?Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security,? feels the famous mathematician John Allen Paulos. This is no doubt a laudable thought and a fun way of life, if one is dealing with knowledge, learning, adventures, sports and other fascinating activities. However, when it comes to thieves, crooks, kidnappers, murderers and other terror-spreading maniacs, living a life of constant uncertainty, barely qualifies as living. The obvious solution to the problem is to invest in security, yet cynics around the world will have no more money spent from their pockets, not easily anyway. ?Crossing the street is just as likely to hurt me worse than any criminal I encounter,? a common sentiment expressed by many intelligent men and women around the world. Pramoud Rao, MD, Zicom Electronic Security Systems Ltd, mentioned, ?My employees are very savvy and smart and contribute a 100% to our success. They have thorough knowledge of how important security is and first-hand experience with the systems we implement, yet over 80% of them do not have near adequate security in their own homes,? he exclaims! Human life value, the safety of our loved ones, our home and all our tangible assets need protection as best as we can provide. This has been man’s top priority since the times of the Neanderthals and maybe before. Yet, today we are so careless and blinded to this need, that our entire mindset is one which screams, ?This cannot happen to me,? not that we are invincible but evidently protected by an angel residing deep within our thoughts.

Senior citizens have been killed and robbed by the most amateurish of crooks, and in the last month itself 2 households were robbed with goods worth over Rs 10 lakh each in a span of 24 hours and numerous more, which went unnoticed. We are also the proud winners of the world shop lifting championship, amongst other great laurels we have been achieving, and were left sitting ducks in a terror attack that’s left the next super power wondering what just hit them and more importantly how.

The infamous Frankie Fear who was Rocky’s best friend in all his movies, has befriended us Indians temporarily again, but will this friendship last long enough to make the changes we desire and need, to protect us and all that we live for? A question looming large in the air with the same tensions of how long will our agitations against inept governance, corruption and lack of security concerns for the people last. Has our thick skin been penetrated enough to care about ourselves yet, or are we waiting for a state of fear to take over, leaving us helpless at the mercy of our great leaders, fearless watchmen and superhero cops?

Why do we need security?

?Apprehension, uncertainty, waiting, expectation, fear of surprise, do a patient more harm than any exertion,? said Florence Nightingale, the most famous nurse to have ever lived.

We all have experienced these feelings many a time, yet we manage to ignore them and either blindly trust someone else to protect you or pray to the heavens above to keep us safe. Every time terror struck our country or a natural disaster hit us, immediately after, the companies providing us with the means to safeguard ourselves experience a surge in demand. This has been an instant reaction from a nation that has suddenly learnt a lesson and those affected and concerned chose to react. However, in some basic cases, unless the tragedy hits us directly, we seem unmoved enough to be proactive and prevent the same from happening to us. Be it protecting our houses and loved ones, assets we spend a lifetime collecting or a shop or office that provides our daily bread and better. Securing these to the fullest possible extent is probably the best decision and investment one will ever make in life, yet we are so hesitant to, it almost defies our natural instincts one would think.

A security expert had mentioned, ?Indians love to rely on everyone. For security, our favourite person to trust is the local watchman, this even when we may not know his name or who he is. This itself speaks volumes of our security concerns and how seriously we address this issue.? Safety and security cannot be bought people say, it is a state of mind, which explains why all the security companies always get flooded with inquiries post a shocking incident. However, ?not many people follow through and take precautions, it is in fact a small percentage of the number that inquire,? a manager with one of the security system company?s mentioned. Our local cops cannot protect everyone and that’s a fact we have all witnessed and seen, it is not really humanly possible, hence they have been issuing directives for people to step-up security and invest in gadgets like CCTV’s, x-ray machines, metal detectors, etc. While our current security market is barely worth Rs 1,800 crore, which is appalling, with the boom in sales, police mandates and a hopeful need for better security, things could be better. According to industry chamber Assocham, companies will now increase their security budgets by 35-40%. ?The private security business in India will become a Rs 50,000-crore industry in four years as firms have increased their spending on safeguards after the Mumbai terror strikes,? it said.

While the topic of security should be addressed seriously and not in a panic-buying situation, the need for better security should come from within and not only through directives and disaster.

Do we not want to be secure, do we not want protection for ourselves, our families, our colleagues, our business’s and shops? Yes, times are trying in the financial world and every expense is carefully debated upon no doubt. However, there is an old idiom about being penny wise and pound foolish, which aptly sums up the situation, for while some of the high end security gadgets like x-ray machines may be expensive, our basic equipment needed to secure a house should barely cost a maximum of Rs 20,000-25,000. This is in comparison to our house worth lakhs, maybe more, goods worth so much, and lives. Seems but a parsley sum to pay. And since prevention is better than cure, and unless we want to be once bitten and then twice shy, logic screams out, ?security is important and please treat it thus.?

Latest gadgets

?Uncertainty is the worst of all evils until the moment when reality makes us regret uncertainty,? said 19th century Alphonse Karr, French critic, journalist and novelist. Now one must have witnessed some horrific times to have faced a reality, which was worse than your fears. Sadly, 200 years later, we live in similar times and chose to remain irresponsive to the call of precaution over reaction.

