FP Analysis: Why residents, visitors are at loggerheads with security guards in Noida high-rise societies?

Noida/Gautam Budh Nagar: Allegedly drunk visitors or residents clashing with guards of their residential high-rise societies or overzealous guards trying to assert extra-judicial powers and exchanging blows with food delivery executives, the sight of such clashes has become prevalent in Delhi-NCR. Noida has seen at least three such cases in the last fortnight where things went out of hand and FIRs had to be filed. Firstpost takes a close look at the nature of these clashes. Unorganised, unregulated security agencies There are nearly three thousand security agencies operating in Noida. Sources say only 30% of them are working with proper license and certification. People who are in the business say that everyday new security agencies are being floated in Delhi-NCR due to increased demand of cheap labour. Mamta Srivastava, vice-president of a renowned security agency from Noida, told Firstpost that even though her agency was formed a decade ago by retired Wing Commander Umesh Kumar, it is not growing. “Hardly, 30% agencies operating in Delhi-NCR have the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act (PSARA) certification. With increased demand, anyone with links in the police department is opening a security agency,” she said. Adding that her agency charges societies a standard amount since they provide Employee State Insurance and Provident Fund services to their guards. “However, the new players in the business are coming up with cheap schemes for small and big housing societies where they are employing anyone and everyone as security guards,” Srivastava said. “As managers of society security, one should think whether a rickshaw-puller can be a security guard or not?” she said. The problem, Srivastava said, is simple—there are agencies that are employing people as security guards without giving any training to them. “This should stop and there should be strict monitoring of agencies that are deploying guards”. Retired serviceman JN Singh, who works as a senior official in Umesh Kumar Security Agency, pointed out that such incidents occur due to ego issues between people and guards. “If a society guard is not trained of its job, then he might feel egoistic since he will think he has power to stop or ask anybody to leave,” he said. Meanwhile, people also need to realise that it is a noble job. “We are considered as civil police but some people treat us like dogs,” Singh said, adding people in societies expect guards to even salute them. Insensitive public Anand Pratap Singh, Head of Psychology and Mental Health Department at Gautam Budh University says, “It’s people’s internal disturbances in the form of intrapersonal and interpersonal conflict, disturbed emotionality, and interaction with the impulsive personality traits that is causing sudden angry outbursts and aggressive behaviour.” He explained that while residents in high-rise societies need to be more sensitive towards security checks and due rules and guidelines, the security agencies too should also draw a delivery system of their services on the basis of which the guards should be trained. “They should know how to convey the message to people who deal with impulsive behaviour and identity crisis of the residents, who do not wish to be stopped for security checks etc,” he said. Rajiva Singh, president at the Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Association (NOFAA) told Firstpost that he has always been vocal in all the meetings with society heads over the issue of security. “I am well aware of the fact that societies often hire agencies that do not have proper license or services like PF and ESIC for their security guards, just to save some money, but they do not realise its implications.” Singh further said that an unorganised agency charges some 40% less money than an agency that has all the required certification and good credentials. “They reduce the cost by paying less to the security guards; it is them who bear the brunt of this, the guards, as they are asked to work longer shifts of 15-20 hours for a meagre salary and even that is almost never paid on time”. “Every other day, I see guards complaining about late salary and mistreatment by their supervisers,” Singh said. Anurag Upreti, resident of Ajnara Homes in Noida, believes that nine out of ten times the incidents of public-security guard clashes occur because of residents’ lack of civic sense. “We don’t want to buy a parking sticker neither do we want our guests to make entry in the register. Some deal with major identity crisis due to which they do not even want to be asked,” Upreti said. Also Read: Watch: Raining blows on each other, food delivery guy and security guard at Noida society arrested People should realise that guards are deployed for their safety, people should learn to be friendly, Upreti maintains. Upreti further adds that he sees guards of his society changing every two months or sometimes in just 15 days. “They leave jobs because they don’t get good treatment and salary. We all should realise what less income and a 12-hour shift does to our minds; such incidents are probably the result of all this,” he says. Strict policing NOFAA president Rajiva Singh says that he has seen security agencies transform in recent times. “What used to be a legit job for retired army personnel has become a business opportunity for goons and strongmen, and such incidents are a result of that,” he said. “People in all housing society should give due respect to those who are doing blue collared jobs, while the businessman who want to earn from this noble profession should realise the implications of not doing their jobs properly which hiring the right people and training them, so that they can be enrolled for civil police,” he said. Shrivastava believes the local police can and should easily identify and penalise agencies working without following proper norms. “As a society, we need to realise we are transforming, in high-rise societies, guards are sources for police, they (cops) should verify each security guard and his agency responsibly so that they can help in the making of a healthy and peaceful society,” she said. Must Read: Noida: Woman grabs security guard by collar, misbehaves; case filed What police say? Harish Chander, DCP, Noida (Zone 1), however, believes that more than police verification, the agencies need to hold behavioral workshops for security guards in order to control such incidents. “Police is regularly verifying security guards, agencies are also asked to submit certification before taking up security of any housing society,” he said. “Such incidents are on the rise because people are losing patience while being on the job; reasons may be longer shifts, less salary or exploitation. We are doing our bit to control and are also asking society managers and security agency heads to conduct workshops,” he said. A focused drive/crackdown on irregular security agencies will also be conducted by Noida police in near future, Chander said. Previous Cases Fight broke out between a security guard and a milkman in a Noida society after the guard asked the milkman the reason for his absence the day before. A food delivery executive and an elderly security guard rained blows on each other with sticks after the guard denied entry. An allegedly drunk woman lawyer in another society in sector 129 of Noida abused security guards over parking sticker. She remained in judicial custody for a few days after a CCTV video of her act went viral. Just days ago three girls ostensibly inebriated abused security guards after being asked the flat number they were going to for making an entry in the register. A day later, three men in a car were thrashed by a group of security guards over parking issue. FIRs are filed in respective police stations in all the cases mentioned above.   Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.