Day: November 17, 2021

Anil Puri CMD, APS group A first generation serial entrepreneur, thought leader and an action catalyzer rolled into one – Anil Puri is a rare combination of a visionary, an innovator and a strategic thinker. He has used this combination to innovate and implement on-ground many new business ideas. His rich experience in various businesses has enabled him to nurture & mentor innovative ideas and scale them up. INTRODUCTION Safety and security lie at the heart of the prosperity of any nation. Citizens want to feel safe (protected from risk or injury) and secure (free from danger or threat). States have a primary duty of protecting the security of their citizens and all persons within their jurisdiction, maintaining and promoting crime prevention and community safety. Today, security is being challenged in many dimensions including physical, digital and economic. Accepted social norms of behavior are also being challenged. Added to this is deteriorating trust in public institutions and in leaders who should be a primary source of safety for citizens and businesses. Governance is becoming increasingly difficult and national and international unity is becoming harder to achieve. As a result, even in stable countries, a large cross section of citizens feel or perceive to be unsafe. As the graph of insecurity rises, more and more people are turning to the private security to ensure their personal safety and that of their families and properties. This demand is seen to rise due to a state’s inability to provide adequate security to its people. Consequently, private security agencies working for governments, local communities and the corporate sector have been identified to play an important complementary role in preventing crime and enhancing community safety. In this new reality, security, broadly defined, needs to be front and centre of government agenda – nationally, regionally and locally at the municipal level, as well as internationally – to deliver solutions that make the world a more secure place, so people trust institutions and the services they provide and so they both feel and are safe. Given that the threats come from many areas, this will require a much higher level of collaboration than we see today, both within government departments and among governments. Traditional security services such as the police, intelligence agencies and defence organizations will need to work with non-government organizations, businesses and citizens. With so many factors influencing perceptions of security, this type of collaboration needs across length & breadth of vision that is too often lacking and a level of organizational expertise that challenges current ways of working. In this new realm, national, regional and local governments need to view citizen safety (and security) in a holistic perspective and work across borders to achieve it. CONCEPT OF SAFE SOCIETY Societal Safety may be defined as ‘the society’s ability to maintain critical social functions, to protect the life and health of the citizens and to meet the citizens’ basic requirements in a variety of stress situations.’ The notion of security applies to anything we would want to make ‘secure’ from a perceived risk or threat. This includes digital and data security, national security, border security, food security, water security and social security, to name a few. All these are interconnected. In broader terms, therefore, security can be defined as the ‘alleviation of threats to cherished values.’ At a basic level, a society is nothing but a collection of people of different community. Individually each one is unsafe. But once networked, suddenly the concept of safety starts acquiring collective overtones. The concept of community is intrinsically linked with the intelligent design and architecting of urban spaces. It’s only through the integration of public and open spaces with the spaces of work, living and recreation that a vibrant community can be developed. An empowered community is a natural buffer and allows for proactive action to create an enabling environment for all sections of a society to lead their daily lives without fear and violence. The holy grail of a safe society assumes reality only when the quality of life naturally and automatically lends itself to creating an environment of empowerment, enablement and safety. ROLE OF THE POLICE The role of police in India is – The maintenance of Law and Order and the prevention & detection of crime. Currently, the police service is understaffed, under paid, over worked and dogged by accusations of corruption and inefficiency. Recently, it is characterized by increasing incidents of criminal activities, collusion between the police and the criminals in acts of lawlessness and a growing mistrust from the members of the public. It is observed that this disconnect between the police and the community members is best demonstrated by the phenomenon of rising number of private security companies and the demand of security by individuals, companies and institutions on the PSI. ROLE OF PSI The private security is driven by the profit motive. Their main service product is the protection of their clients’ interests at a profit while the police aim at protecting the public and their property as an obligation and public good. In general, the role of the private security providers is seen as providing security while maximizing on profits. The private security in India adopted the methodology of detect, deter, delay, and report. The security personnel don’t need to make arrest, but have the authority to make a citizen’s arrest, by requesting a police officer. The main duty of security guards is to enforce company rules and act to protect lives and property for which they are given training as mandated by the PSARA 2005. The main role and responsibilities of private security are: Protect people and the property of his contracted clients; Prevention of an incident/ offense before it has occurred; and Observe and report during or after an incident/ offense. The services provided by the private security personnel in an industry can be broadly segmented into the following: Manned guarding, Cash services, Electronic security services, and Armed escort services. ROLE OF PSI IN COMMUNITY POLICING Community…