Security Today Magazine India



CISF to recruit 17,000 personnel this year The Central Industrial Security Force will recruit 17,000 personnel this year to guard airports, nuclear installations and projects like the Delhi Metro. “We will recruit 17,000 personnel to meet our requirements in guarding airports, aerospace and nuclear installations and projects like the Delhi Metro,” CISF Director General N R Das said during the forces’ 42nd raising day. Pointing towards the contribution of the paramilitary force in the economic growth of the country, Minister of State for Home, Mr Gurudas Kamat said, “The CISF has been contributing for the development and economic growth of the country by providing security to key industrial and infrastructure units”. Mr Kamat also said the demand for CISF security has grown after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The CISF has about 1.28 lakh personnel presently and is guarding 58 airports and 300 other units.
LG to enter North American security market Video surveillance solutions provider GVI Security Solutions announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with LG to represent the company’s line of surveillance products in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Though they have had a presence in the global security market, this agreement marks South Korea-based LG’s entrance into the North American market. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to introduce the LG brand of security products to the North America market,” GVI CEO Steve Walin said in a statement. “LG is a technology leader in all of the markets they serve, and we are excited by the opportunity to bring their video expertise to our customers.” In addition, GVI also announced that it has launched a new website, www.lgcctv.com, which provides information about the LG products that are being offered by the company.
Steria, Neology join hands to develop RFID technologies for India In order to meet the growing demand for secure and reliable identification like electronic tolling, vehicle registration, vehicle and people identification, healthcare etc in the Indian market, Steria and Neology have joined hands to develop and offer Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology solutions.Neology has a proven track record of developing end-to-end RFID solutions. It entails integrated circuit design, device development, software integration and field installation to improve public safety, healthcare and supply chain management. On the other hand, Steria has an extensive international experience for carrying out successful IT deployments for border and passport control, electronic toll collection, traffic management, vehicle registration and healthcare. The combination of Neology’s RFID technology integrated with IT services from Steria has the potential to improve business solutions significantly for the aforementioned areas in India. With an average of 20 kilometres of new roads being built in India every day, improving the country’s road transport infrastructure - by making it faster and safer - is a key priority for the Government. There is already an acceptance of the need for electronic tolling. Leveraging secure RFID-based solutions to enable faster and more reliable electronic toll management will be a key challenge that needs to be addressed. Bearing in mind the various needs of the Indian customers, Steria and Neology will work together to bring about efficiency and reliability in this area. As for healthcare sector, there is a clear need to track movement of drugs and medicines as there is a lot at stake. This cutting-edge solution has already been implemented in various instances globally. The two companies will bring a wide range of business solutions in the areas of identification that will be secure, of high quality and implemented for maximum business benefits for the adopting agencies.
G4S celebrates its annual ‘Happy Day’ ‘Happy Day,’ an annual initiative of G4S, is celebrated across all major cities in India with children from several established NGOs and associations taking care of mentally-challenged, orphans and children with limited means including Tihar Jail Crèche, Hope Foundation and SOS Greenfields Village. G4S India, a leading private security solutions group in the country has been at the forefront of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives aimed at enriching the society in which it operates. In its endeavour to contribute towards the society, G4S ‘Happy Day’ was celebrated with thousands of underprivileged children from different NGOs in India and in 21 countries across the world. In NCR, G4S celebrated this year’s ‘Happy Day’ at Gymkhana Club, Gurgaon with the theme of ‘Disneyland’. G4S executives and their families joined in to bring happiness to the little guests and bring moments of joy with the sole purpose of infusing positive thoughts and energy in them. A number of fun filled activities and rides were planned for the kids including toy trains, bungee jumping, magic shows, tattoo painting, bouncy castles, hoopla games, camel ride, face painting, puppet show, ring games and other activity stalls. An elaborate menu of lunch and breakfast was specially created keeping the kids’ tastes in mind. Sharing G4S commitment to children and society, Mr Neil Prasad, Regional Managing Director, South Asia, said, “Philanthropy is the greatest social practice of G4S. A tradition set by royalty; it is natural that corporate houses should follow it with alacrity, working with charitable foundations, educational and healthcare institutions and trusts for development works for communities. Doing good for the community that we live in and helping those in need, is so good for the conscience and it is a culture we believe in at G4S. We are proud to harness the power of G4S values, with the aim to help these children to cross the divide and enter a world of their dreams. Happy Day is part of our ongoing endeavour internationally to contribute to the society in every way possible and what better than supporting children.” On the occasion, Mr Daniel C. Ryan, Regional CEO – Asia & Middle East, G4S added, “On the 3rd of March every year, G4S employees, along with many family members, add a day of happiness with their personal involvement in the lives of less privileged children. Each year, we put in extra effort to make a difference for thousands of children on this special occasion. Happy Day is part of our ongoing endeavour internationally to contribute to the societies in which we work.” Talking about this initiative, Ms. Mansi, VP – marketing, G4S said, “Happy Day is G4S’s annual presentation of its commitment to society and way of repaying the community by helping underprivileged children and orphans. On this day, we intend to give a fun filled day to the children who are less fortunate”.
