What will take our Profession to Greater Heights!

Every profession has its benchmarks in terms of education, knowledge and skill sets. Alas, no such thing is witnessed in India when it comes to industrial security management. There are no widely accepted educational qualifications for security guards, supervisors and security executives. Similarly there are no benchmarks set / accepted for skill sets desirable for industrial security professionals. There are no tools developed to ascertain the knowledge acquired by security professionals which are needed for their career progression. Directorate General had in past pretension of training syllabus for security guards! PSAR Act has made feeble attempt while prescribing syllabus and training hours for security personnel.

We cannot say anymore that field of industrial security management is evolving. When India is on the verge of becoming global power, when resurgent Indian economy is one of the most sturdy and growing one in the field, when industrial development is steadily going-up, we need to realize that the fraternity in the field of industrial security management need to put its act together!

Security Sector Skill Development Council has been making constant and praiseworthy efforts in establishing benchmarks. However, most of its members and experts belong to non-industrial security background or represent service providers. Service user, those who are at the end-of-the-chain and are the real beneficiary of such initiatives are conspicuous by their absence! There are no core-security professionals representing PSUs, MNCs and Indian corporate houses. Thus, in absence of a constant dialogue, the gap areas are bound to remain and aspirations, needs and requirement of this major sector will be deficient in any well-meaning effort since their inputs are not directly and first-hand obtained!

I have often wondered as to what books our prospective security executives are reading before embarking upon their career in the field of industrial security management? If they do, which are these books? The books on the subject by Indian authors are but limited – not more than three, if I am right! I have the privilege of joint authorship of one such book with legendary expert Shri D C Nath, IPS (Retd.) titled, “Industrial Security: Management and Strategies” published by Manas Publication, New Delhi (http://sbtyagi.wix.com/icissm#!reference-material-newsletters/c7dg) and while not bemoaning the lack of sale of this book, I like to share that books by two other authors also have very small sale! Just imagine that every year thousands of officers from para-military services and armed forces are coming out after their short-service and thousands more are superannuating! At least 60 % of short-service and 15 % of regular officers take industrial security management as their second career of choice. Numbers increase manifold if other ranks and junior commissioned officers are also included in this category. Don’t they need to read something and acquire some knowledge of the subject which is totally new to them? If yes, then why books by Indian authors are not sold?

This situation is probably for the reason that there are no industrial security specific educations, qualifications or experience predetermined for this profession. Is it really so that this career needs no special skills or qualifications? Is it really a case that not even on-the-job knowledge and skill acquisition is desired! Total sale of above mentioned three books is not crossing 1000 mark in a year. And, what does it indicate? How many articles are written by core industrial security professionals in three leading sector journals or magazine, hardly five or six in a year! And what does it indicate? It indicates that we, the security professionals read less and write even lessor!

A week back I met a General who recently retired from army and carries the visiting card claiming him to be Consultant in HSE and Security! Similarly I met a retired police commissioner of a mega city who soon after retirement got his visiting card printed declaring him to be ‘Consultant & Mentor’ in the field of industrial security. A consultant may be, but a Mentor, what?

One senior security professional once confided to me that having been the ‘Head of Security, of one of the largest corporate in India for over a decade, he still wishes that he had more knowledge and that he wishes that he read more and learnt more! He also wondered as to how in sudden transformation overnight a police or army officer becomes consultant or an expert of industrial security management? He also finds it amazing that miraculously this career transition takes place overnight and what secretly they might be doing unknown to their friends and peers that prepares them for such titles? There are many such self-declared experts and consultants masquerading in the milieu! Such infancy, yet such expertise! Or is it just a bluff which only sometimes is called and most of the times carried through with élan! Are we really living with such naivety that we do not see it through when someone masquerades and we do not see it through or do we have lack-of-choice and willy-nilly accept the way it is?

I am of the opinion that service users and the employers are to blame. After all sellers will try to sale the wares they have! It is buyers who have to demand the quality. What stops the services users to put stringent QRs (Qualifications Required). What stops them to clearly define the education, experience and skill-sets needed from a potential job-seeker in the field of industrial security management? Those who are already in the filed with considerable experience will certainly agree that army or police service does not automatically prepare one for this highly diverse field, the only similarity being that in most organizations uniform is prescribed for certain level of security personnel. The similarity begins and ends here. Industrial security is different cup-of-tea and here the attitude and the aptitude needed is different. The soft skills needed in this field are different. The law-enforcement and loss-prevention are very diverse fields. Expert in one filed may miserably fail in other field.

It will be very surprising to note that a captain with just a decade’s industry experience commands double the package then the recently retired deputy inspector general or brigadier. One recently retired officer of similar seniority shared with me that his job is for Delhi – his native place, he gets decent pension, has membership of golf club and officers’ institute and the salary of Rs. 30,000 per month is added bonus! This must leave any one wondering as to wherefrom professionalism will come? This officer further shared with me that sometimes he takes his boss to army golf club or officers’ institute which could be quite thrilling and elevating experience for any civilian. He also told me that such outings keep his boss sufficiently impressed and his next increment assured!

To come out of present quagmire, it is suggested that various forums available such as APDI, CAPSI and ICISS (http://sbtyagi.wix.com/icissm) develop better synergy for free-flow of ideas and to establish benchmarks. It is also suggested that SSSDC induct representative from PSUs and Indian corporates on its board since they will bring experience, insight and aspirations from ‘User’s Perspective’. The input from such large users sector is hitherto not available to SKDC and their interface might bring new ideas and initiatives.

In a recently held seminar one of the delegate complained that amongst many forums available to various segments of industrial security management, there is none for hard core security professionals. It is to submit here that ‘International Council for Security and Safety Management’ is one such forum which is purely for security and safety professionals with no strings attached. It is not fronted by any business group or involved in any profit making activities. Even the membership is free to ICISS.

There are many event managers organising seminars, workshops and exhibitions related to Industrial Security Management. These are organised by them purely for commercial considerations, yet they end up doing great service to the profession as these are great learning opportunities for security professionals. Such event organizers coupled with sector specific journals and magazines can be used for generating debate and reaching consensus on various industry benchmarks. Recent initiatives of SSSDC have not yet been discussed in any of such seminars and how consensus and acceptance will emerge, one might wonder!

The authors of papers, articles and books need to be encouraged, felicitated and invited for discussions on various occasions as their intellectual output can be of great relevance and use. It needs introspection as to how ASIS qualifications such as CPP is considered useful for career progression in India even when most of the knowledge contents of this certification program are not relevant in India? Why industrial security fraternity has not developed its own qualifications standards, course contents and educators whereas IT industry in its nascent stage had successfully developed successful and widely acceptable qualifications / certification from NIIT or Apple!

We need to professionalize the profession!