In July 2018 the Colombian Congress issued Law 1920, which has been called ‘the Security Guard’s Law’. It creates a legal framework for the inspection, surveillance and control of specialised cooperatives conducting private surveillance and security work and establishes regulations governing the adequate employment and training of operational surveillance personnel.

In this Law, Congress:

• established the requirements for specialised safety cooperatives to hold an operating licence;
• set out the requirements for annual collective life insurance cover for operational personnel;
• established the supplementary working schedule applicable to the private surveillance and security sector;
• created incentives for the engagement of women, older workers and individuals with a disability in private security companies;
• set out the terms on which a certificate of physical and psychological aptitude for the possession and use of firearms will be issued;
• established 26 September as the Colombian national day of private surveillance and security.

The Law entered into force on 12 July 2018.