Guarded government stops issuing licences to private security firms

In a major setback to security agencies who employ guards, the home department has ordered the city police to not issue fresh licences to any security firm. The state has also ordered the police to not renew any licence without thoroughly scrutinising the criminal antecedents of each and every guard.
Agencies believe they are being unnecessarily harassed and victimised.

Following the growing number of cases in which private guards are involved in criminal activities, the police have been ordered to follow stringent procedures while issuing fresh licences for security firms, said a senior police officer. One of the instances that may have prompted the move is believed to be the daring daylight shooting of a Navi Mumbai builder in which the assailants were dressed in the uniform of security guards.

Following the order, the city police have already begun a mammoth task of doing a background check of more than 8,000 security guards in the city. There are around 325 registered security firms across the city. “So far, we have cancelled licences of two security firms and suspended those of 27,” police commissioner Satyapal Singh said.

However, agency owners have said the police don’t have the required machinery and manpower to do the stringent checks on every guard. “There are times when the police verification of a guard who hails from any other state takes up to six months. This leads to inordinate delays in the issuance of licence,” said an agency owner.

He also asked why security agency owners should suffer for the administrative failure of the police.

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