Neither cloak nor dagger

Have Indian security intelligence services kept up with the spirit of the times or not, going by the changes that their British counterpart...

Have Indian security intelligence services kept up with the spirit of the times or not, going by the changes that their British counterparts have effected recently to recruit spies through an open advertisement?

The British security service MI 5, which manages internal security intelligence, has recently advertised in The Times for job applicants to work for them as professionals.

The Indian Intelligence Bureau IB, originally modelled on the lines of the British MI 5, advertises in newspapers only for the Assistant Central Intelligence Officers Police Sub Inspector equivalent positions. Only a partial intake at this level is inducted through direct recruitment and the remainder are deputationist police/para-military officers. The IB at the senior levels still continues to be staffed predominantly with police officers on deputation from state services.

To develop a good national intelligence service the IB needs to recruit fresh candidates who could then be developed into skilled professionals. Indian administrative evolution has however not allowed the development of an intelligence organisation without police officers.In colonial times, our police services managed intelligence as a subfunction. The practice continues with no rationale.

An intelligence service comprises two primary streams operations and analysis the former is the front end and the latter the rear end of the organisational structure. Broadly, the operations department which focuses on information gathering activity should resemble a newspaper office. Likewise the analysis department would replicate a university social sciences research centre.

The other adjunct intelligence setups would include a foreign languages cell, technical services, counter intelligence wing, personnel branch, administrative setup and finance section.

The Indian external service, Research amp; Analysis Wing Ramp;AW, has now frozen direct recruitment for officers resulting in a shortage. Earlier Ramp;AW selected officers from those candidates who cleared the civil services exam but did not succeed beyond the interview stage of the selection process. The organisation attempted such a recruitment mode for some time which was outside the UPSC purview but with the Department of Personnel8217;s concurrence. However, this innovative selection process was terminated.

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Traditionally the Ramp;AW has been staffed by a preponderance of police officers, besides academicians and few officers from other all India/ central service officers like the customs, posts, income tax. It also has some military officers. Importantly, some direct officer level vacancies were filled by sponsored8217; candidates resulting in nepotism.

Why should the Ramp;AW chief necessarily be a policeman? No Western democracy generally has a policeman heading an external intelligence. Normally an intelligence chief is either a homegrown candidate who knows the trade or from the military or diplomatic services; alternately the incumbent could be anybody appropriate.

Our intelligence services require organisational restructuring to enhance productivity. For too long has security intelligence management in the country been allowed to function under the veil of secrecy. Like all government departments the intelligence too has deteriorated but remained under wraps.

Why don8217;t the IB and Ramp;AW have an official spokesperson to interact with the media? The role of an information officer would be to highlight organisational achievements and, whenever occasion permits, to brief the media with a backgrounder to report developments in the proper perspective.After 50 years of independence the intelligence services deserve a new mindset and spirit to keep up with the times. Given the sensitive and special nature of the security intelligence, the general government culture symbolising inefficiency and laxity cannot prevail in this area.