RAWALPINDI: Due to the fragile security situation, the trend of hiring private security guards by public and private entities has increased in the garrison city.

Visiting schools, hospitals, mosques, markets, bazaars and even residential streets, one can see the armed private guards deployed there. The deployment of private guards has increased especially after the terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.

“You can see private security guards outside houses almost everywhere. I live in a street near the Army Public School and after the Peshawar incident my neighbours formed a 15-member committee and collected Rs1,500 from each house to deploy security guards to stop strangers from entering the street,” said Mohammad Zameer, a resident of Westridge.

Public, private sector organizations and citizens hire guards to lessen sense of insecurity

He said after the deployment of the private guards, the residents were feeling secure to send their children out to play in the evening.

Zarina Ali, a visitor to Saddar, said she was so scared after the recent wave of terrorism that she avoided visiting public places.

“Due to the security concerns, we canceled a plan to go to Murree to see snowfall.” She said her children often questioned the presence of security guards outside markets and hospitals.

“It becomes difficult to tell them that people are feeling insecure and have deployed private guards to avoid any untoward incident,” she said.

“It is disturbing that even mosques seem not safe as they have also deployed private security guards,” said Mohammad Akram, a resident of Chaklala Scheme-III. He said three private guards were deployed on the main entrance to the mosque in his locality. “When mosques are not safe, you can imagine the situation,” he said.

“If police personnel are called back from protocol duties, they can be sent to different parts of the city in mobile teams to lessen the sense of insecurity among the citizens,” said Syed Asad Mashhadi, the president of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).

He said the trend of hiring private guards had increased due to the prevailing security situation.

“In markets and bazaars, shopkeepers collect money to hire security guards but it is the responsibility of the state to provide protection to the citizens and ensure peace in the country,” he said.

On the other hand, companies providing private guards and gadgets are cashing in on the situation and providing mostly untrained people after handing them uniforms and arms.

“There are over 50 companies providing private guards in the city and most of them are run by retired army officers,” said a senior official of the city district government.

He said the police had started a programme to train private security guards but due to the Rs6,000 fee per guard, the companies were not willing to send their personnel for training.

An official of a private security company on the condition of anonymity told Dawn that the demand for the security guards had increased manifold.

“In the past, we provided over 4,000 guards to different private entities but during the last two months we recruited more than 3,000 new guards to meet the rising demand.”

He said the companies mostly recruited retired army men and police personnel as they knew how to handle arms.

When contacted, former MNA and PML-N leader Malik Shakil Awan said the government had increased measures for the security of the citizens.

The police, counterterrorism department and intelligence agencies have been asked to increase patrolling and provide protection to the citizens.

He said the private security companies had been asked to share the details of their guards and ensure their training. It is not possible for the police to provide security to every street, he added.

However, former district nazim Raja Tariq Kiani said the government should increase the strength of the police.

“The deployment of private security guards is creating a sense of insecurity among the citizens. The government should improve the policing and adopt modern methods to ensure peace.”

He said in the West, the police used modern gadgets and policing to provide security to the residents. The government should approach the developed countries and benefit from their experience to enhance the capability of the local police,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2015

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