GLANCE through any news report of a bank heist or robbery at some other commercial establishment. Chances are that among those who got injured or shot dead is the security guard employed at the premises. We only get to hear of him again if he’s found to have had some culpability in the break-in. A recent report in this paper gave an insight into the back story of private security guards whose dire work conditions have a direct bearing on their morale and, by extension, on the security of those they are employed to protect. Although it focused on security guards and agencies in Punjab, there is enough anecdotal evidence to indicate that similar conditions prevail throughout the country.

The plight of the majority is pathetic by any standard: less than minimum wage for 12-hour shifts seven days a week, lack of training, no overtime, sick leave, or medical cover. Moreover, despite their high-risk job, they have no social security cover, which means their families are not entitled to compensation if they lose their lives in the line of duty. The security agencies that employ them on such terms are not only flouting norms of humane behaviour by exploiting the desperation of those in need of an income, howsoever humiliating the circumstances in which it is earned, but also breaking the law in some respects. Aside from refresher training for the guards, the provincial government also stipulates that agencies insure their guards with respect to death or serious injury amounting to disability in the discharge of duty. Action has indeed been taken against some 70 agencies for operating counter to the requirements of the law and human decency, but a lot more remains to be done. Potential customers of security agencies would do well to consider how effective guards are when they are malnourished, demoralised and insecure about their future. If they were discriminating about which agency to do business with, it may prompt unethical establishments to review their practices.