Private security agencies under lens

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The home department has instructed the police to strictly comply with the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005, to avert possible security risk as many such agencies are conducting their operations without properly verifying the background of the personnel they employ.

As per a circular issued by the department on June 29 to state police chief, labour commissioner, district police chief and the district collectors, only those agencies with a proper licence can function in the state. Those functioning without registration will face police action.

“It has come to our notice that several agencies are functioning without registration. We are preparing a database of the agencies at district-level. If they are not registered, they will have to face legal consequences,” state police chief Loknath Behera said.

The circular also says the agencies, while appointing personnel as guards and security persons, should comply with conditions specified in the rule 4 of the Kerala Private Security Agencies, Rules, 2010, framed by the state. As per the rule, “before a person is employed or engaged as a security guard or a supervisor, the agency shall satisfy itself about the character and antecedents of such a person”. The rule says that it should be done by verifying the certificate produced by the person and checking police report.

The agency is supposed to pay a fee to the police, upon which the police will verify the person’s character by visiting the person’s area of residence and ascertaining his identity. The police report will specifically state whether he has any previous criminal records. The police report will also specifically comment if employing the person will pose a threat to the security or the public order.

The circular also warned the agencies that if they commit any lapses in providing minimum monetary compensation to the employees engaged as security guards as specified by the labour and skills department from time to time, they will have to face legal action. It added that it would be applicable to those firms which avail the services of private security agencies and provide wages to them as well.

The rules also say private security guards engaged by an agency should be provided with 100 hours of classroom training and 60 hours of field training. However, the ex-servicemen need to undergo only a condensed course that includes 40 hours of classroom training and 16 hours of field training.

The topics that should be covered include conduct in public and proper wearing of uniform, physical fitness, ability for fire-fighting, crowd control, examination of identification papers and to provide first aid, among other things.

It is also mandatory for the agencies to subject their employees to medical examination every three months. Top home department sources said that there are only a few agencies that have properly registered under the home department, and many are unregulated ones that operate with only an arms licence.