Over the last decade, globally, several Governments have increasingly adopted the PPP (Public Private Partnership) model wherein investments from the private sector and public has accounted for a significant share and the Governments funding in projects, etc. has progressively declined. As a working model, particularly, in the area of creating infrastructure, this has attained measurable success in Power, Highways, Water Projects, Urban Transport, Airports, Seaports, Aviation, etc. Privatization of many of the Public Sector Undertakings has become a reality and the government disinvesting its stake to the investing public and also opening of avenues for Foreign Director Investment (FDI) and FII’s up to the specified sectoral limits. All these transactions are done in a transparent manner for the larger good of the Companies who are really starved of the capital needed for expanding their activities and in turn providing better services to the public.
The theme of this discussion extends to synergy between public and private sector in Security Systems. In a way, it is closely aligned to the general philosophy applicable to the PPP model in the economy. I would confine myself to the areas concerning physical security withinIndia US
Any protective security system must address these concerns irrespective of the agency delivering the needed security. The persons working within the organizations which need this protection must be sensitized and every individual in the organization must be aware and conscious of the need for security. Periodic meetings with the key personnel and heads of departments are held and most organizations carry the post of a Chief Security Officer, who invariably is a retired defence personnel or a high ranking official from the Police Department. These men have the necessary vision and the practical experience to look at all the vulnerabilities to which a particular organization can be exposed to. Therefore, first comes the putting up of an effective system against Perimeter intrusion. Large project areas, factories, etc occupy several hundreds of acres of land, which are guarded by boundary walls and also by physical personnel carrying suitable weapons for protection purposes and in sensitive installations it is not uncommon to have observation towers at regular intervals and night vision glasses are also provided apart from powerful binoculars for observation purposes. The staff is provided with walkie talkie sets also. Most such installations observe the very valid and time tested principle of single ingress and egress to a site. Only authorized vehicles and personnel are given access. Further, thanks to the revolution which has taken place in Information Technology and photography, particularly, digital photography and videography, it is possible to see from a remote point in a control room, the images coming from different locations where the surveillance cameras are installed, concealed from the public gaze. After the entry staff are satisfied with a authorized vehicle and with it the persons who are authorized to enter the premises through the single air-locked system, the vehicles are physically inspected with undercarriage mirrors and even the engine area and the luggage boot are also checked and the persons are bodily frisked and scanned with handheld devices who are also made to pass through Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMD). X-ray baggage scanners have now become a routine in large installations for scanning the handbags etc. The Chief Security Officer and his men and the management of any company or organization and its staff must develop that sharp eye and remain perpetually alert as the exit point for any mischief-maker is often narrow and passage through that narrow point can always be kept under tight observation and surveillance. Also the facial expressions, body language and behaviour, often reveal invariably, the ultimate intentions. Technology by itself is not adequate. What is needed is the men who operate the Technology and interpret the vast amount of information coming to them in the form of intelligence reports, images or any other input. In some locations, only selected personnel are allowed access to a limited area who are provided with biometric access cards. It is not uncommon to store the fingerprint images of the staff working in an organization who are given access cards for this purpose. All the others need to be escorted to a particular visitor’s room where meetings and discussions are held. Seldom, a visitor is given access to the actual shop floor area alone by himself. The biometric technology, the proximity cards, the digital technology using PTZ cameras have all become a part of today’s survival for existence. All the staff are sensitized by mock-drills at irregular intervals to keep them in a state of alertness and any suspicious objects are isolated and destroyed by a device using IED technology. In some locations, before the boom barrier gates, there are mechanically operated sharp ‘Tyre Busters’, should the vehicles not stop and attempt to barge inside. Bollards are also used in some areas and the men on duty are generally persons who are trained to spot the unusual mischief-maker by studying the facial expressions, and such persons are given greater attention.
Within an organization after a person enters with a proper ID card which also acts as a proximity card, the access is confined only to the areas to which he is permitted to enter. In other words, with one proximity card it is not possible to enter into another location in the same organization. In this country ‘iris’ recognition is considered to be fool-proof just as the fingerprints are also considered fool proof. Inside large factories, infra-red detecting equipments and alarm systems are also to be in place, so that the alarms get triggered whenever there is a breach and immediately alerts the police control room to which these are linked.
All these security devices underscore the need for state of art technology in protecting national assets which cannot be the responsibility of only the State and therefore, the Public Private Partnership becomes more important. While still the Government spends very large sums of money on defence expenses which are part of the overall national security plan, the demand for installing such systems for civilians in the areas has become very wide. Thus, every Company whether in the private sector or public sector has become extremely aware of the need for the sophisticated equipment, particularly, when cash and bullion and other valuables are moved from one centre to another. To the robbers there could be nothing more attractive than looting a cash van or breaking into a bank and walking away with the cash. The concerned frontline bank staff are provided with emergency panic buttons linked to the alarm systems in the event of a holdup during business hours. A large number of companies in the private sector in collaborative joint ventures with foreign companies specialized in manufacturing these equipments, have opened businesses in this country and are meeting the security needs, while the police system provide the general security for the national assets and its citizens.
