Challenges in security training after the PSAR Act

Scene before passing of PSAR:

"The private security business employs more people than the police forces of all States combined and pays to the exchequer Rs. 10,000 crore by way of service tax, provident fund and contribution to the Employees' State Insurance Corporation.” The Hindu: 04.12.2006

It is not that there were no training needs for security professionals before PSAR. There were security agencies, there were contract security personnel and then there were proprietary security in many PSUs. They all needed training. Then there were DGR sponsored security agencies providing ex-servicemen.

As security personnel need to unlearn more then the learning to come out of fixed mindset working only in confined and constrained environment and straight-jacketed hierarchical structure, their training needs were found to be very peculiar in which they had to mostly unlearn what was leaned in armed forces so that they freshly approach the subject of industrial security which is different to national security!

As proven by the IT sector, every sector creates it niche and also creates it own trained professionals! The NIIT certification course is not the one given by any university, nor was initially approved by the Government. Same is the case with ‘Aptech”. Their quality of contents and training got the approval of the industry players and soon these certificate courses became eligibility criterion for employment in IT sector. Similarly the ‘Industrial Security Sector’ also created it demand of true security professionals and there supply of trained manpower became scarce. Few training institute got their act together and raised their training standards. All this was before passing of PSAR. There was still no benchmarking, there was no minimum syllabus nor were there any minimum training hours fixed. Mostly this was due to no regulatory authority and sector’s own internal co-ordination and self regulation failed to materialize.

Why PSAR and what it says about Training:

Statement of Objects and Reasons for PSAR Act - Due to increase in the number of business establishments and increasing demands for security, there has been a proliferation of private security agencies in the recent years. The growing tendency to hire security guards from private sources by an industrial or business undertaking has led to coming up of large number of private security agencies all over the country.

1. Though these private security agencies have helped in meeting the security needs of business establishments, there has been a growing concern about the manner of functioning of these agencies, many of which seem to conduct their operations without due care for verifying the antecedents of the personnel employed as private security guards and supervision.

2. There is also a danger of the employees of the private security agencies encroaching upon the duties of the police, using weapons in an illegal manner and wearing uniforms which resemble those of the police. In many instances, personnel employed by these agencies have also been involved in criminal activities.

3. For all these reasons, Union Government has been considering to regulate the functioning of these private security agencies, so that they are run within legal parameters and are accountable to a regulatory mechanism. In view of above, it is proposed to regulate the private security agencies through an Act which provides for a Controlling Authority to be appointed by the State Governments for the purpose of granting licenses and also to make holding of licenses mandatory for the carrying on of business of security agencies and other related matters.

Following are the sections of the PSAR Act which deal with the aspects of training -

9. Conditions for commencement of operation and engagement of supervisors-

(2) Every private security agency shall ensure imparting of such training and skills to its private security guards and supervisors as may be prescribed: Provided that the person carrying on the business of private security agency, before the commencement of this Act, shall ensure the required training to its security guards and supervisors within a period of one year from the date of such commencement.

10. Eligibility to be a private security guard-

(1) (d) Has completed the prescribed security training successfully;
(e) Fulfils such physical standards as may be prescribed; and
(f) Satisfies such other conditions as may be prescribed.

11. Conditions of license-

(1) The State Government may frame rules to prescribe the conditions on which license shall be granted under this Act and such conditions shall include requirements as to the training which the licensee is to undergo, details of the person or persons forming the agency, obligation as to the information to be provided from time to time to the Controlling Authority regarding any change in their address, change of management and also about any criminal charge made against them in the course of their performance of duties of the private security agency or as the case may be, a private security guard employed or engaged by them.

(2) The State Government may make provision in the rules to verify about imparting of required training by the private security agency under sub-section (2) of Section 9 and to review continuation or otherwise of license of such private security agency which may not have adhered to the condition of ensuring the required training.

13. Cancellation and suspension of license-

(1) The Controlling Authority may cancel any license on any one or more of the following grounds, namely:-

(c) That the license holder has violated the provisions of this Act or the rules made there under or any of the conditions of the license;

15. Register to be maintained by a private security agency-

(1) Every private security agency shall maintain a register containing—
(d) Such other particulars as may be prescribed.

24. Framing of model rules for adoption by States-

The Central Government may frame model rules in respect of all or any of the matters with respect to which the State Government may make rules under this Act, and where any such model rules have been framed the State Government shall, while making any rules in respect of that matter under Section 25, so far as is practicable, conform to such model rules.

25. Power of State Government to make rules-

(1) The State Government may, by notification, make rules for carrying out the provisions of this Act.

(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:-

(g) Particulars to be maintained in a register under sub-section (1) of Section 15;

What are the challenges?

Training institutes of repute: accreditation by central / state governments
Training infrastructure: benchmarking
Training syllabus: elaborate training hour / subject basis
Training faculties: ranking system
Reading & reference material: Indian publication
Finances involved in separate training activities by Individual security agencies

Training institutes of repute: accreditation by central / state governments

"It is estimated that in the next five years, requirement of private security will increase to one crore security personnel which works out to be nine times the present strength of our Army. The private security industry today is operating in the most haphazard manner totally unregulated and suitable to meet the challenges. The manner in which most of the private security agencies function has become a matter of great concern. Many of these agencies conduct their operations without due care for verifying the antecedents of the personnel employed as private security guards and supervisors," pointed out Major General Satbir Singh,

"The private security personnel are required to be highly skilled, capable of understanding and using the modem security equipments." says Singh.
Gurgaon Plus – Digital 8.3.2006

There are many training institute which have mushroomed all over the country post PSAR. Some of them have capitalized the opportunity purely on commercial considerations since training has been given major emphasis in the Act. They will need more seasoning time to earn good repute.

Training infrastructure: benchmarking

All the training institutes need to have required training infrastructure including the training aids. It has to be kept in mind that the trainees can not be taught in ‘class room style’. All of them would be mature age, sufficient exposure to the industrial world and will also have some experience in industrial security. Understandably they may not be the brightest of the students as other-wise they would have had better career options but still they can be treated as fresh college students. For this purpose the training infrastructure must be appropriate most preferably multi-media based. Flip charts, overhead projectors etc. are no more suitable. Class rooms also must be suitable for circulation of the instructors and effortless interaction with the participants. They must also have wi-fy networking and suitable for LCD projection with good audio system.

Training syllabus: training hours / subjects-wise

The training syllabus drafted so far by certain states appears to be without practical approach and application of industrial experience. More then the security professionals these appear to be drafted by the police officers with foggy idea about security duties being synonymous to policing duties. This may not be the case and at least security professionals know it! In fact in one of the article recently published in ‘Security Today’, one of the retired IG has questioned the justification of keeping the subject of “Crowd Psychology and Techniques of crowd control” in the training syllabus of the security guards. Since it will take some time for ‘dust to settle down’, different training institutes will continue to have their own training syllabus. The Directorate General of Resettlement, Ministry of Defense, one government organization which could have taken some initiative at-least for the security agencies run by ex-armed force personnel has woefully disappointed in this aspect. It could have but done nothing so far regarding finalizing the security training syllabus for ex-servicemen security guards under their sponsored security agencies.
The DGR made half-hearted attempts to specify the training aspects in their ‘Guidelines’. Half hearted in the sense that though there was mention of specific training need in different sectors such as oil sector, mining sector etc, there was no syllabus or training hours specified! Further, there were few courses being run by DGR only to train the officers with the emphasis on how to run a security agency rather then becoming security professionals. These courses were conducted by sundry Training Institutes (?) with grandiose proclamation of being “International” when they had no separate one room office even and classes were being held in evening hours in some schools!

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