Anil Puri CMD, APS group A thought leader and an action catalyzer rolled into one – Anil Puri is a rare combination of a visionary, and one who has mastered the art of strategic and tactical thinking to the core. He has been using this combination to seed new ideas and to lead them to their implementation on-ground. This has been a consistent feature of his career. He has rich experience of approximately 35 years in corporate in diverse domains & from functional managerial level to apex as chairman of a corporate group. His acumen for handling crisis management has prompted him to share his exclusive and niche experiences. He will be discussing the topic in four distinct parts in separate articles; Part 1 – Hostage situation & ways to deal with hostage situation; Part 2 – Negotiation skills; Part 3 – How to survive an abduction or hostage situation, and finally in Part 4 – The role of corporate security. He will take you through realistically at ground zero in visualization and response matrix through series of these four articles. His second article illustrates at length the role of positive attitude in negotiation skills to counter hostage situation. Dynamics of Hostage Negotiation Hostage negotiation is all about psychology, and successful crisis negotiators are among the most skilled practical psychologists I’ve ever met. Think about it – in the typical hostage scenario, lives are at imminent risk of violent death at the hands of a depressed, suicidal, homicidal, delusional, drug fueled, or cold-blooded hostage-taker, often in the midst of a chaotic and uncontrolled workplace or family environment. Resolution of hostage crises may take hours or even days of incredibly focused and intense negotiation, and require the use of virtually every type of skilled communication strategy in the crisis intervention skill box. Although hostage situations can vary greatly based on the motivations of the hostage-taker and the exact circumstances surrounding the incident, there are some basic facts that apply to all hostage situations. The hostage-taker wants to obtain something as ransom. This can be as simple as money, personal safety or safe passage to another country, or it can involve complicated political goals. The target of the hostage-taker is not the hostage itself, it is some third party (a person, a company or a government) that can provide whatever the hostage-taker wants. The hostages are bargaining chips. They may have symbolic value (e.g., 1972 Munich Olympics, in which the target was the Israeli government and the hostages were Israeli athletes), but the hostages themselves could be anyone. Whether it is a barricaded crisis situation or negotiations with a bad actor holding hostages, the keys to success are the skills of the negotiator or intervener to effectively communicate. Little else matters if communications is not established, maintained and utilized in such a way that management of the instant situation becomes possible. Most negotiators think that they are effective communicators. Some are, many are not. Communications must be practiced over and over again to assure proficiency. This article provides the rudiments of the skills needed for success in the field. Hostage Crises: The statistics – The facts & fiction Fewer than 20 percent of law enforcement critical incidents deal with actual hostage taking, and most crises are successfully resolved without the loss of life. In fact, containment and negotiation strategies yield a 95 percent success rate in terms of resolving a hostage crisis without fatalities to either hostages or hostage-takers (HTs), which is a remarkable statistic for any form of lifesaving crisis intervention strategy. There are three especially dangerous periods during a hostage crisis. The first is the initial 15-45 minutes when confusion and panic are likely to be greatest. The second is during the surrender of the HTs, when strong emotions, ambivalence, and lack of coordination among HTs and crisis team members can cause an otherwise successful resolution to go bad. Finally, tactical assault to rescue the hostages carries the highest casualty rate, probably for two interrelated reasons. First, the very fact that tactical intervention is necessary indicates that all reasonable attempts to resolve the crisis by negotiation have failed, and that violence against the hostages has already taken place, or is imminent. Second, if a firefight ensues, the resulting panic and confusion may result in hostages being inadvertently killed or injured. Phases through which Hostage situations moves Initial phase: This phase is violent and brief and lasts as long as it takes for the hostage-takers to make their assault and subdue the hostages. The end of this phase is often marked by the presentation of the hostage-taker’s demands. Negotiation phase: At this point, law-enforcement officials are on the scene, and the demands have probably been received. This phase can last hours, days or months and could also be referred to as ‘the standoff phase.’ Physically, nothing about the situation changes greatly. The hostages and the hostage-takers stay in the same place. However, a lot is happening during this phase in terms of the relationships developing between everyone involved. The negotiator’s job boils down to manipulating those relationships in a way that results in a peaceful ending. Termination phase: This is the brief, sometimes violent final phase. This phase has one of three results – the hostage-takers surrender peacefully and are arrested, police assault the hostage-takers and kill or arrest them, or the hostage-takers’ demands are granted and they escape. The fate of the hostages does not necessarily depend on what happens during the termination phase. Even when the hostage-takers give up, they may kill hostages during the negotiations. Often, hostages are killed either accidentally by police or intentionally by their captors during an assault. There have even been cases in which the hostage-takers were granted their demands, but they killed the hostage anyway. Post-incident stage: In this the effects of the incident play themselves out. These effects can include changes in the status of the groups responsible, shifts in the relationships between world governments or increases in security. Negotiation &…

