Hyderabad

March 18: Employees of corporate and BPO firms are learning martial arts such as Krav Maga of Israel and Ninjutsu of Japan to deal with possible terror attacks. Security personnel of information technology companies are also picking up Krav Maga, which has become popular among police forces across the world.

Increasing attacks on women employees of BPO firms are another reason for their taking to martial arts. Experts say that Krav Maga is not just meant for self defence but will also enable learners to stay fit. “Some instructors are arriving on March 23 to conduct more classes,” said Mr Frank J. Wolf, the civilian instructor for Hyderabad of Krav Maga International Federation.

Krav Maga is based on natural human reflexes and uses everything possible for self-defence, said Mr Vikram Kapoor, the Indian chief of Krav Maga International. “We have already conducted three corporate workshops in Hyderabad for IT sector to teach self defence,” he added. “It is useful in close combat.” He added that all possible scenarios had been envisaged during the training. “We have taught them how to defend themselves in a night cab,” Mr Kapoor said.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/

With terrorists getting bolder and carrying out audacious attacks in Mumbai and Lahore, the Special Protection Group (SPG), established in 1985 after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi, is training in Krav Maga, a martial art devised by the Israeli Army for hand-to-hand combat.

New Delhi: They are representatives of the people, for the people, and by the people, but they have been advised not to go very close to the people.

The Special Protection Group (SPG), the elite force that guards the country’s top politicians, has asked them to avoid coming in close contact with people while campaigning for the Lok Sabha election. The advice comes in the wake of terror attacks in Mumbai and Lahore.

Prime minister Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family, including son-in-law Robert Vadra, are among 23 top personalities guarded by the SPG. Though BJP veteran LK Advani is not an SPG protectee, he gets special cover because of the high threat perception to his life.

The SPG advice may keep these leaders away from roadshows and rathyatras — tried and trusted formulae to drum up election hysteria.

The SPG has expressed the fear that roadshows would be an “unmanageable security risk as protectees come into close contact with a large number of people”, a source said.

Instead, the star campaigners have been asked to confine themselves to public rallies and “sanitised” smaller meetings.

“Of course, it is ultimately a political decision whether the roadshows will happen, but our view has been that these are unwieldy and difficult to handle,” said the source in the force. “For example, Rahul Gandhi, during his tour of Orissa, went off on his own during the night to visit a tribal village. So, we can only express a view.”

Though the campaign details of SPG protectees have not been made public, most of them seem to be following the SPG advice. Rahul Gandhi has been largely meeting small groups or addressing large rallies, like the one in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. Advani, who abandoned a series of rallies a year ago because of the enhanced threat perception, has also avoided roadshows so far.

With terrorists getting bolder and carrying out audacious attacks in Mumbai and Lahore, the Special Protection Group, established in 1985 after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi, is training in Krav Maga, a martial art devised by the Israeli Army for hand-to-hand combat.

“We have also started an assault group which is trained to take on attackers while one group will whisk away the protectee from the troublespot,” said a source in the SPG. While most SPG personnel carry small arms, the assault group will carry Pavor 21 assault rifles.

The SPG has about 3,000 personnel, mostly drawn from the ranks of various police forces and the elite National Security Guard.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/

Photo source: RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Images Flickr

The terror attacks in Mumbai have sparked new fears, and new business opportunities, in India’s outsourcing capital.

By Saritha Rai – GlobalPost

India — During the week, Anoop Ramakrishnan, 25, an engineer in a Bengaluru-based outsourcing firm, provides technical support for telecom networks in Canada and Europe. On the weekends, Ramakrishnan joins a dozen others learning to dodge a flying grenade during a terror attack, to escape a shootout and to block a punch from a street mugger.

Bengaluru, a throbbing Indian city with 8 million residents, is known as the world’s hub for outsourcing. On its streets, the names of General Electric, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google adorn tall, gleaming buildings. In its far-flung suburbs, engineers and back-office agents toil in endless 24-hour cycles for companies such as AOL and Citibank.

