Security guard Charanpreet Singh Dhaliwal died due to a blunt force injury to the head, a coroner has ruled.
The 22-year-old died after a violent attack on a construction site near the Lincoln Rd overbridge of the Northwestern Motorway in Henderson, Auckland, on November 18, 2011.
In a report released today, Coroner JP Ryan said Mr Dhaliwal was "struck on the head at least twice with a piece of wood" while confronting a group of four men on the site he was guarding. It was his first night on the job.
In 2013, a jury found Hateni Latu not guilty of Mr Dhaliwal's murder.
The report said that Mr Dhaliwal's employer, CNE Security, took him at his word when he said he was an experienced security guard and did not check with his previous employer exactly what training or experience he had.
Mr Ryan recommended "strengthening training requirements" for security guards in order to avoid guards having to confront people on sites illegally.
He also recommended the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and WorkSafe New Zealand devise an approved code of practice for security workers, "highlighting the underlying principal of observe and report" in order to minimise workplace confrontations.
Family spokesman Jasjit Singh says the coroner's findings haven't brought any closure.
"Nobody has been held liable for his death [there are] recommendations so these things do not happen, but again that only will be possible if the Government follows those recommendations to the logical end."
Family lawyer Jeff Sissons says Mr Dhaliwal was let down by the system.
"First by putting him in the situation where he found himself and then through two court cases, both of which found no responsibility.
"It's notable that Charanpreet wasn't trained when he was undertaking this work because he wasn't required to be trained back then but I think there are holes in the training requirements and we'd like to see them strengthened."
The union for security guards, E tū, says unless coroner's recommendations are acted upon, Mr Dhaliwal's death will be in vain.
E tū security industry coordinator Jill Ovens says many security companies are taking advantage of loopholes in the law to employee people without sufficient training.
"There is no way new guards should be on industrial sites at night without the basic training, and even then, part of their on-job orientation should involve buddying with experienced guards," says Ms Ovens.
"The intention of the legislation requiring mandatory training for security guards is being subverted by security companies either directly hiring or using contractors with armies of new migrants on temporary Certificates of Approval who have no previous training."
3 News / RadioLIVE