Say we do choose to mold our mindset to protect ourselves, there are some rather unique tools that one can use to their advantage these days. These include burglar alarm systems for shops and homes. These usually come equipped enough to detect break ins, a motion sensor to detect unidentified movement in front of it, wireless access and a hooter that will unnerve even the calmest of thieves. This should cost approximately Rs 6,000-20,000. Some other unique products that range Rs 100-800, include gadgets like a personal anti-sleep alert, an anti-loss alarms for your kids, a personal security alarm, a protection alarm and a personal safety alarm as well. A simple and effective electronic gas leak sensor that should cost something between Rs 1,000-1,500 can save us from starting a fire and even save lives and is a useful gadget to have. The burglar alarm system used for our homes have an additional feature of being able to detect unauthorised entry through doors and windows as well, keeping security as tight as one can. There is of course the most popular of security features, a video door phone, which enables us to see whose standing outside our house and the surrounding area, as well as communicate to them while remaining in the safety of our house. This gadget costs anywhere between Rs 7,000-16,000. These days one can also get locks, which cannot be picked or keys, which cannot be stolen, for the fingerprint locks available solve all these problems, which plagued generations prior to this. One also has CCTV’s, video recorders, x-ray machines, scanners, metal detectors, card swipe access and biometric access only amongst many other modern gadgets available for our protection.

Apart from all of these, having some trained personnel to guard your apartment, office and building is a must, for the person is almost as important if not more so than the security gadgets around. This is especially required, for if one wonders what happens post all these sophisticated machines, well, on a standalone basis nothing much. A burglary still takes place every 15 seconds in the US, of which only 13% of the reported ones are solved, with only 15% of the property stolen being ever recovered. So, this only goes to highlight that it is only a mixture of good security machines and guards that can safeguard us.

Protecting oneself

Understanding how a burglar selects a target can help home owners reduce their chances of being a victim. Most burglaries occur at homes that appear to have quick, easy access and/or lots of cover that reduces the chance of being seen. Think of landscaping and exterior security devices as your first line of defence. Following are tips to safeguard your yard.

Lighting

•Use automatic timers on inside and outside lights when away from home.

• Install motion detector lights around your house instead of just leaving lights on at night. The lights coming on and turning off attract the attention of neighbours. Install these lights at least 8 feet above the ground so they are more difficult to disable.

• Install the motion detector lights so they light all doors and windows. Doors, since they are the preferred entry point, should be the first priority to illuminate, followed by windows.

Yard and landscaping

• Remove bushes and shrubs from around the house, especially under windows and next to doors. They provide a good place to hide next to the house. Also, keep your yard free of overgrowth. This will allow your neighbours to easily detect strangers in your yard.

• If you do have shrubs and bushes, select ones with thorns to deter potential intruders from hiding in them.

• Remove tree limbs that could allow someone to climb to an upper-story window or balcony.

• Think carefully before installing a high, wooden fence around your back yard. High fences can add to your privacy but privacy is a burglar’s asset. Consider an iron railing (topped with spikes, to discourage climbers), picket or chain-link fence instead. If you have a gate, install a strong magnetic lock on it to prevent intruders from easily penetrating the perimeter of your property.

• Put big, bold numbers on your mailbox so your home can easily be identified in case of an emergency.

• Never put your name on your mailbox. Anyone can call directory assistance, get your number, and find out you aren’t home.

• Don’t hide a spare key near your front door; burglars know all the hiding places. Leave a spare key with a trusted neighbor instead.

• Tell burglars to steer clear of your home by placing alarm company signs, neighborhood watch decals or dog notices on your property.

• Consider installing an intercom system featuring motion-sensor video that turns on when someone approaches your house. If you live on your own, consider implementing a camera bell so you can see who is approaching.

• If you have video surveillance cameras, get a lockbox to store the central recording device so a thief can’t make off with the record of their crime.

• Baby video monitors can double as surveillance monitors for other points on your property.

• If you travel a lot, surveillance cameras (with viewing access through the internet) will allow you to keep an eye on your home while you’re gone.

• Lock up the garage or tool shed. Don’t let a burglar break-in by borrowing your ladder to enter through your upstairs window.

Expense V/s investment

Many argue that elaborate security is unnecessary and a waste of money. Especially security systems that costs more money than the local watchman and which makes loud annoying sounds every now and then, hasn’t been easy for India to take in and accept as easily as we would have liked. However, a new age seems to be dawning where security will no longer be looked at as an expense but as an investment, an investment to safeguard ourselves against theft, robberies, kidnapping, murders, terror and the whole nine yards. While the realities and sensibilities point at good security being a justified expense if not an investment itself, convincing people to change their very mindset, which is the core challenge is never easy.

Sensible colleagues itself do not accept the fact that security systems can be an investment, after all “isn’t an investment supposed to give us back a return,” was the question posed. “We spend in the present and invest for the future,” an age old clich?, which still holds true, is all that comes to mind. How does one convince another that by investing in security, they may not get any monetary returns like those that traditional investments give us, but will leave us with all our assets intact and safe to return to?

Assets are insured, so if they are lost, a certain part of their value will always be guaranteed to us. This includes insuring our lives and our heath too. Similarly, protecting them is also a financially smarter move to make.

A few thousands to protect property and goods worth lakhs if not crores can be looked at like a insurance premium if one wishes, only this time the assets will be protected physically too, and not just their monetary worth. At the end of the day, whatever makes one sleep better, live easier and protects all that is important to us, is a gift, not just an investment, so if we all stop looking a gift horse in the mouth, and use what we have to the fullest, security will be got.