WALK into any commercial-residential building in Hong Kong late at night and chances are you will see a venerable elder peering from a broom closet or laying on a cot under a stairway. This is your licensed security guard, the man entrusted with the protection of yourself, your family and your property. Does his appearance make you feel snug and safe? Possibly not. It's been traditional in the security industry to employ retired men, put them in a uniform and hope for the best. Often decrepit and unfit, they are of little or no deterrence to determined professional burglars, who are usually young, strong and unwilling to let anything stand in their way.
Hence changes in regulations governing the way your office and home is protected. The old Watchmen's Ordinance of 1956 - the legalistic roots go back a century - is now being replaced by a new Security and Guarding Ordinance which will come into full effect in June.
Police Licensing Officer Superintendent Au Hok-lam is currently re-issuing licenses under the new procedures. This is no quick and simple task; there are an astonishing 130,000 registered security guards in Hong Kong.
'It's a unique trade,' Mr Au says. Regulating the way it works has not kept up with radical changes that include new technology, surveillance systems, computerisation and equipment.
'Every building in Hong Kong has a caretaker or watchman,' he explains. 'If they have any security responsibility, or have to check the ID of people coming and going, then they have to be licensed watchmen.
'They are a significant part of the working population.' Two decades ago, a Sikh with a hockey stick was often thought to be sufficient to protect a goldsmith's shop. Today, banks, malls and government offices are scrutinised by sophisticated and expensive security installations maintained by trained staff.