New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) The word "security" might have entered the English lexicon in the early modern period, but the practice of choosing and forging the most proficient, elite forces for the protection of the ruling classes can be traced back to the Pharaohs in Egypt, as well as Roman and Chinese emperors, if not further.

In his first book 'Policing the Republic', retired IPS officer and former Intelligence Bureau special director Yashovardhan Azad writes about the evolution of personal security over centuries in response to changing threats, technology and political circumstances -- from the Praetorian Guard protecting Roman emperors, China's Jinwei, the Ottoman Janissaries and the Mughal emperors' Ahadis to the US’ Secret Service and Indian SPG.

Azad writes that the word "security" entered the English language in the sixteenth century and is derived from the Latin word "securus", meaning "freedom from anxiety".

The Pharaohs of ancient Egypt deputed security guards from the military elite for their protection, while Roman emperors were guarded by the Praetorian Guard and Byzantine emperors by elite units such as the Varangian Guard.

The imperial guards of China were known as Jinwei, while Mughal emperors' bodyguards, called Ahadis, were chosen from elite cavalry units in India.

The caliphs and sultans of the Ottoman Empire were protected by mamluks or Janissaries. In England, the Coldstream Guards became responsible for protecting the monarch and royal residences, while the Papal Swiss Guard, established in 1506, continues to provide the security cordon around the Pope.

Azad also traces the evolution of presidential protection in the US, noting that there was no single agency responsible for protecting the president when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 and even later, in 1901, when President William McKinley was assassinated. The Secret Service took up the protection of President Theodore Roosevelt the following year, while congressional legislation in 1917 laid down its role and functions for protecting the president, vice president, former presidents and presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

The author says industrialisation and urbanisation in the 19th century brought leaders into greater public proximity and glare, leading to additions to security arrangements. The 20th century brought radios, vehicles and firearms, while geopolitics resulted in customised security protocols.

The Second World War saw several plots and assassination attempts against leaders on both sides, prompting innovative changes in security arrangements. During the Cold War, threats also emerged from espionage, religious extremists, terrorist groups, separatists and various forms of fanaticism.

With the emergence of nation-states, structured security systems were devised for guarding borders as well as government heads and high-ranking dignitaries. These integrated systems combined intelligence with physical and technological measures to strengthen both proximate and peripheral security.

Azad traces the creation of the Special Protection Group (SPG) to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at the hands of her bodyguards in 1984. The SPG was formed in 1985 after Justice M P Thakkar, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, was appointed as a one-man commission to investigate the lapses and make recommendations.

A key recommendation was to constitute a single agency to look after the Prime Minister's security. The SPG Act of 1988 later laid down the parameters of SPG functioning and was responsible for streamlining security arrangements for the Prime Minister in a "rational and scientific" manner.

Azad says that despite the evolution of security systems, advanced technology, specialised training, rigid protocols and intelligence, vulnerabilities remain. "And yet, despite the latest tech gizmos, specialised training, rigid security protocols and advanced intelligence, glaring security lapses in personal protection continue to take place, causing the loss of precious human lives," he writes.

He says security was viewed by former president A P J Abdul Kalam as a necessity and "never a status symbol". But for many Indian politicians, he writes, security cover has become "a badge of VIP culture", a matter of vanity and an expression of their importance and standing.

'Policing The Republic', published by Bloomsbury, is scheduled to be launched on Friday. PTI MHS PRK PRK