Vijayawada: Coastal security and cyber security are two key areas that need to be focused, said Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police N. Sambasivarao on Monday. Speaking at a conference on 'Mapping India's national security challenges: Today & tomorrow', he said the authorities had overlooked coastal security all these years. However, as there is a lot of economic activity along the coastal areas now, it is essential to improve the security along the coastline.
The DGP also stressed on the need to improve cyber security systems. Cyber frauds are increasing in number and hackers are posing new challenges everyday but the police personnel have little knowledge in dealing with cyber crimes, he added. Hackers are finding new ways to cheat people and it is becoming difficult for the police to detect the advanced crimes, he said. However, the DGP said the situation has improved a lot when compared to the past as people clearing M.Tech course are being recruited as constables.
“We have changed our approach of looking at the constables as they are highly qualified and utilising their services in dealing with the cyber crimes.” The DGP stressed upon the department officials, who attended the conference, to enhance their skills and to adopt the new technological advancements. Mr. Sambasivarao said Maoist activities have been completely put under check in the state and said the Andhra Pradesh police have made remarkable progress in checking the Left wing extremists with multi-pronged approach.
The three-day conference was attended by eminent personalities like K.C. Reddy, former chief security adviser for United Nations, Prof. Chintamani Mahapatra, American studies, JNU, Prof. Srikanth Kondapalli, Chinese studies, JNU, Dr. B Srinivas, CSO Jammu and Kashmir, Kapil Kak, retired Air Vice-Marshal and police officials from AP. The issues of internal and external security, terrorism in J&K and human trafficking were discussed at length.
Globalisation leading to new challenges:
With the world getting shrunk into a village, due to increased use of Internet, connecting through social networks and globalisation, internal and external security have been throwing new challenges, opined experts. As technology is reaching new frontiers, the conventional security systems need to be upgraded and new systems have to be implemented.
Speaking at the national conference on national security challenges, former chief security adviser to the United Nations K.C. Reddy said the union government’s “one medicine to all” the problems did not give results and the policy frame work should be relooked with the changing patterns of the security threats. Speaking about cross-border terrorism, he said the earlier governments in the country had committed historical blunders in dealing with terrorism in Jammu and Kasmir.
The union government did not focus on eastern border as it did with the western, due to which the Chinese are posing a big threat on the eastern border today, he observed. Chinese are patronising the north eastern states. He also said: “India did not give any importance to the technical gadgetry in securing the borders other than fencing them.” Professor Chintamani Maha-patra from Jawaharlal Nehru University said the distinction between national and international borders is fast vanishing in the globalised world.
With the fast changing global order, even the coastline of Andhra Pradesh cannot be seen as safe and any kind of attack can be unleashed, he said. The hostility between United States of America and the emerging super power China, has been increasing by the day. The Chinese caught hold of American underwater vessel in South China Sea and this led to the differences, he said.
Professor Srikanth Kondapalli discussed the implications of Chinese domination over South China Sea. China and USA already locked horns over the issue and the Asian countries will have to face the impacts of the growing friction. “As 55 per cent of India’s maritime trade is coming from South China Sea, it is also a serious cause of concern for India.”
