The state government finally woke up to the need to rein in the rising incidents of loot of bank cash vans at various places in the past few years. The special section of the Home department— under the Odisha Private Security Agencies (Private Security to Cash Transportation Activities) Rules, 2019—has recently come up with special guidelines for the private security agencies involved in providing security to cash transportation for the banks.
The Home department has strictly ordained the private agencies to refrain from appointing, engaging or deploying personnel for the cash transportation activities ‘who have not undergone thorough antecedent check and their proper KYC verification and police verification’.
Moreover, the security personnel have to avail ‘Police Clearance Certificate’ from the local police station before their appointment as a security guard by the private security agencies.
Similarly, the private security agencies have been asked to physically verify the residential address and the conduct of the guards before employing them in security of cash vans of financial institutions or at the banks. The security guards have to supply documents as proof of their residential address to the agency for the last three years before their appointment. The security agencies should also check the conduct of the security guards with previous employer too. A security guard should be deployed in security of the cash vans after proper verification of his Aadhaar card.
As per the new rules, the security agencies have to verify the credit history of the guards in order to avoid the appointment of ‘wilful credit defaulters’ as security personnel for guarding the cash vans. The persons applying for a job of security personnel are now required to sign a ‘Fidelity insurance’, against any losses due to dishonesty by the guards, with the security agency.
The agencies have also been asked to provide adequate training to the security personnel by some retired defence official as per the rules. The security agencies should impart training related to the basics of cash transportation activities like the role of driver, armed guard, and cash. Custodians, contact details of the banks and police officers, in-built safety features of the cash van carrying cash and valuables, weapons and ammunition, communication equipment and the functioning of GPS system.
