IISSM Blogs

And now, it is about Fake Gun Licenses and Illegal Guns with Armed Guards

2012-01-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

12 held in illegal arms procurement

Hyderabad: City police on Monday nabbed an ex- service man and 11 armed private security personnel belonging to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on charge of illegally possessing firearms procured through fake arms licenses. The ex-army man T Prakash Babu, who runs a private security agency here and provides armed security guards to different private security agencies, has been apprehended along with 11 private security guards, Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan told reporters here. Taskforce sleuths seized 35 guns and 38 live rounds from them that were procured through fake armed licenses, he said.

Prakash Babu earlier worked as a Special Police Officer (SPO) in 2008 and after leaving the job established a security agency and was outsourcing 60 armed security guards to other security agencies after taking commissions from them, the senior police officer said. During enquiry it has been revealed that most of the armed security personnel outsourced by Babu were possessing weapons that were obtained through fake arms licenses, Khan said, adding none of these weapons were registered with Hyderabad City Police.

Special teams have left for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to obtain recorded evidence. There are around 4,000 arms license holders in Hyderabad and police has already launched verification process and issued show cause notices besides cancelling arms licenses in certain cases, he said. Khan said weapon holders under the sports category were also under scanner and thorough checking of the issuance certificates is on.

In a similar case, as many as 14 arms licenses out of 16 – all taken from Nagaland by people from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra were found to be false and a case was registered in the year 2003. However, the police failed to file a charge-sheet even after eight years and the accused managed to get their weapons released from the court and disappeared.

Why is it important for Security Professionals?

· All security agencies have a Social Responsibility of preventing the proliferation of Fake Arms Licenses and Illegal Weapons.

· If they fail, they carry the vicarious liability and will face prosecution and / or arrest by the Law Enforcement Agencies.

· The client’s confidence and trust on the Security Agency must be lived up to.

Where does the problem lie?

· PSAR Act 2005 read in conjunction with MHA Notification of 1987, empowers State Arms Licensing Authorities to grant Arms Licenses to Security Companies so that they can buy the number of guns required for business needs and employ “Retainers” as Armed Guards.

· However, NO State Government has taken note – so Private Security Agencies are not getting the licenses to buy the weapons they require to meet bona fide business needs.

· So what do they do? They look for a ‘gunman’ and employ him to meet a contract, in the process failing to check the legal status of the license/weapon/licensee. This is further exacerbated by the urgency conveyed by the client(s).

· Result – proliferation of illegal weapons/licenses. Police blame Security Companies, Security Companies look heavenward..

What can we do?

· Collectively evolve a “Code of Conduct” for Private Security Agencies of India and make all PSAs signatories to the same. Thereafter, offenders would be ‘black listed’ by the Industry.

· Request the Government to suitably correct the modalities for grant of arms licenses, in a way that legitimate business needs are met – thus eliminating the business opportunity of those wanting to make illegitimate business out of the void.

2012-01-14T02:02:00.000-08:00

Fire at private hospital in Bangalore; Patients safe, AMRI (Kolkata) Type Disaster Averted

TNN Jan 7, 2012, 01.16AM IST

BANGALORE: Swift evacuation and timely counter-measures reduced the impact of a fire in the basement of Columbia Asia hospital at Hebbal on Friday afternoon. Within 20 minutes of the accident, hospital officials and firefighters were moved 79 patients out to safer places.

At 2.45pm, 13 UPS batteries stored in the basement exploded and within 10 minutes, smoke

swiftly engulfed the two-storied building. Hospital staff immediately evacuated all the patients, included some on ventilators, those who had undergone surgery a few hours before and women in labour.

Thank God, People! The Glass is Half Full!

IISSM compliments Dr. Nandkumar Jairam, for showing the world how it can be done!

I am delightfully compelled to reproduce the News Report in toto:

Just nine city hospitals have taken fire safety advice: KF&ES

The fire in Columbia Asia hospital, Hebbal, on Friday, broke out only weeks after the Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services (KF&ES) Department announced that just nine hospitals in the city had taken fire safety advice.

While its sister branch in Yeshwantpur is listed, Columbia Asia, Hebbal, finds no mention in the list of hospitals that had obtained a no- objection certificate (NOC) from the Fire Department.

Reacting to this, Nandakumar Jairam, hospital Chairman and Group Medical Director of Columbia Asia Hospitals told The Hindu that the building was a ground-plus-first-floor structure. “As it is less than 15m in height, an NOC is not needed,” he said.

