PUDUCHERRY: Private security guards have been roped in by the administration to assist the Puducherry police in enforcing the lockdown and social distancing in public places.
Owing to a shortage of manpower, many places could not be covered by the police. Hence it has been decided to utilize the services of private security guards as a “force multiplier” to assist the police, said Director General of Police Balaji Srivastava.
Based on the advice of Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, the police held discussions with private security agencies on Wednesday, following which the security guards have been roped in.
The police have come up with a standard operating procedure to work along with private security agencies. Private security guards would not be posted alone but along with a police official and twinned with beat staff of the local police station. They have been briefed about their duties and responsibilities before deployment, initially by Senior Superintendent of Police Rahul Alwal and subsequently by the superintendents of police.
They have been advised to utilize the dedicated police station level WhatsApp group created by the SHO to communicate with beat officers and others by using photographs and videos.
The Circle Inspectors (CIs) and Station House officers (SHOs) will take note of observations made by the private security guards and address them on priority. If anything untoward is noticed while on duty, it should be immediately reported to the nearest police station or control room.