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Bindu D. Menon

New Delhi, Nov. 25

The burgeoning growth in retail and financial sectors has redefined the role of private security agencies in the country. From providing mere watch and ward services, the sector is wooing talent for more complex activities such as cyber security, disaster management and tracking financial frauds.

With the demand increasing and supply almost stagnant, the industry’s body is promoting the sector as a potential employment generator and hopes to double its manpower pool of 50 lakh.

From manning premises, to keeping a hawk eye at airports, providing security in malls and fire-fighting jobs here have taken a different hue. Included in the service portfolio of the companies are background investigations, drug testing, disaster management and cyber-security.

According to the Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI), around one million jobs are created in this sector every year. The industry, pegged at Rs 21,000 crore, is growing at the rate of 20 per cent.

“There has been an upward trend in the industry. It is no longer a watch and ward but has emerged as a key to safety, security and survival. Companies are leaving no stone unturned to keep their security requirements in place,” Mr Kunwar Vikram Singh, Chairman of CAPSI and Association of Private Detectives in India, told Business Line. The association has over 500 members across the country.

He also said the services of the private security agencies grew by leaps and bound after the 9/11 attacks. “We saw a lot of overseas companies wanting to verify the antecedents of candidates. Besides, the domestic arms of MNCs have also started extensively focussing on both the internal and external security aspect.”

Industry experts note that there is tremendous demand for private security personnel trained in India, especially in West Asia, SAARC nations, the US and the Latin American markets.

The relevance of the private security industry emerges from the fact that it is almost impossible for government agencies to ensure round-the-clock security, which the private sector can provide. The ratio of private security personnel to the State police force in the country is 2:1 and the ratio is fast approaching 3:1, added Mr Singh.

Observing that the industry has become more organised after the Government began regulating with the Private Security Agencies Regulation Act 2005, Ms Rupal Sinha, Regional Managing Director of Group4 Securicore, said it can engage a large talent pool of school drop-outs. “Since they do not fit typically into the BPO job market, they can find employment in private security agencies. On the managerial front, a person with a diploma can start as an Assignment Manager or Assistant Manager Operations,” she added.

Remuneration, too, has gone up significantly in the last couple of years. The entry level salary can fetch anywhere from Rs 5,000–6,500.

Women personnel

The demand for women security personnel is also growing. Currently, the male-female ratio stands at 5:2, with companies spending on an average 160 hours or 21 days on training which costs around Rs 5,000 per person, she added.

Capt Ravee, CEO Fireball group, said consolidation is the need of the hour in the industry. Besides, inculcation of security education, setting up of an institute of international stature and public-private partnership are also needed. The group has set up the first security college in Asia.

Pointing out that the top security and investigative agencies were rated on parameters such as pan-India presence, level of international recognitions and capability levels, he said most top companies were ISO certified.

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