Crowd control, fire fighting training, MHA's rules for pvt sec guards

File pic of security guards deployed at the Carter Road promenade in Bandra

All private security guards will henceforth have to undergo at least 20 days of physical training for crowd control, fire fighting and identification of IEDs, while owners of private security agencies will have to go through six-day training on subjects like internal security and disaster management.

All these protocols have come into immediate effect with the issuance of fresh rules by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

"In exercise of the powers conferred by section 24 of the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005 (29 of 2005) and in supersession of the Private Security Agencies Central Model Rules, 2006, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Government hereby makes the following model rules… These rules may be called the Private Security Agencies Central Model Rules, 2020," a notification issued by the MHA on Tuesday said.

The licensees of private security agencies will also have to immediately intimate the government about any criminal charge framed against the persons forming the agency or against a private security guard or supervisor engaged or employed by the agency in the course of performance of duties as private security agency.

The agencies will have to verify character and antecedents of the private security guard and supervisor, and this process can be done by accessing electronic databases of crime and criminal like the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems (CCTNS), Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) through the police.

The MHA said for the entry level of training for the private security guards, a minimum period of 100 hours of classroom instruction and 60 hours of field training, spread over at least 20 working days should be conducted.

The ex-servicemen and former police personnel shall however be required to attend a condensed course of minimum 40 hours of classroom instructions and 16 hours of field training spread over at least seven working days.

The training shall include physical fitness, physical security, security of the assets, security of the building or apartment, personnel security, household security, fire fighting, crowd control, examining identification papers, including identity cards, passports and smart cards.

The rules said the private security guards should be able to read and understand English alphabets and Arabic numerals as normally encountered in the identification documents, arms licence, travel documents and security inspection sheet.

The training also include identification of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), first-aid, crisis response and disasters management, handling and operation of non-prohibited weapons and firearms (optional), rudimentary knowledge of Indian Penal Code, procedure for lodging first information report in the police station, badges of rank in police and military forces and identification of different types of arms in use in public and police.

Standard of physical fitness for security guards with specifications of - height 160 cms (females 150 cm), weight according to standard table of height and weight, chest 80 cm with an expansion of 4 cm (for females no minimum requirement for chest measurement).

Far sight vision should be 6/6, near vision 0.6/0.6 with or without correction, free from colour blindness, should be able to identify and distinguish colour display in security equipments and read and understand display in English alphabets and Arabic numerals.

The licensee shall successfully undergo a training relating to the private security for a minimum period of six working days.

The training shall broadly include the following subjects like security scenario, VIP security, internal security, institutional security, fire fighting, disaster management protocols, explosives and IEDs.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said last year that there were around 90 lakh private security guards in the country while the total number of police and paramilitary forces was around 30 lakh.

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