Security is everywhere in India. Every door to every store, restaurant, hotel, commercial, industrial or multi-residential unit has 1 or more security guards manning it. Be prepared for a bag inspection, a pat down, an electronic wand at every entrance and most exits. Your vehicle will be inspected, trunk opened, bottom of the car scanned. At 76 police persons per 100k people, India has amongst the lowest per capita police presence. Canada comes in at 202/100K and the US at 256/100k while most of Europe at 300+/100K. As undertrained as they are, Indian Security Guards act at least as a visual presence or deterrence.Many policemen are unarmed, especially during daylight hours, and most security guards are unarmed at all times which actually make me feel safer. The searchers are ostensibly looking for weapons and/or explosives but the cursory glance given will only find the largest or most obvious bomb. It would need to be 6 sticks of dynamite with a large alarm clock attached like Wile E. Coyote uses to try to blow the Roadrunner to smithereens or a shiny 44 Magnum like Dirty Harry carries to blow holes in concrete before these lightly trained guards could actually be effective.
There are some positive aspects to the use of Security Guards, one very obvious one is employment. India currently has approximately 5.5 million security guards employed by about 15,000 security companies. As an industry, this sector is now the country’s largest corporate taxpayer. It is also the fastest growing sector at 25% per annum. Another benefit may be (and I cannot be certain of this), there are rules about women who have to work after dark and whether they get a security guard to make sure they arrive home safely. I am sure the woman is still only as safe as the person protecting her but if there is a driver and a security guard then the likelihood that she will return home safely is significantly improved. As a husband, I take some solace in this.
At my own business, the Security Guards took away my camera on one visit but they let me bring my (picture capable) cell phone in day after day. The 60 year old unarmed guard at my hotel acts as more of a door opener than a security force. He sleeps leaning up against the door so that when someone opens the door he (theoretically) will wake up. I do not wish to wake anyone from a sound sleep so I have learned to open the door slowly so that he doesn't wake up, I think it is the polite thing to do. So like most places, security in India is really only there to make you feel safer not actually be safer.
How is the weather where you are?
I wonder if the police not carrying guns is holdover from the British rule days, as British police (bobbies) don't carry guns either (nor did Sheriff Taylor in Maybury although his depute Barney Fife carried one gun with exactly one bullet but only under the condition that he carried the one bullet in his shirt POCKET...but I digress)....the comment is made that Indian police not carrying guns makes the author feel safer...does the fact that CANADIAN police DO carry firearms make the author feel less safe?
ReplyDeleteMyself, not being a gun owner, feel safer when responsible and fully trained police do carry guns, or properly trained security guards in high risk posts carry guns. Otherwise...what do police yell at fleeing criminal?
"FREEZE!! ...or I'll yell FREEZE AGAIN!"
Do Indian citizens have any protections from "unreasonable search & seizures" as we do (at least theoretically) in Canada/US?
That said (asked), let me offer my humble (and possibly ill informed) opinion...I DO LIKE one aspect of the Indian security system VERY MUCH....It seems they have managed to "privatize" much of their policing (in the form of private security companies). As a believer in "free markets" and smaller government, I like this trend in principle!
However, only time will tell how effective this strategy is as new and growing security companies mature.