Mumbai: Force 1 still lacks permanent base

MUMBAI: The government has made strides in building anti-terror commando teams, with Force One becoming functional and every region having a well-trained Quick Response Team (QRT). The one blemish is that Force One does not have a permanent home.
The QRTs, the first responders to a terror attack, work under the joint commissioner of police (law and order) and additional commissioners of their respective regions.Each QRT squad has 30 policemen who are also deployed during large bandobasts. The routines of Force One commandos , who number around 250, are divided in a such a way that at any point of time one team can be made available within a couple of minutes. The commandos are equipped and trained to deal exclusively with terror operations in urban setups.
But the problem is that they operate from a temporary office in Kalina. The construction of their permanent office and advanced training facilities at Goregaon is still to start and files are moving slowly. An officer said Force One and the QRTs conduct regular drills, but are yet to face a real situation.
For regular police, there is a combat vehicle for every two to three police stations. Trained police personnel are deployed along with bullet-proof jackets, sophisticated weapons and enough arms and ammunition. They can be the first responders to non-terror crises.