TO curb the rising profile of insecurity in Nigeria, technology experts, including an ex-British Police Officer, have called for increased investments in technology solutions and deployments.
   
The experts who converged in Lagos and Abuja, last week, at an Integrated Technology for National Security Conference, organised by Afrisec Distribution and Consulting Ltd, in collaboration with Bosch Security Systems, reiterated that to win the war against insecurity in the country, especially terrorism, kidnapping, vandalism, among others, investment in technology is critical in reducing the crimes.
   
The Regional Director, Eastern Europe and Africa, Bosch, Andries Nouwens, said technology applications remains the best approach to various security lapses in Nigeria at the moment.
   
Nouwens said Botch’s decision to partner Afrisec, would see the bringing in of latest technology solutions in city surveillance to Nigeria.
   
According to him, terrorism has become a big threat in many countries, noting that security solutions have in-built mechanisms that can help detect some suspicious behaviour, even at a very long distance.
   
Nouwens said Bosch is trying to replicate it’s achievement in about 150 countries across the globe and it’s already protecting 21 airports, 75 railway projects and more 100 hotels worldwide with products tailored to meet local requirements of each market.
 
He said: “For example, if somebody is leaving a bag with maybe a bomb in it, we have cameras that can see the person that is leaving the luggage behind. The camera automatically gives an alarm to tell the control room to check out the bag before something happens. We have cameras with Intelligence Video Analytic (IVA), which analyse pictures, and gives alarm. Whenever you install surveillance cameras in cities, the crime rate goes down drastically, you scare away criminals.”
   
In his contribution, Vice Onyekwelu, an ex-British Police officer, noted that national security is equal to national prosperity, adding that 21st century security has gone beyond only physical manning of checkpoints by security personnel to the use of hitech equipment.
   
He said: “Security has a role to play in the issue of insurgency, apart from insurgency, there are other criminality that needs to be captured Nigeria, which include kidnapping and the lingering killings in Plateau state.  Technology is very useful to war, the military checkpoints in Nigeria have no systems, and we need to use more of technology to address the problem of insecurity in the country. We have to invest on quality and not cheap products that would add value to the Nigerians”.