Soon, a standard rating system for private security agencies

The Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) has tied up with the Quality Council of India for certification and rating of private security agencies, with an aim to enhance employability scope of security guards and also their credibility in the eyes of those employing them.

Interestingly, this comes at a time when private security guards or watchmen have become talk of the nation as the term "chowkidar" has been popularised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign ahead of elections.

CAPSI, an apex body of security guards, joined hands with the council last month for certification and rating programme for the private security agencies.

Christened as Security Agencies Rating Scheme (SARS), the unique process of standardisation will help the agencies enhance their credibility and consequently their business.

While CAPSI and the Quality Council of India (QCI) will be the joint scheme owners, the governing structure of the scheme shall be under a multi-stakeholder steering committee (MSC).

The MSC is supported by a technical committee and a certification committee constituted by CAPSI and the QCI.

As per a specified procedure, a consensus based technical criteria has been formulated for the private security agencies that would be evaluated by a competent third party certification bodies.

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These bodies are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), which is part of the international system of equivalence of accreditation and certifications, in accordance with appropriate international standards.

The private security industry, comprising over 85 lakh guards, is one of the largest employment generating sectors of the country. There are over 22,000 private security agencies which employ these guards.

Operating in the private security environment, the majority of private security agencies fall in the ambit of MSME enterprises.

"So far there were no parameters laid down wherein private security agencies can be evaluated based on certain professionally accepted criteria. This factor acted as an impediment for the principal employers while they are in the process of identifying the most suitable private security agency to be entrusted the task of providing security to their establishment. But now with the QCI certification this anomaly has been taken care" CAPSI Chairman Kunwar Vikram Singh told PTI.

Stating that CAPSI has complied with all statutory requirements, Singh said this scheme has already been approved by the commerce and industry ministry.

"We have roped in top bureaucrats like former Maharashtra Director General of Police and Mumbai Police Commissioner M N Roy as appointee chairman of the standing committee in which high ranking bureaucrats from ministries of home affairs, MSME and commerce are also members. This will make star rating process more stringent and transparent," he added.

The guards deployed by private security agencies are mandatorily governed under the Private Security Agencies Regulation Act, 2005 (PSARA) and are monitored by the respective controlling authorities of the states which grant them licenses for operating in the state based on the parameters laid down in the law.