ASTM’s tribute to womanhood: special courses for women in security industry. The institute for Advanced Security Training & Management (ASTM) is all set for an all women’s batch for their “Certificate Course in Security Management” (CCSM). The admissions for these will be announced soon. The Mumbai based institute has been in the field of security training and management, training students as well as security professionals in the field of effective security management. With the introduction of special “All Women’s” batch for their certificate course, they have now opened up avenues for women in this male dominated field and offered them equal training and employment opportunities in the field. The CCSM is a five month full time course with subjects as generalised as soft skills and English speaking, basic computer training and legal aspects to more specialised subjects like weapon training, unarmed combat, first aid, fire fighting, physical training & risk survey & assessment among others. Speaking on this decision, Mrs. Madhura Bidaye, Head of Operations, ASTM, said, “We feel the time is right to introduce women to the security industry. Women have already been making their presence felt in the police force as well as other defence services like the navy & the air-force. We now want to give them a presence in the security industry and there could be no better day than the “international women’s day” to announce the same! The course structure is going to be the same as for their male counterparts so as to maintain equality and the admissions will be announced soon.
Traffic monitoring put on hold in Hyderabad A lack of government funding has led officials in Hyderabad to put plans for a new traffic monitoring system on hold. According to reports, chief minister Andhra Pradesh, Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy, made it his mission to improve traffic flows in the metropolis by installing video surveillance systems in problem areas. He said traffic movement would be monitored by CCTV cameras and information sent to a central control room, where action to ease the flow of vehicles can be taken quickly. However, funds have still not been released for the project, which means officials from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation have not been able to carry out the work. Last month, a new traffic monitoring centre was opened in Delhi to examine the reliability and efficiency of bus services in the city. Chief minister Mrs Sheila Dikshit said the surveillance equipment would be used to determine whether buses are adhering to certain performance benchmarks.
Delhi University asked to install surveillance system To increase student safety, Delhi University has urged all colleges and hostels to install electronic surveillance systems in their premises. The move comes after Delhi Police (North District) issued an advisory, asking colleges to install closed circuit televisions (CCTV) cameras in their premises. “We received the advisory three weeks ago and have already sent letters to colleges and hostels in North Campus to implement it. Letters to colleges in South Campus are also being dispatched,” said DU Proctor, Prof. H P Singh. Prof Singh added that the installation of these surveillance systems was a positive step and would prove useful in preventing untoward incidents and/or help in investigations. The university also said it was ready to offer monetary assistance to hostels and colleges to help them set up the systems. Colleges have been asked to avail funds from OBC infrastructure grants to install the systems. Prof Singh said: “If colleges send us proposals requesting financial assistance in case they have exhausted their infrastructure funds, we will help them on a case-to-case basis. The university will assist hostels as well because they don’t get OBC infrastructure grants. Principals of various DU colleges said they are acting on the advisory. “Our campus, canteen and open areas have had cameras for some time. But, after the advisory, we plan to install cameras in our hostel as well. They should be installed in a month,” said Mr V K Kawatra, Principal of Hansraj College. Dr Pratibha Jolly, Principal of Miranda House, said, “We had installed CCTV cameras post 26/11 on students’ demand. Our college has cameras at strategic locations like the canteen and entry-exit gates. We have received the advisory and plan to enhance the scope of camera installations in some more areas of the college”.