Govt seeks help of private security guards in coronavirus vaccination programme: G Kishan Reddy Private security guards may be added in the frontline workers list for getting early vaccination The Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) has organized its fifteenth edition of annual Security Leadership Summit 2020 on 17 December 2020 in association with Association of Private Detectives and Investigators (APDI), BW BUSINESSWORLD, SecurityLinkIndia, International Council for Industrial Security & Safety Management (ICISSM).  The private security industry has been observing the pandemic Covid19 and its roles in pandemic all through the year – it led the way in ensuring a completely safe and secure environment during this bad phase. Now that when the country is in the transition phase to a post-Covid19 era, private security agencies are still playing a pivotal role. This summit was a great forum to analyze the role of private security firms during pandemic. The government was given due credit for its endeavor and support during the pandemic. Inclusion of the private security services (PSS) in the ‘essential services’ list was hailed as a big boost for the industry. The summit also hailed the recent amendments in the PSARA Rules that go in favour of the industry to enable ease of doing business. People present there also hoped that the mechanism of GST levied on the services by the industry shall also be dealt by the central government the way the industry has been demanding. G Kishan Reddy, the Union Minister of State for Home, who was the Chief Guest of the occasion, said that as India eagerly awaits the launch of Coronavirus vaccine, the government and health agencies will take help of the 90 lakh private security guards across India in the roll out of massive vaccination drive. “It is not easy for the government, police or officials to distribute and administer Coronavirus vaccine to 130 crore people across the country. This is why private security industry will have a great role to play in this job. With their numerical strength  security guards can ensure wider and faster distribution of vaccine and ensure that every household is covered in the vaccination programme,” said Mr Reddy. He praised the security  industry for its yeoman service during the Corona pandemic prompting the government to cover the industry under the ‘essential services. “For, they have been playing a role everywhere – they worked as frontline warriors in the time of Corona pandemic at hospitals, banks, markets, institutions. This is why this industry is an important part of India’s security system and Home Ministry has been taking various steps to promote and strengthen it,” he stated. He also assured that the Home Ministry will take up with the Union Finance Ministry for relaxation in the GST regime for the private security industry. He stated the government was committed to make the private security industry meet global standards and promote ease of doing business in the industry. The fact is that the pandemic has impacted all and it severely affected the industries as well. This has resulted in unpredicted hardships for professionals across all fields. Nevertheless, the security industry of India has managed to remain steadfast through this all, and performed beyond the call of duty. It showcased its true potential and the government declared it as the essential service. The front line warriors of this industry set many great examples across India during the lock down. This summit honoured them and indeed presented Badge of Honour to the frontline Corona warriors including Mr. Reddy, Gen VK Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, who was the Guest of Honour in the concluding session of the Summit, and other industry stalwarts, and commemorated their efforts. Vivek Bharadwaj, IAS, Joint Secretary, Police Modernization, MHA, who played a significant role in bringing ease of doing business environment in the industry was honoured with the ‘Ease of doing Business’ Award. Speaking at the event, Vivek Bhardwaj said that the Home Ministry would write to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry to include private guards in the frontline workers list so that they could also be included in the first phase of the vaccination programme. Kunwar Vikram Singh, Chairman, CAPSI thanked the frontline warrior organisations for working on the ground to secure enterprises across the nation and therefore contributing to the nation-building efforts. This ensured a smooth and safe transition into a post-Covid world, He also thanked the Chief Guest for taking decisive and timely decisions during the height of the pandemic which resulted in confidence within the industry. He also put in a request that the GST levied on the services within the industry be duly dealt with. Another positive impact he mentioned was the collaboration between international security certification agencies and CAPSI which has enabled Indian security guards and companies to be able to operate or provide their services globally and make it possible to reach out to a larger audience. The chairman said that CAPSI has entered into tie ups and agreements with various global agencies to improve employability of private security guards globally. “We have tie ups with three international organisations. These will impart a forty hour training module to our guards to arm them with certification. With this, we  will help them get employment globally,” he added, “Indian private security guards are in great demand globally and this is the opportunity we need to grab.”    

