut is set to hop on the private security bandwagon driving through Lebanon in the past five years. The number of private security firms operating in the county has grown to nearly 30, many of which have reported booming business in the wake of the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the political turmoil that followed.

Beirut Mayor Abdel Mounim Ariss told The Daily Star this week that the capital had been forced to temporarily look to the private sector to help secure the city's 19 public gardens following political bickering over the hiring of municipal security guards before the summer 2006 war.

The city's 54-member guard force has been dwindling due to retirement of older employees. A call for new guards went out last April. The city had been set to hire the first round of a total of 75 guards, but Ariss said complaints from politicians regarding the sectarian make-up of the new force led to a postponement in bringing them on board before the war.

"Unfortunately, certain religious groups didn't come forward [to apply]," Ariss said.

The municipality decided to re-advertise the openings and "give enough time for all who are interested to submit applications," he added.

In the meantime there are not enough guards to go around, Ariss said.

The city made public that it was in the market for 45 security guards from a private firm immediately after the war, accepted tenders from four companies, selected one in January and hopes to have the new guards in place by the first week of May, Ariss said.

While the municipality's need is unique, turning to the private sector for security is not.

Since the Hariri killing, private firms have seen a 30 to 35 percent jump in business, according to Abdo Abi Khalil, managing director of Protectron Security. 

Protectron has specifically seen an increase in clients requesting detection equipment - hand-held metal and explosives detectors - Abi Khalil said.

Shafik Dandashleh, general services manager at the Clemenceau Medical Center, said guards have watched over the entrances to the hospital and parking lots since it opened in February 2006. "Nothing goes inside CMS without being searched," he added.

All visitors wishing to use the hospital's underground parking have to have a valet park their car. Security guards presently use mirrors to search the underside of every vehicle, but they will soon receive high-tech detection equipment.

"[We're] matching the current security situation in the county because the tension ... now is high," Dandashleh said.

George Bashir al-Ashkar, managing director of Lebanese Security Protection, said that "business boomed because of the political instability."

A third source, who requested anonymity due to a company policy against speaking to the press, also reported an increase in demand, letting out a whistle as his hand took off on a missile-like trajectory.

"Business boomed because of the political situation, not because of crime," Ashkar said.

Khalil agreed that clients are more interested in preventing "terrorist attacks" than crime, wanting guards to focus on the outside of buildings.

The industry is seeing requests for more guards from clients with property in areas where large numbers of people gather, such as hotels, restaurants and schools, Khalil said. Clients are also switching from having guards work daylight hours to 24-hour physical monitoring.

Factories and companies are "getting services from us or other companies to keep their business and assets alive," Khalil added.

A string of bombings after the Hariri attack specifically targeted shopping and industrial districts in Beirut and the surrounding areas.

However, Lotfallah Yazigi, president of Securitas in Lebanon, said his firm has not seen a rise in business recently.

Securitas provides security for large, multinational corporations in Lebanon.

"Due to the actual circumstances, a lot of companies have left Lebanon," Yazigi explained.

However, every other firm spoken to by The Daily Star for this article reported a sharp increase in the number of security firms operating in Lebanon in the past five years.  While each new firm must register with the Interior Ministry, ministry officials denied requests for figures on the numbers of registered firms in the country.

There are three types of security guards employed in Lebanon: static guards who  controlling access to, from and within a facility and monitor the perimeter; bodyguards who protect anyone who can pay for it; and guards involved in transporting valuables.

A 2005 law, which replaced an almost identical law from 1995, is all that governs private security firms in Lebanon. Firm operators have to be Lebanese by birth or citizens for the past 10 years, have no criminal record and a good reputation - an old-fashioned request for a letter from the local mayor attesting to this fact is still a requirement, attorney Anis Wakim told The Daily Star. The law stipulates that firms must have a general manager in charge of training new guards, but gives no details on what that training entails, Wakim said.

Firms generally write their own training sessions from books on guarding and public safety and bring in outsiders to train guards to respond to fires and give CPR classes. Mandatory enlistment in the armed forces - which ended earlier this year - provided a pool of applicants with security backgrounds, a bonus for many firms. Training varies depending on the guard's duties, sources said.

Guards are allowed to carry pistols provided the pistols are registered with the Defense Ministry and the guard carrying them registered with the Interior Ministry, Wakim explained. The pistols cannot be visible.

A guard's weapon use depends on the client's request. Abi Khalil said guards are allowed to use any security measures that a private citizen is permitted to use to protect their personal safety. Guards are allowed to protect themselves - respond in kind to violence - but they must call the police in the event of an altercation.

Further, Wakim said firms have to submit weekly reports detailing what their guards saw and did to the Interior Ministry.

Interestingly, not one source interviewed by The Daily Star reported an increase in security incidents since the Hariri murder, and several guards who wished to remain anonymous said they have not seen more suspicious or criminal activity.