Men guarding ATM kiosks are vulnerable

This is not the first time a security guard at an ATM kiosk has been killed in an attempt to loot the machine.

Mandatory installation of CCTV cameras at ATM kiosks and posting security guards round the clock after the brutal attack on Corporation Bank employee Jyothi Uday in November 2013 in the city have not done any good to the security of the guards posted at these kiosks. Many incidents have been reported in the city since then, where security guards have been attacked, though this is the first case after November 2013 where a guard has been killed.

Arm the guards?

There have been proposals in the past to arm the security guards with a light firearm. However, they have been shot down by the police for fear of misuse of the weapons.

A senior police official said the private security sector was found wanting in professionalism and employs people even without verification or any training most of the times. “We can’t afford to put firearms in their hands,” he argued, and added that there had been many instances where the guards had turned rogue and looted ATM kiosks or cash transfer vehicles.