The most significant event for the Indian security industry last month was IFSEC India. With this edition this exhibition has truly emerged as the premier security show in South Asia. It grew over 40% in size and the number of visitors far exceeded those of the earlier editions. However, the show yet has a long way to go in order to be called an all-encompassing and holistic security event showcasing all aspects of the security industry. At the show, CCTV hogged the limelight, as an overwhelming majority of exhibitors displayed various products – from cameras to video transmission equipment to storage devices to video management software and analytic tools to cables, power supplies and lighting systems. In comparison, access control, perimeter protection, intrusion alarm and fire detection and prevention displays were much less in number, and homeland security exhibits such as x-ray systems, metal and contraband detectors, were almost missing. But I’m sure that in the coming years, as consumers become more aware of these systems, we will see more players from these categories participating in the show.
Looking at global events, I wonder where we are headed! Recent terror events in the western world point towards strategic planning to divide communities globally, by carrying out ‘Jihadi’ style attacks to spread fear amongst westerners, and even liberal Muslims. The case of Raif Badawi, a blogger in Saudi Arabia who was sentenced to 1,000 blows, 10 years in prison and a large fine for starting a website that featured content critical of the country’s religious establishment, shows the dangerous levels of intolerance that communities and nations have reached. The recent terror attacks, in western countries and even in neighbouring Pakistan, pose a very serious challenge for security forces around the world. The threat is now evident in all three formats – large scale, as in Iraq and Syria, planned midscale strikes as in Peshawar and Paris, and ‘lone wolf’ type attacks, as in Canada.
We’ve come a long way in our journey in the last 10 years, but as India grows, much remains to be done to take the security industry and in particular, SECURITY TODAY to the next level! As such, we have decided to constitute a formal Editorial Advisory Board that will comprise of domain experts who have gained many years of valuable experience in the area of risk mitigation and who are now willing to share this with others. We shall elaborate on this in our next edition.
In this issue, we bring you an exclusive interview with the Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force, a premier para-military force of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India that has been mandated to protect vital infrastructural assets of India such as Airports, Refineries, Nuclear Sites, and Power Plants amongst others. The focus this month is on aviation security, as this falls under the highest threat category and is considered the most vulnerable!
I hope the New Year has begun on a happy, prosperous and a safe note for all of you and stays that way! Till we meet next…
Cheers and happy reading!
G B Singh
Email: editor@securitytoday.in
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