NOCs of 106 security agencies in Punjab revoked

LAHORE: Punjab Home Department has revoked No Objection Certificates (NOCs) of 106 private security agencies that failed to provide data on their board of directors, a summary of security guards, clients, sanctioned quota of weapons, security gadgets and a record of training imparted to staff, The News has learnt.

According to documents available with The News, NOCs of 106 private security agencies have been revoked.

The Home Department had issued guidelines to all registered and unregistered security agencies to provide these details regarding the companies.

According to Home Department Police Additional Secretary Maleeha Rasheed, around 106 security agencies failed to comply with the government’s directives and security standards.

The Home Department had demanded information on the directors of the companies, security guards, summaries of their clients, description of their uniform, number of watchmen registered with the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution, social security, insurance companies, sanctioned quota of weapons, security gadgets and details regarding the training imparted to the security officials, said Maleeha Rasheed.

The Home Department then issued notices to the owners of these agencies to submit the required details or their licences would be revoked. “Most of these agencies were bogus that pose a threat to the security situation,” a department official said. Maleeha Rasheed said that the agencies failed to provide information within the deadline. The additional secretary added that the home department had directed the IGP, RPOs DCOs and DPOs to seal the offices of these agencies. If the private securities companies kept on running their offices, it would be a criminal offence and FIRs would be registered against them.

Maleeha Rasheed also shared that now, the security companies can approach Chief Secretary Punjab within 30 days. If they satisfied the chief secretary their licences or NOCs could be restored.