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ASIS
Awarded Contract with U.S. Department of Defense to Develop Standard
to improve Performance and Accountability of Private Security Service
Providers
Technical Committee Formation Now Underway |
Alexandria, Va. (March 16, 2011) - ASIS International has been awarded a
contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop an ANSI standard
that provides principles and requirements for a quality assurance management
system for private sector security organizations to abide by and demonstrate
accountability to internationally recognized norms of civil and human rights
while providing quality assurance in the provision of their products and
services. The standard will enable private sector security service providers
to demonstrate their operations and services are consistent with the
principles of the "Montreux Document on Pertinent International Legal
Obligations and Good Practices for States related to Operations of Private
Military and Security Companies during Armed Conflict" and the
"International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers" (ICoC
).
"Private security service providers are critical elements for supporting
peace and stability efforts in regions where the capacity of societal
institutions have been overwhelmed by disruptive events," says Dr. Marc
Siegel, chair of the PSC technical committee and commissioner, ASIS Global
Standards Initiative. "This global initiative will codify benchmarks for
best practices consistent with the goals of assuring quality of services and
respect for human and civil rights."
The proposed standard, Management System for Quality of Private Security
Company Operations - Requirements with Guidance (ASIS PSC.1) builds off the
Montreux Document and ICoC to assure conformity to pertinent legal
obligations and best practices related to operations of private military and
security companies in conditions where the rule of law has been undermined
by conflict or disaster. It provides auditable requirements based on the
Plan-Do-Check-Act model for third-party certification.
The Department of Defense reached out to ASIS in the summer of 2010 after
the House passed H.R. 5136, which called for standards and certification of
private security service providers. Subsequently, new legislation was
enacted and passed by Congress and in January 2011 President Obama signed
P.L. 111-383, The Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2011, which included a requirement for standards and third party
certification for private security service providers. Specifically, the
legislation calls for guidance to "(1) establish criteria for defining
standard practices for the performance of private security functions, which
shall reflect input from industry representatives as well as the Inspector
General of the Department of Defense; and (2) establish criteria for weapons
training programs for contractors performing private security functions,
including minimum requirements for weapons training programs of instruction
and minimum qualifications for instructors for such programs."
Committee formation is now underway and a call for participation has been
issued to the security industry, as well as client and rights group
worldwide. Interested parties need to submit the application form to ASIS by
March 30, 2011. For more information, visit
www.asisonline.org.
Any questions, please contact Vince Ruffolo at
vruffolo@arsecurity.com. |
