KARACHI, Dec 30: The Sindh Home Department on Friday issued orders for immediate arrest of all those operating private security agencies in the province without licences.

“Moreover, all private security agencies operating with licences have been directed to submit complete data of their security guards along with their place of posting to the respective town/district police officers by Tuesday,” Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui told journalists at a hurriedly called press conference at his office on Friday.

He also said that in the case of any crime committed at a place where the private security guard(s) were posted, the concerned private security agency would be responsible for compensation of the losses.

These measures are being taken after reports of involvement of private security guards in bank robberies and other crimes, he said.

Mr Siddiqui said it was seen that private security agencies had been recruiting personnel without any criteria or on fake ID cards having no details of their hometown addresses, or past records, etc.

“From now on, security agencies will be bound to recruit persons residing only in the Sindh province as guards, and that too after the person gets a two-week training at the police training centre and produce a certificate,” he said.

The condition would, however, not apply to the retired personnel of forces since their details were usually available.

Any violation of instructions, would result in cancellation of licence.

To a question, the minister said that this year, from Jan 1 to Dec 4, 2005, cases were registered against 12 private security agencies in which 36 security guards were arrested.

Furthermore, 11 cases were registered against private security guards whose weapons were snatched; in seven cases, three persons were killed and 11 injured in firing by private security guards; and nine security guards were killed and 16 injured in 14 registered cases.

The minister also said that the licences of three private security agencies were suspended during the year, that of one cancelled and 27 cases of the licence suspension were under consideration by the home department.

Mr Siddiqui clarified that ex-servicemen having been dismissed, court-martialled, were fugitives or had any criminal record were not allowed to be recruited. If any private security agency had recruited such persons, they should be removed from service with immediate effect, he said.—PPI