Report: Hundreds of weapons belonging to G4S security guards reported lost, stolen nationwide

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — G4S security guards patrol Charlotte’s light rail, transit center and other big businesses, but an investigation found the company’s guards are losing guns or having them stolen at an alarming rate.

This started as a national investigation by USA Today, but Eyewitness News anchor Blaine Tolison looked at several cases in Charlotte.

USA Today reporters found out 600 weapons belonging to G4S were reported lost or stolen since 2009. They dug through thousands of police reports around the country.

In Charlotte, G4S guards some of the most well know uptown buildings, parking garages and the Transit Center.

USA Today shared with Channel 9 seven reports of lost or stolen guns in North Carolina, including 5 in Charlotte.

“Securing your firearm is a basic necessity of being an armed guard," security expert Bud Cesena said. “When you have five taken from one city, you have to start thinking: what are we doing right and what are we doing wrong?”

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Two G4S guns were stolen from cars, including one in 2016. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police recovered it in the same year in west Charlotte.

They arrested the man who had the gun along with plastic bags of marijuana and charged him with possession with intent to sell.

In another case from 2016, a G4S employee did not return to work, could not be contacted and failed to turn his gun into G4S.

In Harrisburg, a gun was stolen from a guard’s home in 2016 and ended up in the hands of a convicted felon.

A G4S spokesperson sent the following statement to Channel 9:

"G4S strictly enforces our policies when it comes to firearm safety. When an employee violates G4S’s policies regarding the safe transport and storage of firearms, appropriate action is taken, up to and including termination.

G4S has a strict policy about firearms management for employees. G4S provides a firearm lock to each officer when assigning firearms and confirming the possession and use of the lock. G4S also provides specific instruction and documentation demonstrating how officers should safely and securely transport and store firearms with their cable lock when traveling and at home.

G4S’ strict weapons management process consists of reporting lost or missing guns to local law enforcement and the ATF within a 48 hour period, as well as conducting internal investigations of the circumstances surrounding the loss. If the report details a theft, the investigation focuses on whether the employee violated company policy regarding firearm storage, so that appropriate action may be taken. Regardless of the circumstances, G4S investigates fully to understand the cause of the loss, take appropriate action, recover the firearm and improve processes."

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