Year: 2018

UBM India has successfully concluded its 11th edition of the three-day International Fire & Security Exhibition and Conference (IFSEC) India Expo 2017 held during 6-8 December in New Delhi. The show brought together internationally business experts, and the key government officials on one common platform to discuss global best practices and concepts such as smart cities, and to seek solutions for challenges in the security and fire domain. It also provided informative demos and a wealth of opportunities for the visitors to network, and learn about cutting-edge technologies,industry trends, challenges, market insights and discover the best solutions to keep their business and clients secured. The inaugural ceremony of IFSEC India 2017 took place in the presence of key dignitaries such as Gopal K Pillai, Chairman, Data Security Council of India & Former Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India; Shiv Charan Yadav, President, Asian Professional Security Association (APSA); Anil Dhawan, Co-Chair, ASSOCHAM Homeland Security; Commander Deepak Uppal, Director, Price water house Coopers (PwC); Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India; and Pankaj Jain, Group Director, UBM India, amidst an august industry gathering. This year, the expo saw participation from countries such as UK, USA,China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Lithuania, South Africa, Russia and Turkey etc., from the commercial security domain, and displayed over 300 brands. The Expo was supported by Asian Professional Security Association (APSA), American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), Electronic Security Association of India (ESAI), Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) and Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), along with Assocham as Strategic Partner and PwC as the Knowledge Partner. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “The flourishing economy and rapid growth in sectors such as airports, construction, energy,ports, telecom, railways, road and retail,coupled with the influx of multinational companies have been the primary driving force for creating demand for the security industry. The government of India has also made its intention clear to revamp the country’s ailing infrastructure by announcing new airports, ports, and by building 100 smart cities across the nation. While implementing these schemes, it is necessary that the aspects of ‘safety’ and ‘security’ which are of prime concerns in urban areas are also incorporated.” PwC, the knowledge partner of IFSEC India launched a white paper on ‘Maximizing the benefits of a command and control Centre (CCC)’ that primarily talks about today’s key challenges of command and control Centre (CCC) utilization for the concept of operations, and co-locating various command centres for integrated operations. With the increasing focus on Homeland security in India, IFSEC India 2017 conducted a one day conference with the theme ‘Secure Nation and Safer Environment’ alongside the exhibition where relevant insights gained in the global security market were discussed. IFSEC India also convened their 2nd edition of IFSEC India Awards. The electronic security industry in India is proliferating and the awards were crafted to felicitate the minds behind the security of various industry verticals like BFSI, retail and manufacturing, energy, healthcare, PSUs, IT & ITES, and infrastructure in the limelight. The awards recognized the excellence and innovations of CSOs and security officers who continuously work behind the scenes to ensure robust security.   With the need for robust and updated security technologies to gain momentum with each passing day, UBM India through IFSEC India 2017 showcased the latest know how in the industry and deciphered relevant insights gained in the global security market. It provided an opportunity to its exhibitors and visitors to discover the best solutions to keep their business and clients secure amongst a showcase of innovative products – Yogesh Mudras  Managing Director, UBM India   It is the ardent need for policy makers to get more serious about adopting technologies in homeland security due to the growing threats from terrorists and other extremist organisations – G. K. Pillai Chairman, DSCI & Former Home Secretary,Government of India    UBM India has maintained its leadership in security industry yet again with its 11th edition ofIFSEC India 2017. The expo exhibited wide range of innovative security products and solutions,      convened a one day conference on Homeland Security and Smart Cities in association with  ASSOCHAM, and conducted an award ceremony for end users representing Government, Public sector and Private sectors. It is a true platform for                                                security professionals to interact and develop knowledge – Anil Dhawan  Co-Chairman, Homeland Security Committee, ASSOCHAM & Managing Director, DB Secure Solution Private Limited IFSEC provides an opportunity for the surveillance and system integrator industries to come together to exchange ideas, showcase the latest technologies and discuss industry issues and trends. As a leader in storage solutions for surveillance systems, Western Digital considers IFSEC to be an important event in our marketing calendar – Khwaja Saifuddin Sr. Sales Director, South Asia, ME & Africa, Western Digital

The Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) and Association of Private Detectives and Investigators, India convened their 12th Annual Conference – Security Skills & Leadership Summit 2017 – during 16 and 17 December 2017 at the Le-Meridian, New Delhi. The conference was opened by Gen. V K Singh (Retd.), the Minister of State for External Affairs, GoI, who asked private security agencies to upgrade their skills and adopt modern technologies to make India a safer place. The conference was at-tended by security professionals from all over India.                                                                              “Our security environment is changing fast; our streets may not be as Therefore, it is important for the private security agencies to wake up to the growing challenges related to public safety and security,” Gen. Singh said, “The sphere of private security agencies has increased many times and so have the challenges. The industry needs to look into the challenges of providing better trained and better equipped manpower.”      CAPSI Chairperson, Kunwar Vikram Singh has written a comprehensive letter to Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, and sought his intervention in resolving long standing issues of the private security sector which have been hurting its growth,particularly those related to the unfair imposition of GST which is putting unfavorable financial burden on agencies,and the imposition of new draconian rule under which agency owners would be held guilty and penalized for the crimes committed by their guards. “Private security sector currently employs 70 lakh private security guards and supervisors working in 22,000 private security agencies. It is one of the largest private sector employers in India. The sector is growing at the annual rate of 22% and it is one of the largest corporate tax contributor as on date, but unfortunately it is yet in a neglected stature,” Kunwar Vikram Singh is said to have quoted in his letter to the Prime Minister. “We have urged the Prime Minister to pro-actively consider our demands and save the sector which could prove crucial for the success of Skill India and also in generating jobs,” he apprised the delegates, “The Prime Minister has asked the Union Home Ministry to look into our concerns on urgent basis.” “We further demanded that GST should be made applicable on reverse charge basis for the security agencies whereby service takers would be made liable to pay the tax, not the service providers. We work on 3-months credit and our payments are often delayed, nonetheless, we make the payment of salaries to our personnel in time. It is unaffordable for us to make an upfront payment of additional 18% GST. The GST regime is a setback and is badly hurting us. Many agencies have already been made to close their business due to this undesirable burden.If this continues, our sector will die in distress and lakhs of people will be renderd jobless,” Kunwar Vikram Singh added. The forum discussed the urgent need to amend the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act 2005, in consultation with the security agencies. A recent provision to penalize the employers for the crime committed by their guard is draconian and needs to be withdrawn immediately. Owners cannot be held accountable for the negligence of their guards or supervisors. The forum discussed the urgent need to amend the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act 2005, in consultation with the security agencies. A recent provision to penalize the employers for the crime committed by their guard is draconian and needs to be withdrawn immediately. Owners cannot be held accountable for the negligence of their guards or supervisors. “This is a highly objectionable rule which will lead to chaos, we demand its immediate withdrawal,” Mr. Singh continued. CAPSI also demands for a fair tender process by the government/ PSUs who often clear the tender of some private companies at 0% or nominal rates. This is not feasible and would promote corrupt and unethical business model. “We need a fair tender process by the government or public sector undertakings (PSUs) which is necessary to promote competition,” he added, “Any anti-competitive practice leads to cartelization and obstructs the sector’s growth.” NSDC has recently derecognized 200 training centers run by the security agencies across India in an abrupt manner, including those in semi-urban and rural areas. Their sudden closure and arbitrary change in policy have rendered many youth jobless. “This is against the spirit of Skill India,” CAPSI Chairman stated in astonishment, “On the contrary, today we need more centers in rural and semi-urban areas to improve job opportunities for the rural youth. Also, the certificates issued by these training centers and NSDC should be recognized by the state bodies which is surprisingly not the case at present.” The Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram addressed the valedictory ceremony and admired the private security sector for playing a significant role in creating employment opportunities for the tribal people. “Lakhs of tribal people are working today as security guards in metro cities, and IT hubs of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune. Government is considering formulating a special policy whereby these tribals can be benefited from the Modi Government’s Skill India initiative, and which will improve their employability. It will also help in tackling the problem of Naxalism,” Mr. Oram said, “There are 136 tribal dominated districts where we plan to focus under Skill India programme.Private security is one such sector where our tribal people can get good employment opportunities. Tribals are the most honest and hardworking people and they are real asset for the country. We will take help from CAPSI to ensure more and more tribals can get good employment opportunities and help them join the national main stream.”       As government cannot meet all the requirements of security, we are becoming more dependent on private security, particularly to private individuals and organizations. The private agencies should take on this…