In this note, I have not touched upon Computer related security systems and any disaster management processes. Practically, any worthwhile organization is now fully computerized and therefore, IT security protection the LAN and WAN systems, Firewalls, PK1, encryption etc. are all relevant and need to be acquired and put in place to prevent stealing the data or indulging in cyber crimes. Lastly, there is nothing like absolute security as each day new strategies are being hatched by the law breakers, calling for determined solutions to deal effectively every situation that arises. The companies operating in the economy need to protect themselves with all these surveillance systems and there is no substitute than sensitizing the man power to the security requirements which are relevant to a particular organization. Each nation evolves its own solutions in this area, so that they are able to nip the crime at its origin even before it takes off.
The theme of this discussion extends to synergy between public and private sector in Security Systems. In a way, it is closely aligned to the general philosophy applicable to the PPP model in the economy. I would confine myself to the areas concerning physical security within
Any protective security system must address these concerns irrespective of the agency delivering the needed security. The persons working within the organizations which need this protection must be sensitized and every individual in the organization must be aware and conscious of the need for security. Periodic meetings with the key personnel and heads of departments are held and most organizations carry the post of a Chief Security Officer, who invariably is a retired defence personnel or a high ranking official from the Police Department. These men have the necessary vision and the practical experience to look at all the vulnerabilities to which a particular organization can be exposed to. Therefore, first comes the putting up of an effective system against Perimeter intrusion. Large project areas, factories, etc occupy several hundreds of acres of land, which are guarded by boundary walls and also by physical personnel carrying suitable weapons for protection purposes and in sensitive installations it is not uncommon to have observation towers at regular intervals and night vision glasses are also provided apart from powerful binoculars for observation purposes. The staff is provided with walkie talkie sets also. Most such installations observe the very valid and time tested principle of single ingress and egress to a site. Only authorized vehicles and personnel are given access. Further, thanks to the revolution which has taken place in Information Technology and photography, particularly, digital photography and videography, it is possible to see from a remote point in a control room, the images coming from different locations where the surveillance cameras are installed, concealed from the public gaze. After the entry staff are satisfied with a authorized vehicle and with it the persons who are authorized to enter the premises through the single air-locked system, the vehicles are physically inspected with undercarriage mirrors and even the engine area and the luggage boot are also checked and the persons are bodily frisked and scanned with handheld devices who are also made to pass through Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMD). X-ray baggage scanners have now become a routine in large installations for scanning the handbags etc. The Chief Security Officer and his men and the management of any company or organization and its staff must develop that sharp eye and remain perpetually alert as the exit point for any mischief-maker is often narrow and passage through that narrow point can always be kept under tight observation and surveillance. Also the facial expressions, body language and behaviour, often reveal invariably, the ultimate intentions. Technology by itself is not adequate. What is needed is the men who operate the Technology and interpret the vast amount of information coming to them in the form of intelligence reports, images or any other input. In some locations, only selected personnel are allowed access to a limited area who are provided with biometric access cards. It is not uncommon to store the fingerprint images of the staff working in an organization who are given access cards for this purpose. All the others need to be escorted to a particular visitor’s room where meetings and discussions are held. Seldom, a visitor is given access to the actual shop floor area alone by himself. The biometric technology, the proximity cards, the digital technology using PTZ cameras have all become a part of today’s survival for existence. All the staff are sensitized by mock-drills at irregular intervals to keep them in a state of alertness and any suspicious objects are isolated and destroyed by a device using IED technology. In some locations, before the boom barrier gates, there are mechanically operated sharp ‘Tyre Busters’, should the vehicles not stop and attempt to barge inside. Bollards are also used in some areas and the men on duty are generally persons who are trained to spot the unusual mischief-maker by studying the facial expressions, and such persons are given greater attention.
Within an organization after a person enters with a proper ID card which also acts as a proximity card, the access is confined only to the areas to which he is permitted to enter. In other words, with one proximity card it is not possible to enter into another location in the same organization. In this country ‘iris’ recognition is considered to be fool-proof just as the fingerprints are also considered fool proof. Inside large factories, infra-red detecting equipments and alarm systems are also to be in place, so that the alarms get triggered whenever there is a breach and immediately alerts the police control room to which these are linked.
All these security devices underscore the need for state of art technology in protecting national assets which cannot be the responsibility of only the State and therefore, the Public Private Partnership becomes more important. While still the Government spends very large sums of money on defence expenses which are part of the overall national security plan, the demand for installing such systems for civilians in the areas has become very wide. Thus, every Company whether in the private sector or public sector has become extremely aware of the need for the sophisticated equipment, particularly, when cash and bullion and other valuables are moved from one centre to another. To the robbers there could be nothing more attractive than looting a cash van or breaking into a bank and walking away with the cash. The concerned frontline bank staff are provided with emergency panic buttons linked to the alarm systems in the event of a holdup during business hours. A large number of companies in the private sector in collaborative joint ventures with foreign companies specialized in manufacturing these equipments, have opened businesses in this country and are meeting the security needs, while the police system provide the general security for the national assets and its citizens.
In this note, I have not touched upon Computer related security systems and any disaster management processes. Practically, any worthwhile organization is now fully computerized and therefore, IT security protection the LAN and WAN systems, Firewalls, PK1, encryption etc. are all relevant and need to be acquired and put in place to prevent stealing the data or indulging in cyber crimes. Lastly, there is nothing like absolute security as each day new strategies are being hatched by the law breakers, calling for determined solutions to deal effectively every situation that arises. The companies operating in the economy need to protect themselves with all these surveillance systems and there is no substitute than sensitizing the man power to the security requirements which are relevant to a particular organization. Each nation evolves its own solutions in this area, so that they are able to nip the crime at its origin even before it takes off.
