Tamil Nadu   

Vehicle-check, a daunting task now Law & order

When it comes to VVIP security, frisking of vehicles will no more be a routine affair. The recent remote-triggered explosion in Sivaganga that killed the local Municipal Chairman, P. Murugan, has thrown up new challenges for the law enforcing agencies. The explosion, the first of its kind in Tamil Nadu, has raised many eyebrows among the police circle as to whether the existing vehicle screening mechanism is foolproof.

The vehicles of VVIPs covered by ‘Z’ scale of security and above are frisked by sleuths of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), which is part of a standard security scheme. Besides physical check, the police use ‘Explosive Vapour Detector’ device to sense presence of explosive substances concealed in vehicles. There is an inadequacy of sniffer dogs trained in explosive detection, police sources say.

However, there are a few limitations in using ‘Explosive Vapour Detector’ or sniffer dog. According to the sources, these security checks might “fail” if explosives were to be concealed in three or four layers of a polythene cover. In the case of those covered by the Special Protection Group (SPG), frisking of vehicles in the “well-defined” convoy is of a different mechanism.

“Though the bomb used in the Sivaganga attack did not involve new technology, the manner in which the explosives were assembled and triggered raises many apprehensions. The suspects used ingredients in detonators or gelatine sticks and used a remote, most probably the kind used for operating television sets, to activate it. This incident has given a new dimension to VIP security,” a senior police official said.

Extra care such as frisking of vehicles in sterile zones, enhanced physical checks and jammers to prevent interference of any wave are some of the options the police are considering as “mandatory” for VVIP security, the official added.

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