Handle with care: private security companies in Timor-Leste

• Sarah Parker
• East Timor Law Journal

Read the full text

16 November 2009In the wake of several highly publicized and troubling incidents involving private security companies (PSCs) in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years, scholars and the media have increasingly focused on the role of PSCs in providing security in conflict and post-conflict settings.

The international debate surrounding the engagement of private security providers is becoming increasingly important in Timor-Leste, where two developments have influenced the local discussion. Firstly, the number of PSCs operating in Timor-Leste has increased since independence. Secondly, the government is considering legislation authorizing non-state security pother civilians) to carry and use firearms in the course of their duties.

In parallel with the debate on the roles and regulation of private security providers, there is an emerging body of standards and best practices covering the activities of security firms, many of which originate within the industry itself. These standards should inform the development of regulations and/or codes of conduct governing the selection, licensing, and activities of private security personnel in Timor-Leste. 
 
The use of arms by private security personnel poses special challenges for Timor-Leste, where government capacity to appropriately regulate, monitor, and enforce weapons possession laws remains in question. If the Timorese government does proceed to adopt legislation allowing private security personnel to carry and use
firearms, strong regulations should be carefully considered, such as strict restrictions on carrying and a prohibition on storing guns at home after hours.
 
The aims of this paper are to:

1. explore what is meant by ‘private security’ and the status of private security personnel;
2. provide an overview of the PSCs operating in Timor-Leste;
3. analyse efforts to regulate the private security industry at the national and international levels, with a special focus on the access to and use of arms by private security personnel; and
4. explore some of the negative impacts of the use of armed private security in other countries.