Now, Bengaluru’s profile as a global outsourcing center is making it vulnerable. Six top outsourcing companies in the city received multiple emailed terror threats in the last few weeks. India’s intelligence agencies have warned that outsourcing companies could be the terrorists’ next target after Mumbai.

Bengaluru’s army of young Indian technology workers is naturally nervous.

Like Ramakrishnan, dozens of techies are flocking to a self-defense course in an Israeli combat technique called Krav Maga. “The Mumbai attack victims were helpless,” said Ramakrishnan, clad in black sweat pants, a T-shirt and protective gear for the lesson. “I want to be well-prepared.”

After a grueling two-hour combat session consisting of jumping, pummeling, rolling on the floor, kicking and throwing punches at imagined opponents, Ramakrishnan wiped off the sweat streaming down his face. The course was tough, he admitted, but “the real world is tougher.”

Fellow trainee Mrinal Khamboj, 30, an employee at the Indian unit of Oracle Corporation, said the practical, no-holds barred tactics would serve him well in any hand-to-hand combat situations. He had never faced any sticky situation so far. “The one time I almost got caught in a fight, I ran away because I’m a marathon runner,” he confessed.

Many outsourcing companies, including Khamboj’s employer, have sprawling, lush campuses and modern buildings with glass facades where vigilance comes in the form of metal detectors, camera surveillance and even physical frisking of employees and visitors. Some campuses have electric fencing around their perimeter.

But all this is hardly foolproof, for instance, against a suicide attack.

Morever, the world outside these establishments is a different place. The companies’ buildings and campuses abut crowded neighborhoods. Overworked and underpaid policemen patrol these neighborhoods carrying nothing more than a thin stick of bamboo, a lathi, to enforce the law.

Admitting the meagerness of the security arrangements, the chief minister of Karnataka state, where Bengaluru is located, has repeatedly petitioned the federal government to set up an anti-terror commando force in the city.

For many like Shyamanta Phukan, a dimunitive 25-year-old software engineer with Alcatel, the security is simply not good enough. “A Mumbai can happen anywhere,” he said. Last weekend, Phukan signed up for his first Krav Maga lesson.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru’s outsourcing companies are stepping up security. Some are providing employees with GPS-tracked vehicles and setting up command centers to kick in moments after a terror attack. Campus guest houses are stocked with essential supplies. In many ways, Bengaluru’s technology companies are doing the best they can.

Still, Krav Maga trainer JW Frank has been inundated with inquiries from anxious employee techies ever since November’s terror attacks in Mumbai. “People want to be better prepared to protect themselves, their family and their community,” Frank said. Two or three new students are signing up for the lessons every weekend.

Ashish Puri, a manager at Cisco Systems India, enrolled for the classes some months ago when he felt that war had landed at his doorstep. Neither the police nor the army commandos could be counted upon to take care of every situation, Puri said, and the training made him confident about tackling critical situations. “It changes the equation between the attackers and me,” he said.

In recent weeks Ramakrishnan, the telecom engineer, has learned many tricks at the self-defense course — how to have a low profile during an attack, how to fall to the ground and roll off to a corner in a shootout, and what to do during a bomb explosion.

He does not know about facing off with terrorists. But Ramakrishnan is confident that he is well-equipped to handle at least two of Bengaluru’s lesser evils – muggings and road rage.

Source: http://www.globalpost.com/

Soubhik Mitra, Hindustan Times

Mumbai, January 28, 2009

Through the week, Satish Nair helps software developers make user-friendly programmes for the bank he works with. On the weekend, the 33-year-old business analyst learns how to duck from a flying grenade and defend himself from hoodlums as part of his Krav Maga lessons, which teach the Israeli hand-to-hand combat art.

After November’s terror attack in Mumbai, several professionals like Nair have begun training in martial arts like Krav Maga and kickboxing. “Your confidence grows manifold. It teaches you to hold your nerve in a panic situation,” said Nair. The Mumbai chapter of International Krav Maga Federation received 93 applicants in the four days after the terror attacks. “Slowly people are taking charge of their own safety,” said Ajit Verma, one of the chief instructors with the federation.

