KUALA LUMPUR: Residents of the Armanee Terrace condominium here want the police to take action against a security company that has refused to vacate the premises, despite its service contract being terminated on Dec 24.
Parveen Sidhu, chairman of the condominium's Joint Management Body (JMB), said that the company's contract was terminated two weeks ago due to unsatisfactory service, but its security guards were still performing duties such as patrolling the units, manning the security post, and managing visitor registrations.
In response, Parveen, along with committee members and the building manager, filed a police report at the Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters.
The new security company has faced challenges in carrying out its duties because two security firms are currently managing the same premises.
"Nearly two weeks after the contract was terminated, the old security company still refuses to vacate. With two security teams on-site, the new guards are being disrupted in their work.
"When visitors arrive, the new security team should be handling registration, but the old guards are still present. We fear they might demand payment for performing their duties," she said.
Currently, the condominium has 36 old guards and 32 new ones, giving it the highest number of security personnel in the Klang Valley, according to Parveen.
She said that the old company's staff could be charged with trespassing for entering the premises without authorisation.
The security company had been contracted since February last year for a one-year term.
The contract was later extended for three months and renewed on a monthly basis until December.
"The contract was terminated because residents were dissatisfied with their services. If the cleaning company fails to perform, we also have the right to terminate their contract and hire a replacement," Parveen said.
Meanwhile, Ramli Security Sdn Bhd director Datuk Seri Ramli Yusuff, when contacted, said the JMB's action in terminating the contract with only 24 hours' notice was unlawful, according to the signed agreement.
"We won the tender issued by the JMB for one year, and the contract was extended monthly. The terms of the monthly extension stipulated that the JMB must provide two months' notice, but they gave only 24 hours," said the former director of Bukit Aman's Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
Ramli, who is also the former president of the Malaysian Security Industry Association (PIKM), claimed that the JMB had failed to pay an outstanding amount of RM300,000 for October and December.
He alleged that a dispute between the old and new JMB representatives led to the appointment of another security company without resolving the contract issue with Ramli Security first.
"If the old and new JMB representatives want to fight, it has nothing to do with us because we followed the contract signed with the old JMB," he said.
Petaling Jaya police chief Assistant Commissioner Shahrulnizam Jaafar confirmed that an investigation had been conducted and the case will be referred to the deputy public prosecutor for further instructions under Section 441 of the Penal Code.