Sonus expands its presence in India Sonus Networks, Inc., a leader in IP networking with expertise in delivering secure, reliable and scalable next-generation infrastructure solutions, recently inaugurated its new, state-of-the-art facility in Bangalore, which consolidates two smaller facilities into one larger location. This marks a move to accommodate growth in the Indian region. The company’s Bengaluru facility will showcase Sonus’s leading voice security products apart from session border controllers, media gateways, softswitches products for service providers and large enterprises. Sonus’s continued success in the Indian, Middle East and Asia Pacific telecommunications markets is the impetus behind the upgrade. Located in a brand new, state-of-the-art technology building, Sonus’s more than 77,000 sft. Of sophisticated lab space, will house the company’s growing employee base in India, which currently stands at 490. The Bengaluru team will continue to focus primarily on software development and testing as well as systems engineering and customer base. Sonus’s infrastructure solutions allow efficient and reliable delivery of voice and multimedia sessions over IP networks while enabling customers to manage the flows of sessions in their networks using business policies. “We are leveraging our operations in India to support growth in three of the world’s most rapidly growing areas,” said Raymond Dolan, president and CEO of Sonus Networks.
MIEL e-Security launches Endpoint Diagnostic Service MIEL e-Security has launched its latest Managed Security Service - MIEL’s Endpoint Diagnostic Service (MEDS). MIEL offers this simple, cost-effective & efficient endpoint diagnostic service over the cloud. MEDS offers endpoint diagnosis of firewalls, installed software, audit logs, screen saver, antivirus, enabled services, running programs, auto updates, USB drives, password policy, patches and agent health. The service is an agentless architecture, scans endpoints based on best practices and gives compliance reports. According to Mr M. N. Kutty Nair, Chairman & Managing Director - MIEL, “with new threat landscape evolving, end-point security is a must because of increase in unauthorized file sharing, data theft and malicious software. The focus has also increased because of compliance regulations and consumerization of IT - as the use of laptops, Blackberry and social media has risen.” The MEDS product can check over 200 security parameters on desktops and servers for standards like ISO 27001, PCI/DSS, SOX, HIPAA, GLB, NIST and others. An executive summary of the report is provided to the customer in a PDF format. The report includes task details and the list of endpoints scanned for executive summary, result breakdown, top 10 non-compliant endpoints, top five non-compliant checks, compliance levels across categories and over a period of time for graphical summary. It also offers a detailed compliance report in Microsoft Excel that includes a detailed analysis of complete tasks and individual endpoint reports including the templates used. Standard statistical analysis is also given in the HTML format.
Bengal unrest boosts demand for private guards Bengal may be battling political unrest and a general decline in law and order but one sector isn’t complaining — private security. From malls to educational institutions, private residences to residential complexes, the demand for guards has soared along with the crime graph over the past few months, forcing security agencies to go on a recruitment spree.“Earlier, barring a few jewellery stores and private banks hardly anybody would hire guards from agencies like ours. We are now facing a manpower shortage with just about everyone hiring private security,” Mr Sanjukta Vohra, the managing director of Darks Security Consultant Pvt Ltd, said. Mr Vohra, whose agency started operating in the early eighties, and other owners attribute the surge in demand for private security to the retail, banking, hospitality, healthcare, education and real estate boom rather than a sudden explosion of crime. “Banks are opening new branches and ATMs almost every day, where guards need to be posted round-the-clock. Most top schools in the city have also become finicky about security with parents not averse to paying more for the safety of their children. Then there is Sector V, which alone has around 1,000 private guards. Residential complexes also account for a big percentage of our contracts,” Vohra said.Calcutta has around 30 licensed security agencies approved by the home department under the Private Security Act. “These 30 agencies control almost 75 per cent of the business in the city, including corporate offices, banks, malls and high-end residential complexes,” said Mr Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, the CEO of Calcutta Response Group. City police had issued a series of guidelines to hotels, malls, residential complexes and schools to tighten internal security in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks in 2008. “Private guards engaged by malls, hotels, residential complexes look after internal security while the police are responsible for general law and order. From time to time, we provide training to private guards. We have teams that pay surprise visits to malls and hotels,” special commissioner of police Mr R.K. Pachnanda said.