Kavita Pai (30), a chartered accountant, invests a few hours a week learning to defend herself. “I finish work at around 10 pm. A month after joining the course, I feel far more safe.” Paul Devassy travels all the way from his residence in Nerul to Bandra to attend training sessions. News reports claiming that the police were not fully trained to tackle such an attack had disturbed Devassy.Dr. Komal V.S., deputy director of the Andheri-based Academy of Combat Fitness, said, “We have witnessed a 25 per cent surge in enrolment after the terror attack.”

The kickboxing association, which runs courses in Bandra, Lokhandwala, Matunga and Goregoan, has witnessed a 50 per cent surge in enrolment. “Earlier, our students, especially women, would consider this as a fitness option. However, the batches since the terror strike are more interested to learn combat techniques. Women aged between 20 and 40 years have enrolled for the courses,” said Ziauddin Khatib, president of the Indian Kickboxing Association.

Some hotels and business processing outsourcing companies, too, have hired the services of these institutes. “Two hotels contacted us recently. We conduct these courses for BPOs too,” said Verma.

New Delhi, Jan.10 (ANI): Under constant threat of terrorism and urban street crime, all military forces, security & law enforcement agencies, youngsters of India are opting for ”Krav Maga, an Israeli system of self-defence and combat tactics.

In this system, students are instructed in state-of-the-art defensive principles that apply to a variety of threatening attacks that occur during commonly documented street crimes. Defensive maneuvers are combined with simultaneous counter-attacks until all potential danger is eliminated.

This system of martial arts was introduced in India in 2003 by Vicky (Vikram) Kapoor, who began his training in Krav Maga in Israel in 2003. He heads the “Ultimate Tactical & Combat Pvt. Ltd.” as the CEO and Managing Director of the company.

“Because this system is developed on the natural reflexes and natural movement of the body, which makes the system unique and very simple to learn and retain. Unlike controversial martial arts, the Chinese and the Japanese forms which is developed from the animal behavior. If you are learning somebody’’s behavior, you are mastering, perfecting and then using it. So the process of learning and using it takes a lot of time. Whereas in ”Krav Maga”, if I teach you one technique now, you can go out and if somebody attacks you, with an eye you can defend yourself,” Said Vicky Kapoor, Director, Ultimate Tactical and Combat Private Limited.

This system of self-defence is totally different from the other traditional martial arts. A common criticism of the traditional martial arts is the lack of real-life applicability.

Post Mumbai terror attacks; Krav Maga is gaining popularity among youngsters for self-defence.

“We are also aware that at no point of time, I as an individual be better equipped than the terrorist. But it is more of the reaction, speed and frame of mind. If I can maintain my calm, maintain my peace and think rationally and think fast, I can help a lot of people overcome that situation,” said Gaurav Shourie, a trainee.

Krav Maga, literally means ”contact combat”, is highly effective, battle tested, fighting skills and defensive tactics that was first developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s by Imi Lichtenfeld.

Krav Maga is the official system of hand-to-hand combat and self-defense employed by the Israeli Defense and Security Forces, the Israeli National and Military Police and its Special Operations and Anti Terrorist Units.

It has been expanded outside the borders of Israel and is very successful in the USA, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, France Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Japan etc .

It is beginning to make its presence felt in the military and law enforcement sectors in India as well. (ANI)

Source: thaindian.com

Bengaluru IT Pros train in Israeli Survival Techniques

SOFTWARE PROFESSIONALS like Anoop Ramakrishnan, 24, and many others in the tech industry here are picking up new survival skills – not to endure the economic gloom, but to survive a terror attack or a hostage crisis.

Following the recent terror attacks, techies are queuing up to be trained in anti-terror and hostage survival techniques being imparted as part of Krav Maga, an Israeli school of self-defence and combat tactics. They are being taught how to hold their nerve during a terror attack, ensure minimum injury, how to escape a fire, and avoid being trapped in a stampede during evacuation.

Said Anoop, software professional at Sasken Communications: “We are here to learn to minimize casualties through the concept of muscle memory that is how not to panic but train our muscles to move quickly and save ourselves during an attack.” He has been urging colleagues and friends to take these lessons too. Ditto with Ashish Puri, of Cisco Systems, who is also taking the training. “I have persuaded seven eight colleagues to join these workshops,” he said.

