Police forces fight shy of modern gadgets

HYDERABAD: Police forces have the mostmodern security gadgets, but seem to be fighting shy of the equipment. Moreover,there is no training module for police personnel handling the security detail ofVVIPs.These shocking security lacunae and how ignorant policemen andofficials are about the equipment came to light during the ongoing hearings bythe Prakash Singh Commission of Inquiry into the Alipiri blast on October 1,which was was targeted at chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.Thoughmuch of the equipment is used for VVIP protection and security, the spin offfrom their proper utilisation lies in the safety of people who are eithermeeting the VVIP or in the vicinity of a VVIP.That policemen in thestate, barring a handful, do not even know how to use a vehicle inspectionmirror came to light when the incharge police officer at the Alipiri toll gatedeposed before the commission.He said neither his team nor he wasaware of the reason why they were asked to shove a mirror under a vehicle. Theydid so because they have been told to do so, he added.The officeralso disclosed that an explosive vapour detector (EVD), worth a few lakhs ofrupees, was lying unused for the last two years as they did not know how tohandle the EVD.“This is not a stray case. Most of theofficials posted on VVIP security duties do not know how to handle securityequipment. They just imitate what they saw their predecessors doing,� asecurity expert told The Times of India. A security equipment unitconsists of a door frame metal detector (DFMD), static and collapsible,hand-held metal detectors (HHMD), extension mirror, vehicle inspection mirror,Metex (mine detector), pocket scanner, explosive detector, dragon lights(high-powered hand-held search lights) and remote cutters, the expertexplained.Each district has been provided with at least three suchunits. However, the officials handling these equipment have not been trained atall, the expert said. And if the VVIP is secure, only then all those around himtoo can be safe, he added.Handling security needs specialisedtraining. Sadly, the state police have not been provided with the requiredtraining facilities. The district police heads do not even bother to holdmeetings with police personnel posted on security detail as is done in case ofcrime meetings, the expert added. Even the intelligence security wing is notproviding specialised training except in using guns. Only a couple of unitpolice heads are conducing review meetings and providing training for thesecurity personnel, he added.