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ArmorGroup International is a British company providing private security. It was founded in 1981 and was listed on the London Stock Exchange until 6 June 2008 (it was acquired by G4S plc in April 2008). ArmorGroup provides protective security services, risk management consultancy, security training and mine action services. It has 38 offices in 27 countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Colombia, Iraq, Lebanon, Nigeria and Sudan. It is a founder and full member of the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), the British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC〔(BAPSC : Home )〕) and the Private Security Company Association of Iraq (PSCAI).〔(PSCAI )〕 ArmorGroup is managed by Noel Philp, Chief Operating Officer; Matthew Brabin, M.D. and Christopher Beese, chief administrative officer.〔(ArmorGroup official factsheet ). Retrieved 16 June 2007.〕 ==History== ArmorGroup began operations in 1981 as Defence Systems Limited (DSL), a company founded "to provide protective security services principally to multinational oil and gas companies."〔 The publicly traded Armor Holdings, Inc., a business principally involved in the manufacture of armored vehicles and law enforcement equipment, acquired DSL in 1997. Some of the current senior management team carried out a Management Buyout of the company in November 2003, backed by Granville Baird Capital Partners and Barclays Bank. ArmorGroup was listed on the main list of the London Stock Exchange in December 2004.〔 In 2007, it posted a US$9.2 million profit, reporting $295 million turnover for that year.〔 On March 20, 2008, the company announced that its Board had recommended a £43.6 million cash offer for the company by G4S plc.〔 The acquisition completed on 29 April 2008. G4S has basically retired the "ArmorGroup" name although ArmorGroup North America, Inc. ("AGNA") is still in existence (see below). ==ArmorGroup North America, Inc. Scandal in Afghanistan== On June 11, 2009, the Wall Street Journal reported that internal State Department documents deemed ArmorGroup security lapses at the US embassy in Kabul so severe as to render the compound in "jeopardy." Guard posts were found empty and unstaffed for hours at a time, among other problems. The article quoted staffers on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s contracting oversight panel.〔(Senate Probe Exposes Embassy Security Failures ), Wall Street Journal, 11 June 2009〕 On 1 September 2009, the Project On Government Oversight sent a (letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ) which detailed allegations of misconduct by over 10% of the 450 employees of ArmorGroup guarding the embassy. There were claims also that the guards drank excessively and misbehaved whilst under the influence, did not speak English or Pashto (as they were largely Ghurkas) and had not been properly equipped to carry out their work. On 4 September 2009, the US State department announced that eight private security guards and some of their managers would be fired.〔Cole, August, (Firm Fires U.S. Embassy Guards in Kabul ), Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2009〕 Several days later on September 10, the Project on Government Oversight offered further details on the company's problems with upholding its obligations at the embassy as outlined in a $189 million contract. A federal complaint was filed over the company's "serious and chronic under-staffing," the "language and communications violations committed by personnel," the "numerous instances of making false statements, misrepresentations and withholding information from the State," and "jeopardizing the safety of the guard force via the purchase of cheaper, sub-par armored vehicles." The report also said that ArmorGroup demonstrated "a pattern of blatant and longstanding violations" leading to a "pervasive breakdown" in discipline, morale and security at the embassy.〔(POGO Statement on ArmorGroup Whistleblower Lawsuit Filed Today: State Department Accountability Remains Key Management Issue ), POGO, 10 September 2009〕 On Sept. 14th, witnesses and panelists at a Commission on Wartime Contracting hearing urged the U.S. State Department to cancel its Afghanistan contract with ArmorGroup for massive failures, deficiencies and "egregious violations."〔(State Urged to Cancel Kabul Embassy Security Contract ), Government Executive, 14 September 2009〕 On 27 October 2010, the Department of State's Office Inspector General released a report finding that AGNA had not been able to recruit, train, or manage the Kabul Embassy Security Force ("KESF") at the staffing level or the quality required by its contract with the Department of State. They also found that AGNA had employed Nepalese guards without verifiable experience, training, or background investigations in violation of its contract.〔Kabul Embassy Security Force, Department of State, Office of Inspector General ()〕 In July 2011, the US Department of Justice announced that ArmorGroup paid the US government $7.5 million to resolve issues stemming from false claims the company made regarding charges for its services at the embassy. The payment also covered claims that its employees violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), and that management was aware of this, as well as allegations that ArmorGroup misrepresented the prior work experience of 38 national guards it hired. Additional allegations stated that the company had failed to comply with Foreign Ownership, Control and Influence mitigation requirements on the contract, as well as those outlined in a separate contract to provide guard services at a US naval support facility in Bahrain.〔(Armor Group North America and Its Affiliates Pay $7.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations ), United States Department of Justice, 7 July 2011〕 As of 15 June 2012 AGNA has turned over security responsibilities for the embassy to Aegis Defense Services LLC, an American branch of Aegis Ltd. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「ArmorGroup」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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