Frank JW, the instructor and in-charge of Bengaluru chapter of International Krav Maga Federation, said: “I am currently training 75 people in Bengaluru. Most are from the IT industry” Frank said the training sessions are not intended to make “everyone a Superman” but to teach techniques that can come handy – like lying flat on the floor to escape bullets.

Author: srikanth.r@hindustantimes.com

Companies could be the next ‘trophy targets’ of terrorists. Those that don’t rush to build adequate cover, whatever the cost, may not live to regret it

Corporate India has just realised how vulnerable it really is. And it is terrified. “If we pool in our resources,” says Mazumdar-Shaw, “such a force can get common training from an international training agency from Germany or Israel.” “In Israel, it is compulsory for all buildings to have bomb shelters,” says Vicky Kapoor, a security expert who trains special forces and heads the Indian Krav Maga Foundation. “How many Indian companies can claim to have one?” Counter-terrorism has not been a priority so far. Now it is. Corporate India has just realised how vulnerable it really is. And it is terrified.

Team OLB

When terror bared its fangs in Mumbai, it triggered an emotion that corporate honchos rarely experience—raw fear. Less than 48 hours after the first murderous shot was fired in Colaba, seven directors on the board of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), led by Chairman and Managing Director RS Sharma, were sitting in a hastily convened meeting at the company’s Bandra office. The presence of a few senior officials of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard made it seem like a war room, not a board room. ONGC directors feared for hundreds of its offshore installations spanning across nearly 10,000 square feet into the Arabian Sea—basically, process platforms such as Mumbai High, rigs, wells and individual exploration sites. Mumbai High has a full-fledged defence system—coast guard to patrol the seas; surveillance by the Air Force; even an in-house radar (thousands of fishing vessels ply the seas there). “Even this is not enough,” says BC Nayak, the Executive Director responsible for security at the Rs 60,137 crore corporation.

Attacks could come by way of air, land and sea. There are no armed guards at the offshore installations because of the presence of huge quantities of inflammable material. Then, there are a number of unmanned wells in the sea that can be used by terrorists as hideouts to launch an attack. In short, Mumbai High could easily have been a sitting target for the terrorists, en route to their assault. A strike there would have been spectacular for the terrorists and incalculably costly for ONGC and the nation.

Nayak did much of the talking at that meeting. Never before had he had so much to say in a board meeting. He made many recommendations to spruce up security. He then put in an urgent request to the Ministry of Defence for more cover in the offshore area.

All shook up

Elsewhere in the city, CEOs had already reached for the panic button. “In the last 24 hours, I have talked with board members of 40 companies,” says Raghu Raman, CEO of Mumbai-based Mahindra Special Services Group, a subsidiary of the $6.7 billion Mahindra Group that provides security-related services to corporates such as the Aditya Birla Group, British Telecom, Citibank and Mahindra & Mahindra. “They wanted to know what they can do to secure themselves.” The Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA), which represents the $14 billion pharmaceutical industry, has called an emergency meeting on December 19 to develop counter-terrorism strategies. “It would be disastrous if terrorists find a way into our companies or production lines,” says BN Singh, President, IDMA.

The paranoia spread like wildfire beyond Mumbai, even into cities like Bengaluru. Are These Buildings Safe?

Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai is just one cluster where several companies are headquartered. The following offices are some that are located in the buildings seen in the picture:

• Axis Bank
• Bharat Shell
• Council For Leather Exports
• Dena Bank
• Engineering Export Promotion Council
• Export-Import Bank of India
• Federation of Indian Export Organisation
• Forbes Infotainment
• Hawkins Cookers
• IDBI Bank
• IDBI Gilts
• Indian Institute Of Banking & Finance
• ICAI
• Mafatlal Enterprises
• Manugraph India
• Maratha Sahakari Bank
• Mecklai Financial & Commercial Services
• MVIRDC World Trade Centre
• Nuclear Power Corp. of India
• OTC Exchange of India
• Oriental Bank of Commerce
• Rama Newsprint & Papers
• SBI Capital Markets
• SBI Securities
• Shapoorji Pallonji Power
• Standard Industries
• Stanrose Mafatlal Lubechem
• Taj President
• Tata Consultancy Services