A drive to install CCTV cameras in Bengaluru buildings The Bengaluru police commissioner has ordered his force to identify and report places, including apartment complexes and shrines, where closed-circuit television cameras have been installed. The memo issued by the city police commissioner’s office directed the inspectors of all police stations to submit the report within a specified time span.Earlier, police commissioner Mr Shankar M Bidari and joint commissioner of police (crime) Mr Alok Kumar had directed all police stations to hold security meetings with bank officials in their respective jurisdiction. The police had directed all banks to install CCTVs in their branches and ATMs. This was to help identify criminals. The memo has directed the police to check all jewellery shops, pawn brokers, hotels, lodges, places of worship, apartments and commercial buildings to know if CCTV cameras have been installed. “We have received a memo from the police commissioner. We are collecting the details and submit a report to the commissioner’s office. We will serve the notice to the temples, churches, mosques and apartment owners to install the CCTV cameras,” a police officer said on the condition of anonymity. Installing CCTV cameras would help the police solve crimes. “We are at times left clueless in instances of crimes committed in lodges. It will be helpful if CCTV camera captured the footage of those who check into lodges,” an officer said. CCTV cameras in places of worship have been mooted in the light of several cases of thefts as well as miscreants desecrating such places for creating communal tension.
India approves Ontario Company to do counter-intelligence A small Ontario information-technology-security firm is poised to take a giant sales leap as a result of new protective measures in the world’s fastest growing telecom market. “This is a huge opportunity,” says Mr Dennis Weiss, vice-president of Electronics Warfare Associates–Canada (EWA), a global leader in the war against cyber crime and Internet sabotage. The opportunity arises from the Indian government recently developing new anti-spying and anti-sabotage regulations that apply to telecom equipment purchases. The Indian government has designated EWA-Canada as a security consultant to check new telecom equipment for spyware and viruses before it can be introduced to the marketplace. As a result of security concerns, the Indian government last year required any purchase of telecom equipment to undergo an independent security check. Specifically, India is concerned about software or hardware that could be used to spy on the nation or launch a virus that could shut down its computer and telephone networks. India expects to establish its own testing centre within three years but, in the interim, has authorized companies like EWA-Canada to perform the evaluations. Uncertainty about the exact security clearance requirements is a huge concern for Indian telecom providers who are struggling to meet the exploding demand for their products and services. India has an estimated potential 12 million to 14 million new cellular subscribers per month, and the total telecom market is expected to experience a $150 billion growth spurt over the next five years. The Indian telecoms want to use state-of-the-art and competitively priced equipment produced outside their country to meet the demand. But without clarity on the security requirements, foreign purchases have effectively stopped and growth has been stymied.
ASTM to offer the PLUS Advantage for security guards! Institute of Advanced Security Training & Management Pvt. Ltd. (ASTM), Mumbai, has introduced first of its kind “The ASTM Security Guard + Course” A unique, two months exhaustive training aimed at introducing a select breed of first level Security Professionals capable of redefining the way Guarding Duties are performed. The course will be launched in the first week of April and will be conducted through specialized training centers across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Karjat, Aurangabad, Nashik, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Jalgaon, Nanded, Parbhani and Nagpur regions of Maharashtra. With the changing threat perspectives and security challenges, modern India demands highly trained, motivated and committed First Responders. In the present context, there is an acute dearth of such professionals, capable of handling threats and emergencies the professional way as most security guards today are previously unemployed, uneducated youth who come to the city in search of jobs. ASTM’s “Guard+ Course” is the first of its kind to implement a specific training syllabus in accordance to the guidelines laid down by the government and imparts a strict 170 hours of security training as per the Private Security Agencies Registration Act (PSARA), introduced in Maharashtra in 2007.
Indian security surveillance market to see stronger growth India’s security surveillance equipment market is expected to see strong growth over the coming years, a new report from Dax Networks Limited predicts. According to reports the paper states that growth is likely to expand beyond 30 per cent per annum in the coming years.Take-up of IP CCTV cameras will drive this expansion, gaining a significantly larger share of the overall market, it is forecast. Dax points out that security surveillance has been given greater attention in India since the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008. The group predicts that background screening, data analytics, biometrics, digital video and sensor-based detection will be key areas of spending going forward. It says the government and the military are both likely to increase their investment in video surveillance systems and other security measures in the years ahead. Commercial enterprises with multiple locations, such as banks, retailers, hospitals and construction sites, are also set to spend more on the technology, it adds.
