Private security booms in the country

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Firm owner says private security to outnumber country’s police force soon

KARACHI: Karachi is a hub of beaches, malls, restaurants – and the odd shooting range where an army of private security guards train to protect the well-heeled.

As growing insecurity grips the country, with the military battling Taliban in the northwest, deadly bombs hitting key cities and crime on the rise, the security industry is quietly booming.

Rashid Malik, who owns the firm Security 2000, has his men carry out target practice in the basement of a bungalow in an upscale Karachi neighbourhood, but even with 10,000 employees, he is struggling to keep up with demand.

"I have to turn down many requests from people and businesses because I still do not have enough capacity to provide security to all those who ask for it," said Malik, a retired army brigadier.

Outnumber: "After the army and police, private security guards are the third largest force in Pakistan – we are just a few years away from outnumbering the police force in the country," he adds.

There are 600 security firms in Pakistan, according to figures from the All Pakistan Security Agencies Association (APSAA), with 200 of them operating in Karachi, protecting businesses big and small, as well as the homes of wealthy clients.

Karachi was once known as the City of Lights and is the country's economic engine, but has been plagued by ethnic tensions for years.

Clashes between Pashtun and Urdu-speaking groups left at least 34 people dead in April.

Now, the threat of terrorism also grips the city, with attacks by extremists picking up after US-led forces ousted the Taliban regime from Afghanistan in late 2001.

The city has also seen a string of other incidents, including suicide attacks on French engineers, the US consulate and a bomb targeting the late Benazir Bhutto in October 2007, which killed 139 people.

"Our business witnessed a huge upsurge after the 9/11 attacks," said Malik, who also heads the APSAA.

The city is also seeing a rise in crime, including robberies and kidnappings.

"There is a serious breakdown of law and order in the whole country, which has left us with no option but to buy security to secure our lives and our huge investments," Muhammad Ali, a steel importer, told AFP.

Hiring: "We have hired security guards for our safety because police have failed to stop criminals from robbing and killing people," said Muhammad Waseem, a resident of the city's central Gulberg neighbourhood.

On his street, private security guards man a kiosk at the corner, letting only those living in the area pass through.

"You can see this arrangement in most areas of Karachi," Waseem said.

Malik said one problem was getting trained guards.

"Most of our guards are ex-military soldiers but that does not meet our increasing demand so we have to go to Punjab and NWFP where people acquainted with weapons can be found easily," he said.

Sociologist Fateh Muhammad Burfat said in these uncertain times, residents take comfort from the presence of uniformed security guards standing on street corners.

"Insecurity among the people has increased. They obviously need something to make them feel secure," said Burfat, who teaches at Karachi University. afp

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg7_36