Although there were no casualties in Friday's fire, the incident highlights the importance of fire safety in hospitals. Fire officials lament that very few hospitals follow basic fire safety advice.

One of the most commonly violated rules, they said, is that laboratories or canteens are placed in the basement, which is not permitted under the National Building Code. “Only X-rays and other special equipment can be placed in the basement of the hospital,” said B.G. Chengappa, Director of KF&ES.

He stressed on the need for hospital staff to be given regular training in basic fire fighting and evacuation. “Keeping in mind the complexities of patients present — from newborns to the aged — hospital staff should be given training, either by private agencies or by the Fire Department,” Mr. Chengappa said.

Among the additional measures the department recommends are compartmentalization of areas so that the fire does not spread easily. The hospital should also have more repeaters of the fire alarm in duty nurse stations, and have extra emergency exits.

PROTOCOLS FOLLOWED

Dr. Jairam said the hospital had followed all the required fire safety protocols. “This helped us ensure safety of all patients, attendants and staff in a timely and secure manner,” he said.

“There have been no casualties or injuries resulting from the incident at the hospital. I am happy to note that the staff at the hospital was well-trained and prompt in bringing the situation rapidly under control,” he said.

Pointing out that the hospital conducts regular fire drills (once every two months), Dr. Jairam said all staff are briefed on fire safety protocols every alternate month. Fire hydrants, sprinklers, fire extinguishers and water tanks have been strategically placed as per requirement in the hospital, he said.

“Apart from manual call points for early warning, external fire preparedness and evacuation audits are conducted periodically (once in two months). Apart from well-marked evacuation routes to avoid crowding at exits, we have also displayed emergency evacuation maps in all patient rooms and corridors,” Dr. Jairam said.

Dr. Jairam said a comprehensive probe would be conducted to investigate the cause of the fire.

Battle ready
The hospital conducts three fire drills every month and hence was quick to realise the gravity of the situation when heavy smoke was building up in the ground floor. Hospital authorities immediately shifted the patients to other hospitals.

Hospital general manager Jeremy D’Souza said 75 patients were “quickly” shifted to the hospital’s Yeshwantpur branch, and other hospitals. “There were no casualties. Nobody was injured in the incident. We informed the fire department.” Friday’s fire comes close on the heels of the fire tragedy at AMRI hospital in Kolkata. A safety audit at this hospital in the aftermath of the AMRI incident showed that the hospital is well equipped to handle fire incidents. The staff has trained with the fire department.

The hospital has separate water storage for fire emergencies, and sprinklers and fire extinguishers have been installed

Last Word :

IISSM conducts regular 4 day programs on Hospital Safety & Security Management, and would welcome all Managers involved in that domain, to hone their skills and become as good as the Team of Dr. Nandakumar Jairam. For details, please visit IISSM website

Wish you a Safe Discharge from any Hospital, should you ever need to be Hospitalized....

Sreeramulu

SUPER SPECIALTY HOSPITALS INSECURE?

2011-12-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

Dear All,

		YOUR HOSPITAL IN YOUR CITY YOU OR YOUR FAMILY MEMBER ADMITTED
Hyderabad, 02 February 2010	Kolkata, 09 December 2011	WHERE?WHEN?

When do we learn from our own mistakes? Never seems to be the right answer!

High End Hospitals of India boast of their Accreditations. No doubt, these Accreditations are earned by facing a detailed audit by an expert committee with specialists of various aspects. Right?

Not really, if you see the record of accidents in Hospitals.

What is so special about fire safety of Hospitals?

Hospitals have pipelines and cylinders of oxygen all over. LPG, Electrical wiring, flammable chemicals, acids, easily ignitable hospital waste, -- you name it, hospitals have everything required to convert a fire into a blaze.

AND there are a large number of patients – ICU inmates, women, children, post operative cases, critically ill patients etc - unable to move or protect themselves, living on life support systems, helpless, almost naked…

THEN there are Managements of Hospitals – ready to bribe their way through any Safety Rule, to save a few thousands of rupees, working for the Noble Cause of Profit Generation – Are they any different from criminals?

What can be done?

First and foremost, ALL HOSPITALS MUST ORGANIZE A SECURITY & SAFETY AUDIT. And then, IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS.

NEXT – ALL HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS MUST ATTEND A COURSE ON HOSPITAL SECURITY AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT from a recognized Institution.

