Misuse of spouses
November 7, 2024
Citizens write to the Chief Justice of Pakistan
November 12, 2024

 

Mr. Ghulam Nabi Memon, PSP                                       November 7, 2024

I G Police, Sindh

Sindh Police Headquarter,   I. I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi

 

Dear Sir,

Why private security guards will recklessly keep shooting from the hip

 

Two Chinese nationals were injured in Karachi on November 5, 2024, as a result of firing by a private security guard.  Similar “shooting your own employer” events have been taking place for a very long time.  Please allow me to mention some of the key root causes.

  1. Most Security Guards are typically and cruelly made to work for 12 hours every day – for 30 days a month. This itself is sufficient to emotionally disturb any human being to indulge in extreme and erratic acts of violence.
  2. Majority of the private security guards are completely untrained. Many have never fired a single bullet in their life. Please see the attached video.

27 Oct 2024 Security Guard who never fired a bullet – YouTube

  1. Guards are provided miserable, illegal and cruel salaries that range from Rs20,000 to Rs35,000 for 12-hours duty, which makes it impossible for them to feed their families. This is a huge source of stress, anger and frustration, which often is reflected in their irrational behaviour. (Kindly note: The security guard’s salary, as notified by the Sindh Government is Rs38280 for 8-hour and Rs76560 for 12-hour duty. Not a single guard in Pakistan is paid this salary.)
  2. The employers who subcontract the security function to private security companies are legally responsible to ensure compliance of labour laws. They do not do so.
  3. The Security companies are given ‘licence to operate’ by Federal Interior Ministry and by Provincial Home Ministries which require them to comply with all labour laws. However, all these ministries have no mechanism to monitor, audit or check the compliance. Thus, a security company can pick up a 75-year-old villager and make him a security guard overnight.
  4. Almost 90% Security Guards are not registered to EOBI, and will never get a single Rupee of pension. This further adds to their annoyance and grievance.

It is our failure to provide proper wages and work conditions, that the private security guards have themselves become a threat to those being protected. It is therefore imperative to remove the above factors, in order to have a system of “safe security guards”.

 

Sincerely,

Naeem Sadiq