Intelligent surveillance to combat terror & security threats

With the recent terror attacks in Mumbai security has become very important. Incompetence of India's security apparatus has been incontrovertibly demonstrated in November last year. The recent security lapses were more than unfortunate for our nation as they indicate a serious gap and sense of apathy towards the importance of the deployment of new age security systems in our nation and its economy.

Ironically, the security solutions services industry in India is fast gaining traction, and is growing at an average of 20-22%. That number is likely to go all the way up to 35% over the next one year. Security is now the topmost concern for many companies. Domestic security industry, which includes man guarding, electronic security , cash in transit and consulting, is estimated to be around Rs 10,000 crore currently.Indian security services industry is expected to touch Rs 25,000-crore by 2015 making it one of the top 10 security markets in the world.

Demand for security is high from businesses which have high public interface such as hotels, retail establishments, hospitals and educational institutions. Businesses today are spending substantial time understanding their security needs. Security has moved from being an administrative subject to a business continuity issue. Today, security requirements are being discussed at the topmost level within corporate houses. This has resulted in greater focus on security matters and often translated into higher budgets, quicker decisions and speedy implementation.

Securing premises means a lot more than fixing a few surveillance cameras and access control and tracking devices like RFIDs, etc. The new generations of security systems are IP enabled for interoperability and connectivity and demand a great deal of expertise and proven experience in deployment of Information Technology (IT) infrastructure solutions.
India's dominance in the IT solutions and services space can help India overcome this gap. New age security services leverage the capabilities of IT to integrate security in a truly seamless manner

In today's context, one requires a comprehensive and seamlessly integrated solution that brings together CCTV surveillance, cutting-edge video analytics, access control, biometric solutions, RFID, Perimeter detection systems, intrusion detection systems and a lot more all under a single command and control centre that intelligently interprets video and data in real time, to create actionable intelligence for proactive response to avert potential threats.

As terror continues to spread across all nations, security is on the forefront of every citizen's mind. Over the last five years, the manner in which security of citizens in India has changed drastically. The railways have come a long way in providing security; most of the attacks in Mumbai have been targeted at public transport.

The chief security commissioner of Western railway Lalit Kumar said they were supplementing the efforts taken by the government to provide security to rail passengers. Over the years the perception of railway passengers has changed greatly, which has enabled the authorities to provide security.

"We are charting out a plan to provide security to passengers on certain identified stations. After this has been implemented, we will team up with those who will provide solutions for these measures taken." said Mr. Kumar. Ensuring security for over 70 lakh passengers every day is a mammoth task. To address them, the railway authorities have engaged personnel who use various equipments and technologies to frisk people and provide safety to them.

While security equipments seem to be the order of the day. One has to keep in mind that some of them might be harmful to humans. "Some technology that is used to frisk humans can also cause harm. We have to be sensitive to people's health. We cannot use high intensity X-rays to frisk human beings, but that can be used to carry out checks on bags, containers and other objects." said Allied Digital chief marketing officer Jawahar Ali.

He said that camera technology had come a long way from just capturing images and should be utilised for other purposes as well. The key is to collate the digitally captured data. After which it needs to be treated with high quality software and create a database which would be of help to the country as a whole.

Additional commissioner of police (protection and security) Vinay Kargaonkar agreed with Mr. Ali's view. He said digitally captured data could be used for face recognition, behavioural analysis and bio-metric parameters. "Our focus is to provide area wise security and for this we shall be installing cameras all over the city. They will be used for security, law and order, and investigation if any crime takes place," said Mr. Kargaonkar.

He also emphasised on the fact, that sustainability and integration of technology was very important. "People get excited and buy the equipment, but often these two things fail. Also, we don't spend too much on training people to use these equipments. This culture has to change."

The hospitality industry has been hit the hardest after the recent attacks which targeted the 5-star hotels in Mumbai. Vithal Kamat chairman of Orchid Hotels said that while customer was God, it was not possible for a 40-60 room hotel to have too many types of equipment. He said, "It is not just the cost of equipments, but also space which is expensive."

For hotels it is not a statistical problem that they are faced with like the railways, but the dilemma of subjecting their guests to such security measures. "All my hotels have cameras, but you cannot doubt the integrity of the guest and express it by asking them blatantly what they have in their luggage," said Mr. Kamat.

Identity cards would also help in preventing any untoward incidents, said Indian Merchants Chambers president M.N Chaini. Deployment of cameras and sensors alone is not enough. Understanding of what needs to be implemented is also very important, he said.

Mr. Kamat stated that intelligence also plays a vital role in preventing any acts of terror and disruption of law and order. The panel also felt that integration was a critical criterion that has to be met across all organisations and government authorities. "We need to have an integrated team from the beginning of a new implementation. Certain things should be made mandatory by law, so it can be taken care of from inception," said additional commissioner of police (protection and security) Kargaonkar.

"It should be action oriented; multiplicity of organisations is needed at all levels. There should be someone who will take command over the entire situation and then allot it to the concerned parties at each level," said Western railway chief security commissioner Mr. Kumar.

While the IT industry is much organised and a client knows which vendor to approach, that is lacking with security agencies. The amalgamation of information technology and security is the need of the hour. "It is a question of 'hosting' a security system and no longer of 'installing' a security system," said Allied Digital's Ali.

Security in residential townships and societies is also a cause for concern. While enterprises can afford to buy equipment that will provide security to people, these townships might not be able to afford it.

"Builders do not want to spend money to implement security based technology in their colonies," said IMC president Chaini. Mr. Kamat, however, pointed out that while it might be affordable for a 700 member housing society to implement these checks and balances, it might not be so for a 20 member society. He emphasised that entry point check was very important.

It is not just the residential complexes, but also malls, multiplexes and other entertainment zones that have to implement various security measures. "If you install security cameras like CCTv in malls and multiplexes, you can recover your entire costs by levying certain charges within a year," said Mr. Kargaonkar. Hotels, too, can increase their room tariffs marginally to recover the cost of equipment within a year, he added. "We have assured our guests that it is safe to visit our country and the whole industry is working towards this," said Mr. Kamat.