Indian ships may get armed Anti-Pirate Guards The Indian government is mulling over a plan to authorize armed guards to protect ships from pirates. The move comes amidst a series of reforms announced by the Indian government to confront its growing piracy problem. India is drafting a new law to prosecute captured pirates, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. And though it has never been shy about getting violent with pirates, India is also reportedly loosening up the rules of engagement procedures for its navy to allow a larger range of offensive actions.India’s Sky Marshals are drawn from its elite counterterrorism police force, the National Security Guards, and deployed on select airline routes viewed as vulnerable to terrorism. But since the pirates’ vast area of operations in the Indian Ocean places a huge amount of Indian maritime traffic at risk, it’s not clear how India would decide which ships would get a “Sea Marshal” aboard. Somali pirates used to be active primarily in the Gulf of Aden. But as international anti-piracy task forces like the EU’s Navfor and the U.S.-led multinational Combined Task Force 151 patrols started to curb piracy in the region, pirates simply moved eastward and into the Indian Ocean. Since then, pirates have been creeping ever closer to the Indian coastline. As Somali piracy has increased in range, lethality and frequency over the years, a number of ships have turned to private security to fend off the seaborne kidnappers. It’s a solution endorsed by U.S. Central Command, too, which has called it “a treat trend” and egged on shipping companies to “get more serious” by hiring the companies. The notorious merceneries from Blackwater tried to get in on some of the action, but have since reportedly preferred to fight piracy on land via private militias. It’s not clear if other countries will follow India’s lead in stationing troops aboard merchant ships. But India’s aggressive new approach to piracy, amidst increasingly violent behavior on the part of pirates, is an indication that the escalating piracy war isn’t likely to diminish any time soon.
Red Fort gets electronic security In view of the sprawling area and large footfalls at the World Heritage Site of Red Fort, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) plans to install an Emergency Response System (ERS). Built in 1639 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the insides of the red sandstone citadel include several monuments like Diwan-e-Aam, Diwan-e-Khas, Zeenat Mahal, Naubat Khana, Rang Mahal, Khwabgah apart from several baghs (gardens). With a large area to look after (the rampart wall has a perimeter of more than 2km and the rectangular fort is spread over 1km east-west and 2km north-south) site management in the absence of sufficient number of attendants and security guards poses severe problems. The centrally protected monument gets approximately 6,000 to 7,000 visitors daily. This will be the first such system to be installed in a heritage site. ERS will comprise CCTV cameras and other digital equipment that will help authorities in managing the crowd and the site better. “One of the features is that the location of an alert call will flash on the system map and immediate response at the exact location would be possible,” said an ASI official. The ASI has allotted a contract for the same recently and work will start as soon the formalities are over, the official said. As per UNESCO guidelines, work is already under way on the comprehensive conservation and management plan. “We will try out the ERS at the Red Fort first and depending on the result, may replicate it at the other two World Heritage Sites in the city,” said BR Mani, spokesperson, ASI.
DIGISOL introduces New Network Surveillance Cameras DIGISOL has launched Skyros, a range of IP Surveillance cameras - starting with two feature-rich IP cameras, namely, DG-SC3630 Pan/Tilt Camera with Power over Ethernet and the DG-SC3610W Wireless Pan/Tilt Camera. The new cameras introduced are high-end network cameras designed for professional surveillance and security applications, providing powerful and versatile security solutions for businesses of any size. “Our new feature-rich DIGISOL IP camera offerings provide premium digital surveillance solutions for small, medium and even large businesses requiring professional, state-of-the-art security monitoring,” said Mr Shridhar Kadam, CTO & VP - Product Management, DIGISOL. “No matter what the lighting environment, these cameras provide outstanding picture quality and offer user-friendly features, flexible connectivity and convenient remote monitoring capabilities.” The DG-SC3630 and DG-SC3610W feature Remote Pan/Tilt control which helps in monitoring a large area more easily. Further, the users can set up the preset point to let the camera point to a specific direction accurately and quickly. These cameras also offer Simultaneous Real-Time Viewing allowing multiple users from various locations to view live video at the same time. The DG-SC3630 and DG-SC3610W support a wide range of high quality video formats like VGA, QVGA, MJPEG, MPEG4 and H.264 with frame rates up to 30fps. These can be viewed using any standard browser. These cameras have local SD card support, which helps in recording images without any special recording software.
