Private guards to bolster intelligence network

Private security guards will now become part of the intelligence network of the police.

Private security guards will now become part of the intelligence network of the police. Apart from performing their usual duties, they will also keep a close watch on anything they find suspicious at public places like hotels, malls, government establishments and inform the police about it on a daily basis.

The national body of private security agencies, the Central Association of Private Security Industry CAPSI, is in discussion with the Gujarat government to jointly work for collection of intelligence inputs, and reporting of suspicious activities.

The need for such joint effort was felt to strengthen the intelligence network in the state following the Mumbai terror attacks. The intelligence inputs provided by security guards deployed at several public places across the country can be a valuable source of information, said sources.

While talks with the Gujarat government are on, a formal proposal will soon be sent by CAPSI to the state Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Narendra Modi. 8220;We are ready to do whatever we can for the security of the people of Gujarat. We just need to look at the final proposal and then we will decide,8221; said Shah.

These apart, CAPSI has also submitted a detailed proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs to work in tandem with the Centre, which has been accepted. The ministry is in the process of developing a mechanism whereby information received from private security agencies can be filtered and used to avoid any lapse.

When asked about the reported collaboration with CAPSI, Additional Secretary Internal Security Ministry of Home Affairs Anita Chaudhry, said she had no knowledge about it. Former secretary ML Kumawat was handling this, she said.

8220;The ministry has accepted our proposal. The police will help in providing training to private security guards,8221; said CAPSI chairman Kunwar Vikram Singh. Explaining how the information will flow to the police, Singh said: 8220;As soon as security guards find something suspicious, they will inform the nodal officer of the security agency. The agency in turn will call up the nodal officer of the police and inform him about it.8221; The government is in the process of appointing nodal officers.

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Private guards the first choice of govt, commercial bodies
VADODARA: In the wake of terror attacks in Mumbai, government and important commercial agencies are increasingly relying on private security guards. Industries and offices, which previously faced bomb threats, have skipped the idea of involving policemen to guard their premises. Strangely enough, this has been done despite a circular issued all over the state by the police department that puts private agencies under scanner following recent incidents involving them.

8220;We have increased the security measures, but we do not have policemen guarding our premises. We have six private security personnel including a woman security guard, who has been recently appointed. We have also asked for four Closed Circuit Television CCTV cameras,8221; said M K Chablani, Public Relations Officer of the Vadodara branch of the I-T Department. Page 5