Security changes at Ministry of Social Development Service Centres
27 February 2017.
It’s an important part of our security that we know who is coming into our Work and Income offices. Our security guards are having a conversation with people before they come into our offices to quickly discuss why a person is there, and help to make sure we don’t admit anyone who might represent a risk to the safety of other clients or our staff.
People will be asked for ID – any form of ID. But we know not everyone carries this at all times so not having ID won’t mean people can’t come into a Work and Income office. If guards are satisfied someone has a genuine reason for visiting, the lack of ID will not be a barrier to them coming into our offices.
Many security guards were already having these conversations - the change is simply making sure we have a consistent approach across the country. We've been progressively rolling out the change since 16 January.
As part of this we have been working very closely with Armourguard to make sure their staff understand the new guidelines and get up-skilled. This includes ensuring our contracted security personnel are fully aware of their obligations under the Privacy Act, including using any private information provided strictly for the purposes for which it is required. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is aware of the process we are using and is satisfied it meets the requirements of the Privacy Act.
We are monitoring the changes and will respond quickly if any issues arise.