A/HRC/27/50 customs, immigration, prison officers or any other kind of public official. Aside from the four aspects mentioned above, the permitted and prohibited activities of PSCs vary from country to country and there are no provisions for the application of human rights standards or principles. 6. Regulations on the use of force and acquisition of weapons by PSC personnel 62. Most of the States reviewed allow PSC personnel to carry firearms. Singapore’s law prohibits private guards from carrying certain firearms unless the employee has a special permit; Sri Lanka has a similar requirement. Malaysia’s law makes no mention of the use of firearms by PSC personnel, but its indicates that an arms licence may be issued to a responsible person designated by the security company. A common detail that is usually missing from the regulations is the type of firearms and other non-lethal weapons that security guards can use. China’s regulations107 on the use of guns by guards and escorts are a good example of legislation that limits the use of firearms and defines the rules of engagement. The laws reviewed also differ in their regulation of training that PSC personnel must have in order to obtain a licence to handle firearms. There are no clear or uniform standards on this issue. Training requirements in some States108 provided for fail to specify minimum standards; the Philippines allow PSC personnel to carry weapons subject to the provision of training to security guards and limitations on the types of weapons carried. Sri Lanka’s law vaguely states that the Minister may establish regulations with regard to the level of competence in the use of firearms for PSC personnel and the certificates for the use of firearms are issued by the local police departments. 63. Illegal acquisition of arms is rarely addressed in the relevant laws. The law of the United Arab Emirates mentions the prohibition from acquiring or carrying firearms, but most of the laws reviewed make no mention of arms or weapons. However, this may be due to the fact that specific laws regulate the sale and possession of firearms, and does not infer that PSCs have impunity with regard to this issue. 7. Accountability for violations of the law committed by PSC personnel and remedy for victims 64. Only two States, namely China109 and Malaysia,110 clearly recognize the obligation to report information concerning any offence or violation of their respective laws. The Sri Lanka law provides for the obligation to furnish reports to the competent authority, which could be construed as including reports on offences or violations.111 However, specific provisions for reporting human rights offences or violations is generally absent from among the laws reviewed, which raises important questions about the impact of PSC operations on human rights and the issue of accountability. 65. A good practice observed in China provision is the duty of the employer or the security company to provide compensation in cases where a security guard causes injuries or casualties.112 The law of the Philippines also provides for what is considered to be good 107 108 109 110 111 112 18 China, Regulations on the Administration of the Use of Guns by Full-time Guards and Escorts, 2002. Pakistan (Punjab) and Singapore. See China, State Council Order No. 564, 2009, art. 29, which states that the security guard shall stop any violation or crime occurring within the service area in a timely fashion. Moreover, it states that he must promptly report to the police any violation or crime that he could not stop, while simultaneously taking measures to protect the scene. Malaysia, Act 27, 1971, sect. 6. Sri Lanka, Act No. 45, 1998, sect. 7 (2). See China, State Council Order No. 564, 2009, art. 46: “Where a security guard causes personal injuries and casualties or property losses to others during his security and guarding services, the