Determinants affecting performance of private security service providers in Kigali, Rwanda: a study of TOPSEC INVESTMENT LTD

Abstract

The private security industry in Rwanda is facing a number of challenges, which hinders performance of private security service providers. The current study therefore, sought to investigate the determinants affecting performance of private security service providers in Kigali, Rwanda: A study of Topsec Investment Ltd. The specific objectives included; to determine the effect of technology, capacity building and regulations on performance of private security service providers. The securitization theory is the anchor supported by the industrial organization theory. Mixed methodology and concurrent triangulation design were adopted. The target population was 3,320 respondents including managers of Topsec, Topsec security guards, Topsec clients, and Rwanda National Police Officers. A sample of 357 respondents was selected using simple random sampling. In this study, qualitative data were collected using interview guidelines and quantitative data using a structured questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in the form of percentage, mean and standard deviation. In addition, Pearson correlation and regression analysis were used to examine the relationship between the study variables. The results show that the use of technology, capacity building and regulation has a positive and significant effect on the efficiency of private security service providers. The findings further indicated that a combination of technology adoption, capacity building, and regulations explained sixty two percent of total variations in the performance of PSSP. The study concluded that technology, capacity building, and regulation contributed significantly to the effectiveness of PSSPs. The study recommends the need for private security firms‘ management to improve quality of technology devices by adopting modern equipment; should improve capacity building through quality training programs, regular training, and regular review of training standards. RNP should streamline regulations relating to PSSP. The study makes significant contribution to security sector by providing empirical evidence on the impact of technology, capacity building and regulations to performance of private security service providers.