This is not a Sales Pitch, but a pain filled plea – please pass it on to the hospitals which matter to you.

Wishing you Safe Exit from Hospital,

Sreeramulu

Kim Kartavyam? (What needs to be done?)

2011-09-07T05:17:00.000-07:00

So there we are, with yet another blast - this time in Delhi, near the High Court

The toll? 12 Dead (so far) , 62 injured

Now, the usual questions, recriminations, high alerts...etc will follow.

We ask only one question, in several parts:
Why (and since when) were the CCTV Cameras outside the Delhi High Court NOT WORKING?
Everyone says - the Government should do something.

The people whose task it was, to keep those CCTV Cameras functional have clearly failed and caused an irrepairable loss to several families.
Are they not Government? Should we not file a case of criminal negligence against each one of them?

Worse still..

Is there anyone getting all CCTV Cameras checked and rectified, before the next blast?

We can only hope for the best.

Quo Vadis?

2011-06-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

"The People get the Government they Deserve" _ Thomas Jefferson
Do the People really know where they are going, how or why? We wonder.

The Incident

Three and a half year old girl, Salma Khan, (from an affluent family of a business man) drowned and died in broad day light, under the observation of a life guard, at 6:30 p.m. on 17 Jun 2011. Location? 'Fun n' Food Village in South West Delhi (reasonably affluent people go there).

There was a 'kids pool' nearby; the girl was not guided, so in ignorance, she jumped into the shallow end of the adults' swimming pool. Depth of water was only 4 1/2 feet - enough to kill the child.

Our View

The Life Guard, or anyone for that matter, could have jumped in and scooped up the girl and saved her.

The Questions

Why were the Parents / Family Members not ' watching over' the Child?
Why did no one try to save the girl?
Should the Life Guard not be booked under 'Culpable Homicide by Neglect' and 'Dereliction of Duty'? Should his license (if there is one) not be cancelled for life?

It has not been done, at least the Newspapers don't say so.

What has been done?

A Case is registered against the Management of the Establishment.

What will come out of the case?

Don't be naive; Nothing will come out of the case. What has come out of Upahaar Case so far?

But the question goes deeper than that.

Are the people in Delhi so indifferent to life and death, that they quietly move on, no one 'Kicks Ass'!

Good Old Jefferson was right.

Sreeramulu

The Case of The Dangerous Lift

2011-05-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

It is with a deep sense of loss that we receive the news of the death of a lift mechanic in Delhi Cantonment at about 8 p.m. on 29 May 2011.

The story: The victim (Mr. Chandan) was repairing a lift in an 8 storyed building. So he should be knowing what not do! Right? Wrong. When he asked his assistant to start the lift, he was half in and half out of the lift door_ got crushed between the building and the lift, died.

Is this a one off incident? No. A few months back, 6 workers died in a lift accident in Mumbai.

Is there a way to prevent such loss of lives?

Sure there is. People must take up Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) not as a cosmetic cost, but as a Corporate Social Responsibility.

Interestingly, there is an Act of Delhi Government mandating the post of a Security Officer Trained in SHE (including Fire Safety) for each and every Highrise Building.

Sadly, legislation has only created the posts. Trained people to fit the job are not available. So builders "Manage" to obtain all clearences without the existence of a Trained Security Officer.

I (in my personal capacity) feel IISSM should take up Training of Security Officers / Potential Security Officers in all aspects of SHE and Fire Safety. The Pilot Program could be conducted in Delhi, to be followed up by a Repeat in all metros. Besides saving lives, IISSM would also be enabling the students (both men and women) to find a good job.

Please feel free to agree or disagree.

Regards.

2011-05-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I take pleasure in anouncing the event - "IISSM Annual Seminar 2011 at Hotel Citade de Goa, India on 12 & 13 Oct 2011.

Theme of the two day Seminar is "USER EXPECTATIONS FROM PRIVATE SECURITY SERVICE PROVIDERS'

The sessions will be led by users from various sectors - Mining, Industry (Steel, Cement, Sugar, Automobile, Pharma, etc), Hotel, Hospital, IT, BPO, ITES, Laboratories, Educational Institutions, Logistic Setups, Ports, Cargo Handling facilitis - so on.

The aim is to bring out the unique Needs of each sector towards Security and Safety, also to drive a consensus among Service Providers to develop Multiple Skills in their Guard Force to Meet the Market Needs.

