Bhubaneswar: 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 of 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 his 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 his residential address to the agency at least three years before his appointment. The security agencies should also check the conduct of the security guards with previous employer too. The security guards 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 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 the 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, weapon and ammunition, communication equipment and the functioning of GPS system.
The private security agencies have been strictly directed by the
department to use only the specially designed cash vans for the transportation of the cash to the ATMs or other bank branches. The banks and the security agencies have been barred from using vehicles on rent to transport cash to the ATMs. Transportation will be carried out only in the cash vans fitted with GPS tracking devices. The special vans can only carry cash worth above Rs ten lakhs and below Rs five crores.
That apart, every cash van should be accompanied by one driver, two armed security guards and two ATM officer or custodian.
The rules also enumerated the procedures to follow for the security of cash vaults at banks like the premises and vaults will be under 24×7 electronic surveillance and monitoring through adequate
number of CCTV cameras having at least ninety days recording facility. The rules have strictly warned against the cash transportation activities and deposit of cash at the ATMs after 9 PM in urban areas and after 6 PM in rural areas. The same activities in the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas should not be carried out before 9am and after 4pm.
