In response to recent reports of suspected illegal employment in the security service at Gamescom last week, Nora Rauch, chairwoman of the BDSW regional group in North Rhine-Westphalia, stated:

‘Unfortunately, non-compliance with legal regulations in connection with large events is not an isolated case in the security industry. However, unlawful behaviour by security companies – which we as an industry association also view critically – is partly encouraged by a misplaced focus on awarding contracts and a lack of controls. There is an urgent need for legislators to take action here.’For years, the BDSW has been calling for greater priority to be given to quality criteria in public procurement law. Unfortunately, legislators have still not taken action in this area. If price continues to be the decisive factor in the awarding of security-related contracts, it should come as no surprise if security is sometimes neglected, according to Rauch. This has already been demonstrated on several occasions during the Cologne Carnival.Rauch sees another core problem in uncontrolled subcontractor constellations. It is hardly avoidable that subcontractors are often used, especially in the context of large-scale events. However, when subcontractors are involved, there is a risk that consistent compliance with all legal requirements will quickly fall out of focus. This often has a negative impact on security, especially in the case of longer subcontractor chains. ‘Appropriate verification and control obligations must be put in place to ensure that subcontractors also comply with legal requirements,’ Rauch urges. The BDSW has been pointing this out continuously for years. However, nothing has been done yet, which may have had another negative impact in the current case.