When we assess security programs, physical assets, interview CXOs or business heads — the proverbial heads in an ecosystem— the most common comment we hear is that our security program consists of manpower and we plan to install CCTVs, even though we thought any other activity besides this amount to an expensive solution with no real value generated, or our budget does not permit us to invest in heavy capital investments. Many believe they have additional deep budgets to change their security or to secure their assets.
On the heels of commencing our services at a large-scale education facility, we’d like to put these myths to rest, share our approach to a community-based security program investing, and explain how we make create novel operating programs for our customers.
We’ve always created new models with scarce resources.
While we partner with customers across multiple sectors at all stages, we have always preferred to be involved in problem areas where there are massive opportunities from the very beginning to change operating architectures, when the odds of successful implementation seem difficult. It’s here that we can help our customers most: designing technology requirements, recruitment of highly skilled manpower, repositioning of existing infrastructure, creating SOCs for our customers, creating an organogram that will help control the operations, identify points of risks and create risk management practice around such risks, create a communication program, identify data collection sources, test the viability of the programs, devise the training structure and also suggest modular changes as per the environment that we focus at enhancing.
We’ve done this since Quantal began. We’re fortunate to have been the first company that has successfully changed security design across large-scale organizations.
Over the past 2 years, as the cost of manpower has increased dramatically, there’s been a commensurate rise in the number of inquiries for a solution that addresses risks that are unknown to all the stakeholders.
We’ve been very active in this space to plan revised solutions for our customers and infuse systems and policies that help us guide towards an excellent customer satisfaction experience. As a headcount model for security program rounds has become more of an industry norm, the pace of risks has risen. In recent years, we’ve partnered with multiple organizations to manage such risks.
While the models we have finalized for our customers has evolved over the past few years, our focus has remained the same: utilize the available resources, create transparency and create a self-operating structure.
Our approach to the Community based security program
We are not a manpower agency we partner with very few companies. When we do, we roll up our sleeves and get to work helping on customer problem analysis, technology gaps, operating model gaps with a detailed risk management framework.
In this area, our problem statement is very unique. A legacy campus, located in the heart of the land where land grabbing, uncontrolled access of local villagers, accidental deaths, anti-social elements presence is a common phenomenon. This large estate has multiple segments of land banks consisting of open land, helipad, dense vegetation, residential areas, classroom buildings, testing grounds, open playgrounds, hostels, medical centers, botanical gardens, rivers, reservoirs, animals, parking spots, training grounds etc. The botanical gardens and forest areas consist of a high volume of sandalwood trees and other plants which have high demand in the black market.
The responsibility of securing all the assets and the students within the campus lies on us as an asset management company. We have over 200 faculty members, 10000+ students to provide an excellent security program.
How do we cover 1200+ acres with limited resources?
A. Experienced Manpower to control the operations
We created areas across the campus with responsibilities allocated to a layer of men with proven mettle ( all ex-armed forces who have manned the international borders of our country for multiple years ). This layer would be responsible to respond during emergencies, assisting students, controlling access points or identifying unauthorized elements within the campus.
The layer of manpower designed was as follows: Layer 1 — Static Positioned manpower. Some with weapons at critical access points Layer 2–2 wheeler borne manpower to patrol micro-zones Layer 3- 4 wheeler QRT team Layer 4–4 Wheeler dog squad team Each layer of manpower is empowered with a security kit consisting of: Wearables Mobile Device Torch Whistle Emergency first aid kit Lethal and non-lethal weapons for safety Walkie Talkies
B. Technology systems
We do not increase our customer’s budgets and therefore did not request for additional data capturing device
How do we manage to get data with investment to ensure proactive security?
Answer — Mobile Platforms
We created data inputs devices for all our security team members who during their patrol rounds identify areas where assistance is needed or any trouble ticket that is generated.
Who controls the manpower layer?
A SOC is set up at the premises, to manage and control the security program from the source. The SOC creates beat plans basis the minimum X% of security coverage is required basis the criticality score that our algorithms create.
Our SOC consisted of multiple modules: Live tracking to track the coverage of our manpower Trouble ticket to collect information and share with relevant departments Incident platform to have historical incident data and real-time incident information captured Data Analytics screen to control and monitor the information and make sense of critical data points Risk screens to denote risk score real-time Digital Registers to create rich valuable insights from the data captured Emergency TAT scores for helping us understand what the scores of our teams are during emergencies and their preparedness Surveillance maps for monitoring the live feed of CCTVs Data lab for a detailed and thorough analysis of risk score at the site The beat Plan creation module
With our SOC, we cover railway stations, out-of-bound land parcels which are prone for land grabbing, cover and control railway access points, river access points, girls hostels etc.
All of these modules enhanced the security coverage and digitized the whole security program.
Now coming back to data-gathering devices. We wanted to create a private police structure within the campus and we understood the age value of the students is between 18–22 and all are empowered with smartphones today.
We, therefore, created a mobile application for all the students across the site. Each student was empowered to generate a request for security, get information on the security, share critical information or log in to Trouble Ticket. Each such information went to the management and helped create a community-based policing.
Now many students will merely delete the application, so how do we cover this problem statement?
We stuck QR codes across locations which upon scanning will share the nearest security personnel’s details with the student immediately. In a single click-less scenario a call is raised to the student and help is dispatched. Now if there is an issue at any location such as low visibility, unauthorized entries or any anti-social elements at the site, students or anyone can scan and log on the ticket and basis the criticality nature our responders will reach the location immediately as per the shortest Turnaround time.
We created a first-of-a-kind public/private safety answering point (PSAP ) program.
PSAPs cost millions of dollars and cash-rich cities across the globe like New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Zurich, Riyadh have such PSAPs installed for their citizens. We managed to create such a program on campus without any additional budget and this is something we’re proud of.
Sensor Data
Putting CCTVs across is costly, putting manpower everywhere is costly. We need to get as much as data points to make sure our teams have the best possible information at the least possible cost.
We put up sensors at areas that have high intrusions that trigger hooters during nonbusiness hours and switch on high beam lights. At the same time, the nearest responder is dispatched for investigation purposes. These sensor points help us reduce intrusions by 90% or more as per our simulation data.
CCTV Data
We launched computer vision programs to identify vehicle make, types, differentiate between humans and animals, identify footfalls, identify the high density of movements during non-business hours, identify security presence, and many more use-cases to control the environment
All of this is at the same budget that was allocated by the company!
All such data points are studied thoroughly by us and we have managed to predict instances in which area needs more attention during the course of the day. Students have been infused as a critical part of this security program and so have been the faculty.
We aim to evolve this program to a digital platform-enabled community program with time
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