CEOs began speculating about the worst possible scenarios, unimagined ever before. “If 20 guys arrive with AK-47s and move into the shop floor, there will be mayhem,” says Shekar Viswanathan, whole-time director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor. Its car plant in Bidadi has 2,560 employees. “We can’t make any assumptions that the corporate sector will not be hit (by terrorists). Currently, we are checking all employees’ cars at the gate for explosives, etc.” Bengaluru’s well-oiled corporate networks are in full flow. Prominent figures like Biocon Chairman and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Infosys’ Director-Human Resources TV Mohandas Pai and Ficci President Rajeev Chandrashekar are in touch and are exploring the possibility of creating an anti-terrorist force—a veritable private army. “If we pool in our resources,” says Mazumdar-Shaw, “such a force can get common training from an international training agency from Germany or Israel.” CEOs are fast learning the combat language. (‘You have to stay one step ahead’- Alan Orlob, Marriott International)

In New Delhi, Nasscom, the $64 billion Indian IT services and business process outsourcing (BPO) industry’s representative body, immediately started work on evolving a roadmap to address counter-terrorism. “We have been talking to members, have met as an industry at the executive council level and are now meeting across cities,” says Vice-President Sangeeta Gupta. “Counter-terrorism has not been a priority so far.”

Now it is. Corporate India has just realised how vulnerable it really is. And it is terrified.

It has never had such a close encounter with terror, at least not since 1993, when bomb blasts shook the length of, what was then called, Bombay. When terrorists stormed the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi-Trident hotels last month, Yes Bank Non-Executive Chairman Ashok Kapur was felled, the entire board of Unilever was trapped for a few tense hours, and several CEOs heard the sound of bullets whiz past them for the first time in their lives. A few businessmen saw the terrorists face-to-face, and fortunately lived to tell the tale. Yesterday, none of these shots were specifically aimed at them. But tomorrow, they may be deliberately targeted.

We can put together a corpus that will support measures local authorities need to take for better security Pramod Bhasin, CEO, Genpact

Terrorists are growing in intelligence and sophistication, and have access to greater resources—both cash and weapons. Simultaneously, governments are building better security at public places—airports, embassies, government offices, etc. And as terrorists search for new and vulnerable ‘trophy targets’, companies and business establishments could soon come in their line of sight. The current state of corporate security—a few bored-looking unarmed guards, mock checks on visitors and a few surveillance cameras with cobwebs on them—is totally unprepared for the next strike.

Grenade in the boardroom

Rude shocks are sometimes good for business. The war-like violence in south Every city needs a crisis management centre to coordinate with agencies that combat terrorism Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD, Biocon

Mumbai—guns reverberating through the night, grenades exploding, choppers hovering menacingly close to the buildings, fires raging and truckloads of soldiers—all in the heart of the city’s business centre, has yanked managements out of their old notions of security. Without this shock, companies would have been unwilling to give up many outdated ideas and embrace the new, advanced mindset needed to counter terrorism. “This attack is unprecedented and unsettling,” says Infosys’ Pai. “There is a definite need to re-look security, both at a national and corporate level.”

Earlier, company security meant hiring an ex-service man who would also double up as the facilities manager. “They can make your company very secure, it’s just that you can’t do business anymore,” says Bob Hayes. Managing Director, Securities Executive Council (SEC), a Washington DC-based organisation for security and risk professionals that develops research-based solutions to help companies evolve security programmes. Slightly evolved companies may appoint a security agency, a flourishing business these days. But corporate security needs specialised skills. “It is more useful to provide an overall secure environment without creating a panic situation,” says Mahindra SSG’s Raman. “Companies have to bring security into their DNA, and this can only be done through human re-engineering.”