Matrix Comsec launches New R&D Center in Vadodara Established in 1991, Matrix Comsec is a versatile designer and manufacturer of Telecom and Security products which are marketed in more than 50 countries. Matrix has recently inaugurated its new Research and Development (R&D) centre in Vadodara. The new facility is in line with Matrix’s plan of being a world-class Products and Solutions company operating all-over the world. The new R&D centre shall house more than 500 design and development engineers. The centre is designed using the latest technologies. It shall be the nucleus of the company’s activities to connect its design, development and manufacturing activities with its global sales and marketing operations. The other factors considered at the setup of the R&D centre was the vibrant and burgeoning Global Electronics markets as well as the target of catering to the need of the international market. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ganesh Jivani, the Managing Director of Matrix Comsec said, “Matrix is among the few Indian companies which indigenously manufactures and markets both Telecom and Security products. Research at Matrix has been the foundation for its growth and sustenance. Today Matrix is positioned as a qualitative and competitive product manufacturer on the global plane and has introduced more than 40 innovative products through continuous research and development activities; strengthening its global competency. We see this new centre as a great opportunity to extend our product development capability in order to best serve the needs of our customers and the market worldwide.” The R&D center plans to recruit more technical talents from premier engineering institutions and companies. By closely studying the evolving needs of the global market, the company will now be able to pioneer new products in the market, strengthening the portfolio of both Telecom and Security products.
GMR holds summit on aviation security Airports in the country will handle 28 crore passengers by 2020, Mr V.P. Agrawal, chairman of the Airports Authority of India told the delegates to the two-day summit on aviation security organised by GMR in Hyderabad. India is still considered one of the least penetrated markets and has tremendous growth potential, he said. “Opportunities in this growing market include up-gradation/modernization of both metro and non-metro airports and linking of big cities with tier-two and tier-three cities, expanding existing airports and developing greenfield airports.” Answering a question on Begumpet airport in Hyderabad, which has been lying idle since the new airport came up at Shamshabad, Mr Agrawal said the government has no plans to monetise the huge tracts of land available with the airport. “It cannot be monetised. Whatever land we acquired is for aviation purposes. It can be used for pilot training by flying institutes,” he said. Of the 35 airports coming up in Tier II and III cities, 22 have been completed and the rest will soon be completed or commissioned. He said radioactive substance scanners will be placed in all international airports to check passengers coming from Japan. Mr Agrawal was in favour of corporatising the Airports Authority as it will help in accessing funds, formulating strategies and allow it to function as an independent entity.
India sends NDRF team to Japan to assist in rehabilitation A 46 member team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel from India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is in Tokyo for relief and rehabilitation work. The team is equipped with the latest state-of-the art gear for radiation monitoring, detection and personal safety equipments and thus they are self contained in terms of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) suits, emergency rations and essential medicines. The contingent commander of this team is Mr Alok Avasthy. The Government of Japan had requested the Government of India for the deployment of the NDRF team for relief and rehabilitation work. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had kept an NDRF team in readiness to be sent to Japan for search, rescue and relief operations. The team would be deployed in the town of Rifu-Cho which is 365 kms north of Tokyo for a duration of approximately 10-12 days and they would be staying at Miyagi Prefecture Sports Complex in Tohoku region on Honshu Island. The NDRF team will assist the local authorities of the town in relief and rehabilitation activities. Speaking to the NDRF team, M. Shashidhar Reddy, vice chairman, NDMA said that NDRF has become the public face of NDMA. This is the first time that a team of NDRF is being deployed outside the country, he said. Mr Reddy expressed confidence that the team will do exemplary work and bring laurels for the country.
