Safeguarding Delhi For Commonwealth Games:Police Procuring Gadgets & Technologies That Meet World Standards

With the Capital entering the final lap of preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Delhi police are also gearing up for the grand event. Aiming to make it a truly memorable occasion for the participants and visitors, the force is busy charting out an impregnable security arrangement keeping in mind all the threat perceptions.

Under the modernisation schemes, the police have been procuring state-of-the-art gadgets and technologies that meet world standards. On the weaponry front, the force has placed demands for 400 Austrian Glock-17 semi-automatic pistols and about 200 MP 5 sub-machineguns. While the Glock pistols would be allocated for general law and order maintenance, the light-weight and sophisticated MP 5 would mainly form part of the armoury of the security cordon for the visiting dignitaries, sportsmen and VIPs from various countries.

An advance trunk communication system is also on the purchase list. The high-end technology will facilitate both dedicated and inter-linked networks for secure communication at stadiums and residential complexes of the participants. It will also be used for coordination during the movement of the sportsmen, dignitaries and VIPs.

"We are also planning to get a frequency jammer and more bullet-proof vehicles," said a police officer.

Exclusively for the Games, the Delhi police have floated global tenders for procurement of 55 X-ray scanners, four sets of equipment for anti-sabotage checking teams, about 200 multi-zonal door-frame metal detectors and 550 hand-held metal detectors.

Strengthening the general surveillance system, the force has been installing sophisticated closed-circuit television camera networks. The Rs.200 crore-project is envisaged to cover 58 market places and 27 border checkpoints. Helicopters will be used extensively for conducting aerial reconnaissance.
Surveillance gadgets

Procurement of access-control and surveillance gadgets for venues will be done by the respective managers, but the police would be consulted on their specifications and placements.

As part of the counter-terror and anti-sabotage measures, the police are upgrading their bomb-detection and disposal squads through procurement of bomb blankets. The police plan to induct 48 more trained sniffer dogs for anti-sabotage checks. Two more BDS teams, apart from the existing ones, are being raised.

The central police control room, the backbone of the force, has already been upgraded through installation of an automatic call distribution system and introduction of map projection and an LCD display panel comprising Global Positioning System locations and a GPS-based vehicle tracking system for real-time monitoring of PCR vans. The force will have a fleet of about 1,000 PCR vans by 2010.

For More Information visit The Hindu Safeguarding Delhi for the Games