Many senior executives were trapped for many hours. Some like Tata Sons Executive Director Alan Rosling (in picture) spent a lot of time on ground zero, anxious to know the fate of those held hostage inside
The spotlight is now on the need for a chief security officer (CSO). “Companies need a CSO in a powerful position,” says Nitin Bhatt, Partner, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young. If there was one learning American companies absorbed after 9/11, it was the role of a chief security officer. In India though, this is a glaring gap in the security apparatus of even large corporates. Only about 10-20% of companies in the so-called vigilant BPOs and banking and financial services sectors have CSOs, says a consultant who wished to remain anonymous. But even they don’t have enough authority or access to the CEO.

Typically, such CSOs reports to the CFO. That is perhaps not the best model. But exceptions are rare. “I report directly to Anand Mahindra, and there is a briefing with the top management every month,” declares Raman. Abroad, though that is the norm. “I have personally seen CEOs extensively engaging in security discussions in European companies,” says Navita Srikant, Partner & National Leader, Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services, Ernst & Young. “That sets the right tone.”

It is important that the CSO has a dotted line relationship with the CEO. Equally For many CEOs, Mumbai is their den and the Taj Mahal Hotels their lair, Never had they imagined that it could be stormed and almost destroyed. Nothing could have driven home the need for security better
important is that the board needs to make security a routine agenda, including assessing the cost of security and its impact on profit margins. None of that happens now. Says Hayes: “The process that your companies (in India) need to go through is risk and threat assessment, develop a mitigation strategy, align the strategy with the rest of the business partners, provide the security options that you can choose from—guards, electronic surveillance, etc—and then calculate the cost to do that and manage the residual risk.” Also, it is not enough to have all of this on paper. Much of it would need to be tested, monitored and perhaps re-drafted all over again many times till it is near perfect.

It’s time to redefine the role of security. “All these years, security was considered as a support function,” rues Ravindra Kishore Sinha, CMD of Security and Intelligence Services (SIS), which provides security solutions. “Now, managements have realised that security is an important mainline function just as marketing or finance.” SIS claims it has about 3,000 clients, 35,000 employees and revenues of Rs 1,600 crore. (Read R K Sinha interview: Government will have to trust private security agencies)

Finally, counter-terrorism has to be embedded into every business process. Entry and exit of employees is one example. “Background checks on employees will become more stringent,” says Infosys’ Pai. But there is more to it. Private airlines have retrenched hundreds of employees at all levels in the past few months. Have they considered the possibility that former staffers—jobless, disgruntled and broke—could be a source of vital inside information on airports or even a probable source of unauthorised entry into them? Post-employment or post-layoff follow-ups are unheard of in India. (Read The Power of Practice)

Many such basic fears are now beginning to gnaw at CEOs. The IDMA, for instance, Security costs are going to eat into already declining profit margins. But companies can’t cut corners. It is better to be safe than sorry

is worried about even basics such as ensuring that harmful ingredients don’t enter the drug production line at the raw material procurement stage. It would seem elementary that most pharmaceutical companies would have attended to this as a matter of process, rather than as a security issue that needs to be addressed now. Or take the instance of Toyota-Kirloskar, which has 50 expatriates on its rolls but beefs up security arrangements only when overseas visitors travel to the company’s premises. “That should begin now for all our key personnel. We have very little in place,” admits Vishawanathan.

“In Israel, it is compulsory for all buildings to have bomb shelters,” says Vicky Kapoor, a security expert who trains special forces and heads the Indian Krav Maga Foundation. “How many Indian companies can claim to have one?” Perhaps none, except one—Reliance Industries. It has a bunker at its Jamnagar refinery (capacity of 33 million tonnes per year) that can withstand a nuclear attack. “It is big enough to host key individuals. Critical parts of the plant can be controlled from there,” says a source who has worked closely with the company for many years. “It is nothing like you have ever seen before.” Not all companies need to build nuclear shelters, but there are several small counter-terrorism measures they need to integrate into every corporate activity.

