APSPF

The Andhra Pradesh Special Protection Force (APSPF) was raised in accordance with the provisions of the APSPF Act, 1991 to meet the ever-growing need for an effective industrial security management in Andhra Pradesh. This specialised force has been growing slowly and steadily and its role has been expanding in a diversified manner.

The APSPF has been basically formed for the protection and security of government-controlled institutions, treasuries, autonomous, bodies, establishments, industrial undertakings and the employees of all such organisations.

The members of the Special Protection Force (SPF) are empowered to search any premises, person and his belongings and arrest any person without warrant, if there is reason to believe that any cognizable offence relating to the property/physical safety of persons in the concerned organisations has already occurred or being attempted by some one.

Functions

This department is providing Security and Protection to the Government Treasuries, Institutions owned and controlled by the State and also to provide protection and Security to Autonomous bodies, Establishments, Institutions, Industrial undertakings, Nationalized banks including RBI, Major Temples in the State.

Services

Diversified services

Apart from providing protection/security, the SPF personnel have been successful in preventing several possible cases of pilferage/theft/sabotage in the industrial establishments as well as detecting many cases of theft/unauthorised transportation of valuable items/goods from organisations like MIDHANI, Nalco, RTS Ramagundam, RTPP Kalamalla, etc.

The guard charges are collected from the user organisations and remitted to the state Government. It is estimated that there would be a surplus of about Rs.2 crores per annum after incurring the budgeted expenditure (Rs. 16 Crores) of the APSPF, once this establishment is brought on to a self-sustaining path.

There are proposals to have a separate campus for the APSPF for administrative and training purposes. Once this materialises, a self-sufficient SPF would be able to serve better and effectively the security interests of the industrial organisations. Specialised training in Post-Protection duties and use of electronic gadgets and equipment for security to the SPF personnel who man the security setup of banks, temples, micro-wave stations etc., is contemplated to make them more relevant to the changed needs of security/protection of industrial and functional organisations.

There is increased demand for the SPF services not only from the government organisations, but also from several banks, private sector companies, etc. Plans are under active consideration of the government to make this force self-sufficient, better trained, cost-competitive as well as self-sustaining in the long-term to cater to the ever expanding security/protection needs of a variety of organisations. Once these plans are put into action, the SPF would surely grow from strength to strength towards a safer Andhra Pradesh

Organization

The APSPF at present is headed by an Additional DGP, who is assisted by two IGs, two commandants and 11 Assistant Commandants. Each industrial organisation, from where the SPF operates, is guarded by a contingent of guards, HCs and supervised by an RSI/RI, depending on the size and security requirements of that particular undertaking. The assistant Commandants/Commandants are incharge of a group of companies located in a geographically contiguous and functionally convenient way.

The SPF, which was raised with strength of around 173 members in 1992, has today grown as a strong face, having dedicated and committed manpower of 2529. The number of industrial organisations getting the SPF cover had also increased from 43 in 1993 to 122 as of now. The type of organisations covered by the SPF include Andhra Pradesh owned power plants, joint sector industrial plants, the AP Secretariat, AP High Court, various temples in AP like Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, Srisailam temple, simhachalam and Vemulavada temples, etc, government press some nationalised and private banks, National Aluminum Company in Visakhapatnam and dams at Nagarjuna Sagar, Srisailam, etc.