Some Bengalureans are hiring ‘instant security’

Hoysala patrol cops turn up in five to 15 min. So why are people subscribing to 24/7 patrol guards? Metrolife finds out

For some residents of Indiranagar, Domlur and Ulsoor, help in a security emergency is less than three minutes away.

A new service dispatches security guards on a scooter at the press of the SOS button. These baton-carrying men in uniform are trained to handle unruly behaviour, break-ins and thefts.

If matters escalate, they call the police. They can also escort a user home if he or she feels threatened, or keep a watch on property when the owners are away. They can provide first-aid and alert the fire brigade.

A subscription-based service, 56 Secure went live a few months ago. It has more than 100 guards on its roster.

The company says it has resolved over 700 security requests. In one instance, the company says, its guards saved a child and handed the kidnapper over to the police. In another, it saved a woman from two men who were trying to barge into her house.

Citizens say the Hoysala police turn up in less than five minutes in Koramangala, 10 minutes in Bellandur and 15 minutes in Indiranagar.

So why are about a thousand subscribers paying Rs 249 a month for a 24/7 security-on-demand service? Under the premium plan (Rs 999), the company additionally installs an AI camera at home. (Look up 56secure.com)

The service took off in Defence Colony in Indiranagar and Pankaj Malhotra was an early client. He shares why he signed up: “You can’t expect the police to patrol your vicinity 24 hours. Plus, we know they were overworked during Covid and many stations are understaffed.”

The real estate businessman says he uses the app to shoo off drunkards lurking in the lane or snooping around the house. Tough men in uniform, arriving on scooters, can generally scare hoodlums away, he says.

Sneha Nandihal, another user, acknowledges that a private security force can’t arrest anyone or act like the police. But they have brought a “faster sense of security” in Indiranagar, she says. Sneha is the founder of I Change Indiranagar, a federation of RWAs in the area.

“Indiranagar doesn’t have gated communities. We live in independent houses and are surrounded by commercial establishments. We never know who comes in to the lane and pees in front of our house and creates a nuisance. These guards turn up in seconds,” she says.

Not everybody is keen on hiring a private patrolling service though. “Some residents feel it is the government’s responsibility to provide security and they would like it only from them. I would like that too but our police are short-staffed and expecting an instant response from them is utopian,” she says.

Cops: ‘They provide emergency help’

An inspector at the Indiranagar police station is aware of this service. “I see them as emergency assistance providers who help the elderly, single parents or people staying alone. They can’t be equated to the police,” he says. It’s a personal choice to hire extra security and in no way does it reflect on the Hoysala patrols, he says.

Other services

Look up srfsecutity.com, lynxsecurityservices.com, bisfms.in, among others. These agencies provide patrolling, gate security, escort service and emergency response. Write to Karnataka Security Services Association at [e-mail] to enquire about compliant security services.