The price of safety

This attack is unprecedented and unsettling. We need to re-look both national and corporate security TV Mohandas Pai,
Director­-HR, Infosys

“If you had done a poll with CEOs two weeks before the attacks and asked them two questions: one, is security a board issue? Nine out of 10 would have said, yes,” guesses Raman. “Then, ask them the second question: what is the biggest hurdle to security? Nine out of 10 would have said the budget.” When IT services and consulting firm Capgemini India deputes employees on assignments to the Middle-East, it puts them through a three-hour programme imparted by its security partner, International SOS. It trains staffers on how to react in emergencies, including terror attacks. The cost: Rs 1 lakh per head. That’s how expensive even basic security resources can be. “You can’t measure the cost. It is compulsory,” says Pramod Bhasin, CEO of Gurgaon-based BPO firm Genpact. Alkem Laboratories, a Rs 1,200 crore pharma company that currently spends a few lakh on security, expects spends to increase anywhere by Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 20 crore depending on the steps it decides to take now. “Security costs may go up to 0.5-2% of sales,” says managing director, BN Singh. That will eat into its net profit margin of about 8%.

The IT-BPO industry, possibly among the highest spenders on security in terms of It will be disastrous if terrorists find a way into our production lines. Security costs may go up to 0.5-2% of sales BN Singh,
President, Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association

disaster recovery plans and business continuity, apart from data and information security, doesn’t yet have an estimate on how much it would incur in additional costs for physical security.

Also, given the fact that such costs would need to be woven into the business plan of the company, firms would need to factor in the impact on profitability over a long term, perhaps a 8-10 year period. Slowdown or not, this is one area where companies can no longer cut corners on.

We encourage large companies to help mentor smaller businesses in the area of security planning Erin Streeter, Director, Ready, Department of Homeland Security, US “Our security budget is in crores…and this (the Mumbai attacks) will increase it further,” says Biocon’s Mazumdar-Shaw. “Though the actual numbers and percentage would vary from company to company, many MNCs are set to double their security allocation in 2008-09),” adds SIS’s Sinha, who works with firms like Coca-Cola and Volvo.

Another lesson from the post-9/11 environment is working effectively and So far, security was a support function. Now, managements realise that it is mainline like marketing or finance Ravindra Kishore Sinha, CMD, Security and Intelligence Services proactively with government agencies. “This has been a very serious wake-up call. Every city needs to have a crisis management centre, which would coordinate with security agencies that are involved in carrying out operations of combating terrorism,” says Mazumdar-Shaw. Most companies realise they cannot counter terrorism on their own, and having armed guards is not the easy and simple answer. “We’re prepared to put together a corpus that will support any measures that the local authorities need to take to ensure better security,” says Genpact’s Bhasin.

More than a fortnight after the last of the crazed gunmen was eliminated at the Taj Mahal Hotel, CEOs are still outraged at what happened in Mumbai, a city they consider to be their den. But they are also afraid that companies could be the next target. That fear is not such a bad thing. It will ensure that companies build their defenses, whatever be the cost. Fast.

(With inputs from Snigdha Sengupta, Ashish Gupta, Kunal N Talgeri, Sebastian PT, Rajiv Bhuva, Sudipto Dey and Dhruv Rathi)

Source : http://business.outlookindia.com/

Amrita Gupta finds out how one of the city’s self-defence coaches is training citizens to tackle the threat of terrorism.

Ashish Puri, an employee at Cisco, is pragmatic about surviving a terror attack. “In a situation involving terrorists, regular self-defence skills won’t help, because the basic premise that the opponent will be afraid of getting hurt or losing his life becomes irrelevant,” he said. “It’s definitely not the time to be bold. Instead we need to be practical: look for exit routes, notice opportunities, know how to react.”

To equip himself with the tools needed to remain practical, Puri, like several other Bengaluruans, has turned to Krav Maga, the Israeli system of self-defence and combat tactics. “Unfortunately now, problems aren’t only at the borders, they’re happening in our cities too, so civilians have to rally together,” he said, adding that large corporations should seriously consider corporate workshops on surviving terror attacks.

