ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – Security guards may be called ‘rent-a-cops’ but that does not mean they are not exposed to serious danger.
Pity the poor security guard.
You know the one I mean, the guy (or gal) who walks around your local mall or arena in a uniform and a panoply of instruments on his/her belt (but rarely a gun, at least not in Canada) doing the rounds. They tend not to get a lot of respect, nor a lot of money as many are paid minimal wage.
Yet on occasion the job does put these people in serious danger. Take this attack in Pakistan 15 years ago,
On this day in 2007
A suicide bomber killed a security guard and himself in an attack outside the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan. Six were also wounded in the blast which occurred just hours before an Indian High Commission function to celebrate Republic Day was due to be held at the hotel.
President Musharraf reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment in the fight against extremism and terrorism and said that all-out efforts be made to unmask and bring to book the perpetrators of this crime.
State-run Pakistani press
The US Embassy in Pakistan had barred staff from visiting the hotel after a small blast in the lobby in October 2004. In the aftermath, concrete barriers, a checkpoint at the main entrance and X-ray machines and metal detectors in the lobby were all installed, making it difficult for car bombers or anyone trying to bring explosives or arms in through the front door.
It thus appears that the security guard may have stopped a much larger casualty count. Keep that in mind next time you see one in your neighbourhood.
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