KOCHI: The incident wherein a gang of robbers threatened and tied up a security guard before looting over 15 shops at Palarivattam has raised questions on the safety of the security guards in the city. Security agencies, police and the guards themselves say that there is no way a guard can protect himself or the establishment he is working for in times of emergencies.“When a security guard is appointed, the qualities that we look for are whether he is healthy and has a clean record. So, we get references and check his previous work experience and other aspects,” said Rajappan Nair, managing director of Pinakin Security Private Limited, a company that outsources security guards.He, however, added that in case of a law-and-order situation, a guard does not have the right to take any major action.“His duty is to raise an alarm and alert the management, police and the night patrol. In any case, we cannot be completely prepared for all situations as it is up to each person’s presence of mind,” he said.According to T N Nair, managing director, Gallant Guards (another security personnel outsourcing company), a guard is mainly appointed to look out for trouble.“In case of a problem, his primary duty is to raise an alarm. For that and a little bit of defence, we provide a whistle and a small lathi to our guards. Since it is also mandatory that we check the health and background of the guard, he will be fit to handle minor situations,” Nair said.He added that the age limit fixed by Gallant Guards was 55 years. “But, there are companies which appoint people who are more than 65,” he added. However, security guards do not completely agree.“In an emergency situation, a security guard does not have any means to protect himself. He can either choose to run away or get beaten up. In any case, the company he works for will disown him and he is sure to lose his job,” said a security guard under condition of anonymity.He added that the security guards are not paid well.“If a company does not offer a decent amount, the guards that it gets will also be of a compatible cadre,” he added.“As per norms, a security guard needs to be frequently trained in security operations like fire fighting, disaster management, spotting improvised explosives and the like. However, this cannot be done as most of the outsourcing agencies and the guards themselves are not registered with the authority concerned,” said M N Ramesh, Assistant Commissioner of Special Branch.
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