Security Guard Day in Kazakhstan Date in the current year: October 29, 2024

Security Guard Day in Kazakhstan is celebrated on October 29, because on this day in 1952, the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union issued a decree establishing an extra-departmental external security service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It consisted of brigades responsible for protecting retail and commercial facilities.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan inherited the structure of the Soviet militia, which included the extra-departmental security service. This changed in the late 1990s, when Kazakhstani militia was transformed into police as a result of reforms in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The functions of the extra-departmental security service were transferred to the specialized security service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In addition, there are private security companies in Kazakhstan that have assumed part of the functions of the extinct extra-departmental security service. Their activities are regulated by the law “On Security Activities” adopted in 2000. Many of these companies are members of the Association of the Security Organizations of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It was the Association that joined forces with the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan “Atameken” and petitioned the government of Kazakhstan to establish an official professional holiday for the country’s security guards.

The specialized security service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan currently employs over 15,000 people, who are tasked with protecting particularly important state properties and strategic sites, the list of which is determined by the government of Kazakhstan. All other facilities that need protection are guarded by private security companies.

According to the numbers provided on the official website of the Association of Security Organizations of Kazakhstan, as of 2018, there were more than 5,000 private security companies in the country, employing over 98,000 people. Almost a thousand more companies were engaged in the installation, setting up and maintenance of burglar alarms.

In addition to protecting various facilities, security guards can be involved in the protection of public order in the adjacent territories and joint patrolling with the police to prevent and investigate administrative and criminal offenses. Security companies also actively cooperate with the government in countering terrorism; their managers take part in counter terrorism training programs and then pass on their knowledge and experience to their employees.

So, Security Guard Day in Kazakhstan is celebrated by more than 100,000 people, most of whom work for private security companies. This professional holiday was established to highlight their contribution to guarding various properties and ensuring the safety of the residents and guests of the country, as well as to the development of the country’s economy.