What is a CIBMS?

These days the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System is hailed as a more robust and integrated system that is capable of addressing the gaps in the present system of border security by seamlessly integrating human resource, weapons, and high-tech surveillance equipment. The idea of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System in India emerged after the Pathankot attack to stop infiltration on 2900 kilometres western border with Pakistan.

Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System is mainly comprising of three main components:

• New high-tech surveillance devices such as sensors, detectors, cameras, ground-based radar systems, micro-aerostats, lasers as well as existing equipment for round-the-clock surveillance of the international border.
• An efficient and dedicated communication network including fibre optic cables and satellite communication for transmitting data gathered by these diverse high-tech surveillance and detection devices.
• A command and control centre to which the data will be transmitted in order to apprise the senior commanders about the happenings on the ground and thus providing a composite picture of the international border.

A composite picture so obtained will help the senior commanders analyse and classify the threat and mobilise resources accordingly to assist the field commanders in his response.

The purpose with which the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System are being installed is to eventually replace the manual surveillance or patrolling of the international borders by electronic surveillance and the organisation of the Border Security Force personnel into quick reaction teams to enhance their detection and interception capabilities. Other factors such as power back up, training of the BSF personnel in handling the sophisticated equipment, and maintenance of the equipment are incorporated into the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System.

Various countries have already instated the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System. The likes of the United States of America have tried high-tech solutions for securing their borders, but with mixed results. In this context, a review of the Secure Border Initiative of the United States is a case in point that comprises of surveillance technologies such as sensors, cameras, and radars as well as command, control, communications, and intelligence (C3I) technologies, including software and hardware to produce a Common Operating Picture.

Weaknesses of the CIBMS!!

The SBInet or the Secure Border Initiative network of the US has not been a grand success. The reasons of its failure somewhere reflect upon the weaknesses of the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System.

• Firstly, similar to the SBInet of the US, the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System depend upon vendors for designing suitable surveillance system.
• Secondly, such an initiative will be overly dependent on the contracted professionals as the security agency personnels may not have technological prowess to operate the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System. The contracted professional are equivalent to a non-functional glitch in security framework that may turn dysfunctional anytime.
• Third, the Indian past experience also revealed that in India the operation and maintenance of the existing sophisticated equipment remain a problem. At present, many of the high-tech surveillance devices deployed by the BSF are not optimally utilised because the required technical expertise is not uniformly available among the force’s personnel.
• Fourthly, the high tech devices are bundled with exorbitant prices, unavailability of spare parts too. Lastly, the centralised decision making process may hamper timely and effective response on the ground given that detection and interception of infiltrators at the border require a quick response which is achieved only through a decentralised decision making process. Many quarters have also raised their eyebrows whether the sophisticated systems can work in the adverse climate and terrain conditions.

Way Forward

Technical solutions to border management are ineluctable. They are quintessential now to enhance surveillance and detection capabilities and to improve the impact of the border guarding personnel against infiltration and trans border crimes. However, caution must be exercised while advocating the use of high-tech and high-cost electronic devices for border security. The experiences of countries such as the United States that have employed high-tech devices demonstrate that not only are the costs of such devices prohibitive but that they also fail to provide a comprehensive solution to border security problems. Instead of high-cost and innovative technological solutions that require extensive technical expertise, a judicious mix of properly trained manpower and affordable and tested technology is likely to yield better results.