Y-Cam opens India office Y-cam Solutions Ltd, a leading UK based manufacturer of innovative and affordable remote monitoring products for residential and small–to–medium sized businesses, announced their expansion into India’s fast-evolving security market. Y-cam’s step in to new territory intends to provide the Indian security sector with a range of high quality, affordable IP cameras, plus an easy way for new resellers of IP security to work with Y-cam. “India is a constantly evolving market - the second most populated country in the world, and an economy growing at an alarming rate – so it’s not surprising that there is a knock-on effect in the rise of criminal activity, especially the threat of terrorist incidents. In a fresh warning issued by the Pakistan Foreign Ministry for possible attacks on the ICC World Cup 2011 Finals, they have called for heightened security within SME, corporate and residential Zones, and Y-cam has the quality and affordability to match the market perfectly” said Mr Sanket Shah, Managing Director of Y-cam (India) Pvt Ltd. Mr Simon Carr, global sales manager at Y-cam Solutions, said, “The needs and concerns faced by Indian households and businesses are constantly evolving. Y-cam’s affordable and easy-to-use remote monitoring solutions can provide great benefits and peace-of-mind. This provides a fantastic opportunity for businesses to provide value to customers, and take part in a rapidly growing and exciting market.” Y-cam has already created new partnerships with professional resellers across the Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa regions of Western India, and is now actively recruiting further resellers across all zones, with the aim to become a prominent provider to India’s SMB and residential security market.
Customs plans passenger profiling In a bid to strengthen its anti-smuggling mechanism and secure international trade from terrorist exploitation, the Customs Department is contemplating profiling passengers coming to India through what is better known as Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) reports the Indian Express. The system is already being implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs at six airports — Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Delhi and Mumbai airports. “We are thinking of passenger profiling. Details of passengers travelling to India will be collated to form a database for proper enforcement and prevention of smuggling. We still don’t have a database for risk assessment, even though the Home Ministry has already put this mechanism in place for internal security,” a source told The Indian Express. “We will form our own database with the help of the Home Ministry by developing our own software for profiling,” the source said.
DC Nath moves from IISM Mr DC Nath erstwhile president and DG of Indian Institute of Security Management (IISM) has tendered his resignation from his post after being in the post for 16 years. His resignation has been accepted. Mr Nath had recently been honoured by Princeton Global Network registry in recognition of professional distinction His academic achievements will be included in the 2010/2011 Princeton Global Network Registry. This recognition is bestowed upon only the most distinguished individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their careers and exemplary leadership within their communities, according to the citation.
Police in Bangalore use CCTV to monitor officers Police in Bangalore are using CCTV systems to keep an eye on officers at two major bases in the city. According to the Bangalore Mirror, CCTV cameras have been installed at the HSR Layout and Madiwala police stations. Chief inspectors hope the new technology will help to reduce malpractice and corruption following complaints of impropriety on the part of subordinates. Because the stations are so large, it has so far been difficult to monitor the activity of officers across the entire base. But CCTV cameras are now in operation at entrances, halls, cabins and cell areas in each facility. Maidwala police inspector Purushotham M L said: “I arranged for these cameras to be installed as I thought they would prove a deterrent to any illegal activity.“With the cameras, subordinates get the feeling that they are being watched and so would work properly. I believe it has had a positive impact and it has improved the quality of work rendered by the staff here.”
Sparsh retains the prestigious EFY Award Sparsh re-affirmed its leadership position in Indian security market by retaining the “EFY - Electronics For You, Magazine Award 2010” for Best Security System. Sparsh received the award in 2009 as well. This award is given to the most popular brand of the year as voted by the readers of EFY magazine. This award recognizes Sparsh for its dedication to product innovation, quality, and service. Companies competing for the coveted award included Godrej, Zicom, Alba Systems, Bosch, and Sparsh. Previous winners include Honeywell, Alba, Sony and Zicom. Previously, Sparsh had been nominated for this award in 2005, 2007 and 2008 and had picked up its first award last year. “This award is recognition for our initiatives in meeting the unique needs of Indian customers and bringing design and manufacturing capabilities for electronics security products to India. We thank and express gratitude to our valued customers, partners and the industry in general for their continuous support and encouragement”, says Sanjeev Sehgal, Founder & MD of Sparsh. Sparsh’s mission is to make India a recognized leader in the design and manufacture of innovative and high quality security devices. In our pursuit towards this mission, we have obtained RoHS, CE, EMC, and FCC certifications for our various product lines. This award recognizes our team’s hard work over the years and provides the right motivation for reaching our mission. Some of our 2009 achievements that have contributed to this award include indigenous development of mid-resolution 480 TVL and hi-resolution 540 TVL cameras, expanding range of offered cameras to 70, and launch of OmniSurv- enabling real-time video surveillance anytime, anywhere including low-bandwidth mobile networks like GPRS. In addition, Sparsh became the first Indian security firm to achieve CE, FCC, TUV EMC and RoHS certification for security cameras”.