Education institutions across India are looking for breakthrough solutions to resolve the health and safety concerns after the recently issued fresh guidelines by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for safe reopening. To help education sector to safely reopen, Prama Hikvision offers an impressive line-up of solutions for the education sector. Few such solutions include the temperature screening solution, a crowd-flow management solution and social distancing solution. Using a touch-free temperature-screening solution is one of the measures being currently used to quickly spot individuals with an elevated skin temperature (EST). This method reduces manual testing time and safety risks to those involved in the detection process. The temperature screening cameras have been widely adopted by majority of the educational institutions in India and abroad. The thermal cameras are capable of accurately monitoring the skin-temperature of all the incoming people, students, staff or visitors. They also raise an alert in case someone with an elevated temperature is spotted within the camera range or if a visitor is not wearing the mask. The cameras are capable of detecting the skin temperature of as many as thirty people simultaneously. Solutions for safe reopening of education institutes At schools and other education institutions, temperature screening products and solutions are needed to enhance the safe stay of all the students and staff while also giving them quick access to classrooms, offices and dormitories. Now with Hikvision’s Temperature Screening Solutions, this process becomes much easier – and much safer. Flexible product options A variety of products and solutions will suit a host of specific needs for any scenario. Touch-free temperature measurement: High-efficiency temperature measurement without close contact provides even more protection. Centralized management: Instant visualization of overall statistics enhances protection and facilitates exporting of data. Solution overview Onboard temperature screening & mask detection The school bus system is one of the most important transportation methods for students. Hikvision’s smart onboard temperature screening terminals support non-contact skin-surface temperature measurement, mask detection, attendance check and audio alarms to detect abnormal temperatures at an earlier stage and keep bus travel safe. Recommended products: Smart onboard temperature screening terminal. Temperature screening & mask detection at entrance lobbies Upon arriving at school, students and staff shall be guided to the pre-set entrance lobbies for preliminary temperature measurement before entering the campus. A variety of devices are available to meet temperature measurement, mask detection and attendance management needs. Recommended products: Fast installation with thermographic cameras – DS-2TD2617B-6/ PA, DS-2TD2636B13/P, instant visualization of temperature and mask detection with DeepinMind NVRs. Temperature screening & mask detection at the entrance of classrooms and dormitories Touch-free temperature screening with access control: At the entrances for classrooms and dormitories, Hikvision recommends MinMoe terminals for preliminary temperature screening, mask detection and access control. Recommended products: DS-K1T671TM-3XF Mask detection at open areas Open areas are where students carry out after-class activities. It is recommended to install IP cameras for face mask detection and intrusion detection so as to better protect students. Powerful data management and visualized demonstration At the control room, site managers and security staff can view statistics and temperature records of all connected sites in real time using HikCentral. HikCentral creates instant popups and other notifications upon detection of abnormal temperatures. Recommended products: HikCentral – temperature screening. Safe reopening for education sector requires all of us to move forward together, employing the recommended best practices and maintaining safe daily habits in order to reduce risks. Cutting-edge video technologies can help various organizations better observe the instructions and guidance. Prama Hikvision, has dedicated product packages for education vertical specific applications and solutions, including schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions. It has multiple application cases across India to bolster the cause of safe reopening for the education sector.  

Matrix Comsec, a leading manufacturer and provider of security and telecom solutions, was conferred with the CII Industrial Innovation Award, 2020 recognizing Matrix as one of the Top 25 Most Innovative Companies in India at the CII Industrial Innovation Awards ceremony in New Delhi on 9th December, 2020. CII Industrial Innovation Awards were instituted by CII in 2014 to recognise and celebrate visionary enterprises across industry segments. These premier awards seek to recognise and honour the Indian industry’s brightest stars and to identify the top innovative organisations. The process for determining the top awards and the list of top innovative companies involved a rigorous evaluation process, presentation and grand jury interaction. The unbiased assessment process measured the innovation culture, innovation management, inputs to innovation and the results of innovation. Sharing his perspective on this recognition, Ganesh Jivani, Chief Executive of Matrix said, “It is indeed an honour to win this prestigious award and I thank CII for this recognition. Innovation really has been the DNA of Matrix right from its inception. I thank our technology and product management teams for their dedication to building innovative and world-class quality solutions. Matrix offers cutting-edge physical security and telecom solutions in more than 50 countries including many first-world technologically advanced nations. With 250+ R&D engineers and world-class processes and infrastructure, Matrix is committed to innovating and designing cutting-edge high-performance products. This accreditation is a validation of Matrix’s innovation and design capabilities and will go a long way in motivating us towards building world-class solutions.”