Date: 13/02/2023

Relevance: GS-3: Security Challenges and their Management in Border Areas - Linkages of Organized Crime with Terrorism.

Key Phrases: All India Conference of Directors General/Inspectors General of Police, futuristic themes in policing, Multiple security agencies, contradictions in approach, Skilling police force, adequate training.

Why in News?

• The annual All India Conference of Directors General/Inspectors General of Police which was held recently, witnessed a departure from the past when some aspects that were discussed found their way into the public domain.
• This led to an element of controversy over the management of certain issues, especially on the border.

DGPs/IGPs conference:

• The DGPs/IGPs conference is a relatively new construct (1980), superseding the earlier annual conference of Heads of Intelligence and CIDs of different States.
• The latter conference used to deal mainly with the nitty-gritty of police work, viz., intelligence, crime and criminal investigation, technology, and the forensic aspects, while the conference now additionally deals with a host of other issues including Policy and personnel matters.

Challenges:

• In-depth discussion is taking a hit:
  • The proliferation of subjects up for discussion in recent conferences, and the presence of increasing numbers of delegates to cover the various subjects leave little scope for any in-depth discussion.
  • Today’s security threats have an all-embracing character and there is a crying need for in-depth discussions on futuristic themes in policing, such as cybercrime, the dark web, crypto, maritime security, the threat from drones, and also problems stemming from an unchecked social media.
  • These are in addition to subjects such as left-wing extremism, counter-terrorism, drug, trafficking, and border issues.
  • Lack of adequate time to discuss these matters in detail tends to undermine both the quality of the debates and possible outcomes.
• Multiple security agencies:
  • An added problem is the presence of multiple security agencies, including intelligence and investigative agencies, who seldom act with a common purpose.
  • Their techniques and methodologies tend to be different, often leading to contradictions in approach.
  • While the proliferation of agencies was intended to create specialized agencies for special requirements, this has not happened.
  • Far from easing the burden of individual agencies, they often hinder proper analysis and investigation.
• Changing requirements of evolving security scenario:
  • The evolving security scenario produces many internal and external challenges. As the 21st-century advances, security problems will grow at an exponential rate.
  • Their dimensions are as yet unclear, but what is already evident is that the emerging challenges would require greater innovativeness and agility as well as a demonstration of newer cognitive skills to meet the challenges posed by swift technological change and the rise of data warfighting.
  • Decision-making in these circumstances needs to undergo fundamental changes, entailing more purposive discussion at higher levels.

Required measures:

• Law and order management:
  • This subject currently demands a combination of newer skills, in both technology and crowd management, which are not readily available among security agencies.
  • The attention of most security forces in the country has essentially been devoted to ongoing threats such as terrorism, which has resulted in law and order management being put on the back burner.
  • Managing today’s angry, and often unruly, mobs require a fresh set of skills and inherent abilities, apart from mere technology.
  • A heavy-handed approach tends to create more problems than they solve. Any approach of this kind only leads to a catastrophic divide between law enforcement agencies and the public, at a time when newer practices and skills are the proper answer.
• Need for more than technological solutions:
  • Much more is clearly required than simply reiterating that technology, including artificial intelligence, can answer a host of problems.
  • Understanding the psychology of agitating mobs and, in turn, making them realize the dangers of their own predilections before matters get out of hand, is not innate, but an acquired skill and this needs better attention.
• Right attributes and adequate training:
  • Police and security agencies must consequently be provided with the right attributes, and they need to be adequately trained.
  • This would call for a top-down approach, as there would be considerable competition for resources from within the agencies for other items such as advances in weaponry and technology.
  • It would be required, even more, to secure acceptance of the utilitarian aspects of any such move.
• Pay attention to selection:
  • The selection of personnel for security agencies, especially the police, also will require a total makeover.
  • The 21st century is proving to be vastly different from the 20th century, and the choice of personnel to man security agencies requires more high-level attention than has been devoted to this task.
• Skilling police force:
  • The police forces often employ a variety of tactics and skills and use common imagery to keep track of developing situations, including on social media and Twitter.
  • For the police and security forces, this means that more than the mere acquisition of new skills, they must develop a different mindset, including that force cannot be the answer to every situation.
• Open-Source intelligence:
  • The proper utilization of Open-Source intelligence could well become the critical factor in managing many law and order situations today.
  • A vast gap exists at present between the need, and how best to utilize information from open sources.

Conclusion:

• The current security discourse requires a re-examination of the range and types of threats and the methods used to address them.
• The annual conference of DGPs/IGPs is too broad in scope and size to effectively address these issues. Splitting the conference into two separate events, one for policy discussions among high-level officials and another for intelligence and security specialists would lead to more meaningful outcomes that are better suited to current and future security needs.
• The "small is beautiful" approach would enable a more detailed and frank discussion of important security issues.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. What steps need to be taken to improve the nature of the security discourse in light of the evolving security scenario and its resulting complex internal and external challenges? Discuss.