Cameroon will no longer tolerate the activities of private security firms which are unlicensed, the government says.
Minister of Internal Administration Marafat Hamidou Yaya announced the decision on Wednesday in a bid to improve the West African country's security.
"The administrative tolerance that was in place until now has come to an end. The government will no longer leave the sector to be unchecked. Governors and police commissioners have received instructions to immediately terminate the activities of companies that are operating illegally," declared the minister.
Out of the 150 security companies in the country, only nine have been approved, 24 are still waiting for legalization and the rest are operating without authorization.
Complaints have been reported including collusion with gangsters, illegal possession of arms, bad behavior towards customers and robberies, according to official documents.
Working conditions are bad for most of the employees, who are not covered by social security scheme. Their salaries are pathetic for work of 12 hours a day.
Since 2007, the government has twice warned against the proliferation of unlicensed security firms in Cameroon, while publishing the list of companies authorized by the state and those operating illegally.
Source:Xinhua
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