“We realised regular citizens need to be equipped against the very real threat of terrorism,” said Frank (he goes by only a first name), who heads the Bengaluru chapter of the International Krav Maga Federation, and has been teaching people the self-defence method for five years now. While the IKMF, headquartered in Delhi, is responsible for instructing military Special Forces and law enforcement agencies, Frank is conducting a series of Basic Anti-Terror and Hostage Survival workshops to prepare people for terrorist attacks.

“The problem is that people think ‘It’ll never happen to us’,” he explained. “Incidents in other cities are still news, the deaths are still statistics. But why wait for something to happen before getting mobilised?” Post-Mumbai’s terrorist attacks, as dissection and analysis come in strong from every quarter and SMS warnings and mails do the rounds, people in the city are clamouring for less conversation and more action.

Venkatesh Rammohan, a Krav Maga practitioner agreed that now, more than ever, “we have to ask ourselves how we can help”. “We can’t just blame the system, point fingers at the government and not enable ourselves,” added Frank. “Sure, training needs to be upgraded, weapons need to be invested in, security needs to be pumped up, but we need to do as much as possible to take responsibility for our own lives.” Rammohan agreed that courses like the one by Frank are a starting point, and that people must realise what their options are. “How we respond can help control the situation or make it worse,” he explained. “Also, it’s important in times like these to become mentally tougher. When there are factions aiming to create fear, we need to get together, not cower down,” he said.

Frank’s workshop aims to prepare people so they react well under pressure. In a crisis situation, a person’s reaction is either to freeze or panic, explained the trainer. The session will begin with an awareness talk, with an introduction to “the tools of terrorism” and a talk about the motives of terrorists. “To have a solution, first we need to understand the problem,” explained Frank. His next point of focus is on survival and rescue tips for different scenarios. The session will address the procedures for evacuation, negotiation techniques and crowd control. “These may seem to be common-sense measures,” added Frank, but preparation is key, as “[being] tied up or at gunpoint, you won’t have a lot of options.” There will also be talks on things for people to remember, in the event they end up as witnesses.

Frank emphasised that the modules caution against trying to take the law into your own hands. “It would be stupidity to try to be a hero,” he said. “The aim is to prepare people so they can become more helpful, not make situations worse with some kind of vigilante behaviour,” he added. Among other things, Frank will teach people techniques on how to ensure minimum injury to themselves and others – “how to fall, where to hide, what to do in case of a fire, a stampede, a hostage takeover, an explosion – and basic first-aid and emergency care, “which can mean the difference between life and death”.

No matter how often people do a fire drill that doesn’t make them fire-fighters, added Frank. The point of the drill is that if a fire breaks out they won’t panic, and that they will know what to do. “People must always remember that terrorists are highly trained, and they aren’t afraid to kill. To provoke them, or try to disarm them, should be left to the military forces.” The trainer was adamant that civilians need to be proactive and learn how to deal with situations correctly, “because it’s not going to go away”. Apart from instructions for a worst-case scenario, the workshop will also deal with how to be more alert during everyday activities. “If there’s an unclaimed object, people should know to raise an alarm, and if something seems unusual they shouldn’t ignore it,” explained Frank.

“We can’t prevent terrorist attacks but we can be prepared for them,” said Anoop Ramakrishnan, one of the enrollees at the workshop. “Ultimately, a prepared approach can bring down the number of casualties,” he said.

Source : Time Out Bengaluru ISSUE 12 Friday, December 26, 2008

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# [cref swat-courses Israeli Krav Maga S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons And Tactics) Courses]

With the recent episode of terrorist attack in Mumbai, the need for Self-Defense and Disaster Management and Planning is further emphasized.

Situations like the below needs training to be averted or walk away from:

A hostage crisis: This situation develops when one or more terrorists or criminals hold people against their will and try to hold off the authorities by force, threatening to kill the hostages if provoked or attacked.

Emergency evacuation: It is the movement of people from a dangerous place due to the threat or occurrence of a disastrous event.

Need for Self-defense: It is the act of defending oneself, one’s property or the well-being of another from physical harm.

Qualified to train people against situations like these, Krav Maga India conducts special courses in Self-Defense, Evacuation and Hostage Crisis.

For information on these courses please contact +91-9810412442 or write back to us.