Any User of Security as well as Security and Safety Service Provider would benefit immensely by the Knowledge shared and the networking opportunities - not to mention a refreshing visit to Goa!

For details please contact Vidya / Praveen at IISSM - Tele: +91 11 32495574 or mail to helpdesk@iissm.com

See You at Goa!

Brig (Retd) S Sreeramulu

Can Security Measures Kill People? Yes, They Can...

2011-04-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

It is with immense sadness that I read the Report of a PVC factory fire in Delhi, India, on 28 April 2001, which "killed 10 people and another 10 are yet to be found..."

First, the highlights:

The factory is 15 years old.
It has a basement for storage, mezzanine floor and first floor.
The packing unit (for PVC goods) is in the basement.
22 workers are employed with another 10-12 casual labourers
Over the years, the owner had installed iron grills on windows for security reasons. The terrace door was kept locked (for security reasons). As a result, Fire fighters could not rescue workers.
The Factory did not have NOC from Fire Department.
When the fire started at about 2:00 am on 28 April '11, someone cut off the electricity to stop the fire from spreading. As a result, there was darkness everywhere.

Now, the questions..

In Delhi, the Sealing Department of NDMC is very active; if you open a commercial activity in residential area, the premises are sealed by the government and legal action starts-in recent times they even sealed a premises with two ladies and four children inside. So why was such promptness not shown in sealing an unsafe factory?
India has enough laws on factory safety. Why were the factory laws not applied? Did the owner bribe his way through, in order to continue earning by putting the lives of workers in danger?
Why was security and safety not combined to ensure security without losing safety? Obviously, the owner knows nothing about Safety & Security Audit.

Obviously, the owner (who has gone into hiding) felt that getting a "Safety & Security Audit" done was a waste of money!

What needs to be done?

It is easy to comment and say - "the Government should....." Let's leave that to the Politicians and Social Workers.

What can the Safety & Security Industry do?

Here is a proposal - Each Security&Safety Company carries out SAFETY & SECURITY AUDIT of say, 10 licensed / unlicensed (Small Scale) factories for only Rs.1000/- on the condition that the owners will implement the recommendations, also display a signboard to be given by that agency for the next 6 months (thus giving advertisement value in return for the favour; why only 6months? So that a periodic safety & security audit regime sets in). It is a step to mitigate risk to the lives of workers - shall we say a Combined CSR Drive?

Be glad to receive your responses...

Yes We Can_ The Indian Termites' Unique Claim: We Can EAT 10 Million Currency without anyone Knowing!

2011-04-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

How I wish that I was a Termite belonging to that select group!

It was with a sense of disbelief that we saw the Media Reports on 21 April 2011_ see excerpts:

“Barabanki: Currency notes worth Rs one crore kept in a chest of State Bank of India’s Barabanki branch have been damaged and the suspect is none other than the ‘mighty’ termite.The information regarding damage to currency notes by termites has been given to the RBI,” SBI Regional Manager Geeta Tripathi told reporters here. The damaged notes, gnawed by the termites, were found in the chest yesterday.DM Vikas Gothalwal and SP Navenet Kumar Rana have deputed an SDM and a Circle Officer to conduct an inquiry into the matter."

Now we all know that some procedures would be in place for Currency Chests, which are in fact storehouses for large volumes of currency in every town - money of the order of 50 to 1500 crores (crore = 10 million) is stored in a Currency Chest! So it is only logical to expect the people in charge to (a) carry out a stock taking once in a while, say every quarter (b) check the PHYSICAL SECURITY - conditions of storage, moisture ingress, aeration, insect ingress and so on.
(WAS THIS DONE? IF NOT, WILL HEADS ROLL?)

The Reserve Bank of India Guidelines on Security adequately cover all aspects of the subject.

Sadly, Bankers see Physical Security as a "Cost", and ignore understaffing of Security Departments, offer low grade wages (hence the shortage of staff) as a result of which Security Audits take place only on paper!

A New Beginning

2011-04-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Membes of IISSM Fraternity,

It gives me great pleasure to set up a Blog for our revered Institution.

Most of us get ideas, innovative thoughts, news items - things we wish to share with members of our own (Security) world. In matters related to Security, it would be of great interest and advantage to all, if your blog is posted here.

Sec_rity is never complete without 'u'

We welcome all members of IISSM Fraternity to become followers of this Blog - then it is all yours for posting.

Regards,
Brig (Retd) S Sreeramulu
3rd Vice President and OSD to Chairman
IISSM