With the spurt in home-grown terror resulting in a spate of bomb blasts across the country, private security agencies have decided to offer their services in gathering anti-terror intelligence. Personnel of the 50-lakh-strong private security agencies in the country will submit a proposal on the matter before the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil during their third annual conference on October 13 and 14 in Bangalore. During the Bangalore conference - Home Land Security, A Determined Approach - the agencies will stress on foreign models of safety which rely heavily on public involvement in security and safety "bandobast" taking into consideration the "low-intensity home-grown war" witnessed in the recent terror attacks. The private security industry is buoyed by its recent success in striking a deal with the Rajasthan Government on training private security personnel to gather anti-terror intelligence. The conference will also attract about 15,000 private security players which provide employment to over 50-lakh men and women in the country1.

• 1. “Pvt security agencies to ask Govt for intelligence duties”, Daily Excelsior, October 5, 2008, at http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/08oct05/news.htm#7