PSIRA Grade B cheat sheet

A security business must be registered with PSIRA and hold a valid certificate of registration before rendering any security service for reward.

Registration is entity-level (the business); a separate individual registration certificate is required for every security officer employed by that business.

An application is made on the prescribed form with supporting documents; PSIRA may refuse registration where the applicant is not a fit and proper person.

A registered business must notify PSIRA of changes in directors, members, shareholders, business address, or trading name within the period prescribed in the regulations.

A security business may only render services in the classes and grades for which it is registered; rendering outside registered categories is an offence.

Annual fees are payable to keep the business registration in force; non-payment can lead to suspension or lapsing of the registration.

A business may not employ an unregistered security officer, and an officer may not be deployed in a grade higher than the grade for which they are registered.

Improper conduct, conviction of a scheduled offence, or providing false information in an application are grounds for refusal, suspension, or withdrawal of registration.

Security officers must complete the prescribed basic training for their grade at an accredited training provider before registration in that grade is granted.

Training providers and instructors must themselves be accredited by PSIRA (in line with SASSETA quality assurance) before offering security training.

Each grade (from lowest entry grade upward) has a defined unit-standard curriculum; progression to a higher grade requires the training and assessment for that grade.

Annual refresher or in-service training requirements, where prescribed, must be recorded and evidence retained by the employer.

Assessment is outcomes-based: a learner must be found competent against the unit standard; attendance alone does not confer competence.

Training records, certificates, and registers must be kept and produced on demand during a PSIRA inspection.

Firearm-bearing officers require the additional firearm training and competency certification required by the Firearms Control Act in addition to PSIRA grade training.

Using an unaccredited provider, or issuing a certificate without valid assessment, is an offence and may void the officer's registration in that grade.

PSIRA inspectors may enter premises of a security business or a client without warrant where authorised, to inspect compliance with the Act and regulations.

Inspectors may demand production of registration certificates, training records, employment registers, and identification of security officers on duty.

An inspector may question persons, take statements, and seize or copy documents relevant to an investigation.

Obstructing, hindering, or failing to comply with a lawful instruction of an inspector is an offence.

Security officers on duty must be able to produce their PSIRA identity card on demand; failure to do so is a contravention.

Inspections may result in a compliance notice, a fine, suspension of registration, or referral for criminal prosecution depending on the contravention.

An inspection finding must be recorded in a report, and the business is entitled to be informed of the finding and given an opportunity to remedy where the regulations allow.

Powers of inspectors are limited to the purposes of the Act; entry to a private dwelling generally requires consent or a warrant unless a specific provision applies.

A complaint is a written or recorded allegation of improper conduct by a registered security officer or security business, lodged with PSIRA.

Complaints are screened for jurisdiction and completeness before acceptance; matters outside PSIRA's mandate are referred to the appropriate authority.

Classification drives the process: minor or administrative matters may be resolved by compliance action, while serious improper conduct proceeds to investigation and a disciplinary hearing.

Scheduled or serious offences (for example violence, firearm misuse, or dishonesty) are treated as high-priority and may be referred to the SAPS for criminal investigation.

The complainant and the respondent must both be notified of the outcome and the reasons for the decision.

The respondent officer or business has a right to be heard before a sanction is imposed, consistent with natural justice.

Possible sanctions include a caution, fine, suspension, or removal from the register, depending on the finding.

Records of complaints, investigations, and outcomes must be kept and may be considered in future registration decisions.

The Private Security Industry Regulation Act is the founding statute; PSIRA is the statutory regulator established under it.

PSIRA is governed by a Council appointed by the Minister of Police, and the Council reports to the Minister.

The Minister may make regulations and issue a code of conduct binding on all registered security service providers.

The code of conduct sets standards of professional behaviour; breach of the code is improper conduct and is enforceable by PSIRA.

Transformation obligations include ownership and management targets for previously disadvantaged persons under the sector's empowerment framework and the Act's transformation objectives.

The regulator must promote a legitimate, accountable industry and prevent infiltration of the private security industry by criminal elements.

The Act regulates the industry alongside other laws (labour, firearms, and criminal law); compliance with PSIRA does not displace those obligations.

PSIRA may conduct awareness and capacity-building programmes and must report on its activities and the state of the industry to the Minister.