Biometrics used for World Cup finals entry As part of the tight security arrangements for the World Cup final match in Mumbai, all non-ticket holders seeking entry had been asked to queue up at the venue in advance to get their fingerprints scanned for special biometric passes issued by the police. ICC accreditation passes were meant to serve as a valid document for entry inside the different venues.
Cops, pvt security join hands to reduce burglary in Sevasi To reduce the incidents of burglaries and other crimes in the city, a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership has been forged between the police and the civilians. A private security van will now patrol the Gotri-Sevasi Road and interior areas during night to monitor the locality. The van will also have a cop that will lend legality to the patrollers. The initiative was taken after some major burglaries were reported in Sevasi area and a police constable was killed by robbers near Gorwa canal some days ago. The private security van began patrolling in Sevasi a fortnight ago and it has proved to be a successful experiment. “Businessmen staying in the locality were quiet shaken up after the robbery incidents and they approached me. We had a discussion and I proposed that they should hire a private security agency for patrolling. We decided to put a cop in the van so that the activity will get legal support,” said city police commissioner Rakesh Asthaana. “The van has been doing regular patrolling and there has no incident of theft in that area. It’s a good example of public-private partnership,” Asthaana added. With lot of construction activities and increasing development, the incidents of thefts had increased in the locality over last few years. Also, miscreants from rural areas used to commit robbery in city limits and flee back to their villages. Those staying in the locality that is on the outskirts of the city are also ensuring that the patrolling van takes regular rounds of the area in the night. Security men in the van will have to flash their torch on a device fitted outside the bungalows. The device will record the number of flashes and timings to give the residents an idea of the number of rounds taken by the van. “We have also fitted a hi-tech burglar system. In case of break-in, the alarm goes off and an SMS is automatically sent on the mobile number of patrollers,” said Amit Bhatnagar. “We are happy with the new patrolling system,” added Bhatnagar, a resident of Gotri-Sevasi Road.
FSAI chief NS Narendra promises to take the good work forward The new president of Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI) has vowed to battle the challenges that lay ahead in an effort to make FSAI realise the dream with which it was formed. “To take on the mantle as the President of FSAI is both an honour, and a great responsibility. This is a privilege and I promise that our combined efforts will drive the momentum to stay ahead of the challenges of, both, the industry and the environment. At the very outset, on behalf of FSAI, I wish to thank Pramoud Rao for his outstanding efforts to the cause of FSAI. His contributions, leadership and advice at every step have been exceptional and key to our progress. We continue to look forward to his counsel and efforts as we move forward. FSAI has derived great energy and dynamism from the efforts of its leaders especially Dominic and Rajashekar and their continued efforts are deeply valued. The current pace of our economic development requires that Infrastructure Protection and Safety emerges as a Top 5 priority for policy makers and industry leaders. My vision is to ensure that the momentum of FSAI is accelerated in terms of membership, events and visibility. The industry is evolving and it is our responsibility to stay ahead of the change, and ensure we build both strength and excellence.Our unique energy needs to be harnessed such that our knowledge, leverage and strengths can be multiplied. We will as a team build and carry forward the momentum of FSAI in the key areas of training, revenue generation, visibility and outreach, said Mr Narendra in his inaugural communiqué to the FSAI members.” Mr Narendra added that the industry was in a high growth sector and it was the need of the hour to focus on an exercise that provides a platform for training – project management and executional excellence, disaster management, security and IBMS are some key areas where one can build expert inputs.“Visibility and revenue generation are already seeing momentum with our initiatives to partner the top industry events and exhibitions – ACREX, Secutech India and Urban India Expo 2011 to name just a few. The contributions of individual members and the initiatives of individual chapters will add both to revenues and visibility.Stature and visibility will get a significant boost with our focussed initiatives at apex decision making levels providing a strong voice for FSAI with a very key set of leaders” he added.

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