Argentina. A few days ago, at an event held at the Hotel Colón, in the City of Buenos Aires, the Argentine Chamber of Electronic Security -CASEL-, presented its Electronic Security Bill.
Mr. Enrique Greenberg, president of CASEL, opened the talk by exposing the situation of the sector. "Electronic security in our country grew by 250% in the last ten years. Today it employs more than 14,500 people and has a turnover of $755 million a year. In the 80s we talked only about audible alarms and basic fire detection systems. Thirty years later we have a technology that allows us to recognize faces live on a closed night through automated night vision cameras." He added: "Technology evolved, the market grew, crimes became more complex, and risks increased, but we still do not have legislation to regulate our activity."
In this context, the president of CASEL said that they got to work. "It is not usual for a business chamber to draft a bill to regulate its own market, but we took care of this need, which we consider essential both to accompany the professional growth of our activity and to protect public safety," Greenberg said.
The Project
The bill required a year and a half of work by CASEL, which had the external advice of the Cassagne studio, specialized in the matter. In the writing of its 91 articles, specialists in intrusion detection, perimeter electrical fences, access controls, remote monitoring, fire detection, video security systems, and integrated security systems participated. Among its main objectives, the project proposes to establish its own regulatory framework that professionalizes the activity at the national level for the acceptance of devices to be installed, the adoption of technical standards, the qualification of registered technical and professional personnel; as well as the obligatory intervention of professionals for the preparation of technical specifications in State purchases.
Current regulations
Mr. Daniel Banda, vice president of CASEL, spoke about the current precarious regulatory situation. The businessman said that "today there are about 20 legislations throughout the country, as many as provincial jurisdictions, where some are laws, other rules, and other provisions, but in all cases they are delayed and incomplete regulations that ignore the activity and that put at risk its economic viability and security in general." As for the importance of achieving adequate regulation, Banda exemplified with certain sensitive services that today are offered without adequate legislation and control and that put human life at risk. "If an individual places 220 volts in a perimeter fence it can cost lives; if an individual adulterates access control equipment to public-private establishments, or these are not properly approved and inspected, and more people enter than allowed, it can cost lives; if someone installs a poor fire service in the quest to save costs and a company provides it, it can cost lives." And he concluded: "Establishing an efficient regulatory framework is not only a priority for our sector as an economic activity, it is essential for public security as a whole."
Scope of the bill
Regarding the scope of application of the Law, Dr. Raúl Alfredo Castro, Legal Advisor of CASEL, pointed out that "although the objective of the project is regulatory uniformity at the national level, it is a local bill, aimed at the provinces and the CABA. It is not constitutionally feasible to sanction a comprehensive national regulation that unifies the regulations throughout the country."
At the end of the presentation, Greenberg took the floor and summarized the objective of the project highlighting that it seeks to collaborate in the improvement of public safety standards with a more efficient and adequate regulation to the current needs of the sector, establishing minimum technical requirements according to the objective to which the service is presented and what is the service provided. He added: "Today we have taken a big step in the professionalization of the activity, but we are halfway there, we still have the task of convincing legislators to deal with the law. That's where we are," concluded the President of CASEL.
Know all the details of the project HERE
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