The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : The soft target for terrorists

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Thursday, Jul 31, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

The soft target for terrorists

Staff Reporter

Theatres have to deploy trained security personnel to prevent attacks

There is nobody to check whether one is carrying any dangerous weapon both at the parking spot and at the entry point. Moreover, there are no trained security personnel to frisk the cine-goers.

KOCHI: How safe is your life inside a cinema hall in the city?

Terrorists, according to intelligence agencies, usually strike at soft targets; and, cinema halls are among the soft targets.

But, how equipped are Kochi theatres to stand up to an emergency situation? A closer look reveals glaring loopholes in the security system in cinema halls.

Imagine walking in to the Kavitha or Shenoy’s theatre carrying a bagful of fake weapons on the opening day of a superstar film. You park your vehicle on the theatre compound, buy your ticket, and walk straight into the hall.

There is nobody to check whether one is carrying any dangerous weapon both at the parking spot and at the entry point.

Moreover, there are no trained security personnel to frisk the cine-goers.

The audience is allowed to take inside whatever they want. Despite written warnings that eatables and other baggage are not allowed inside the hall, people take such stuff without any hesitation inside the hall and nobody is there to stop them.

The lack of security is not confined to major cinema halls. It is worse in cinemas located in second towns.

A visit to theatres in Aluva or Thripunithura revealed that entry and exit are through the same door making security checks an impossible affair.

Theatre managers on conditions of anonymity said a person can go out for some time and then re-enter the hall by producing his ticket. He is never checked at the time of the second entry.

Theatre employees also lack knowledge of any explosive material.

“I can recognise a device fitted with a battery and wires, as something dangerous. But beyond that, I do not know anything about explosives. I am thinking about it for the first time. I have always thought that my work is just to collect the tickets,” was how an employee of a city theatre responded to the possibility of terrorists planting explosives inside a cinema hall.

Cine-goers confused

Film buffs in the city are also confused when asked to react to reports that cinema halls are a soft target for terrorists.

“I realised that only when I came across reports of bomb blasts in places in North India. After living in Kerala for the last three decades, I had never felt that going to a theatre was a risky affair. Despite the threats, I would always love to watch a movie in a theatre and not on my television,” Vidya Menon, an MBA graduate, said.

But Vidya does not have many supporters. People like Sreekumar K. S, a bank employee, wanted the cinema hall owners and the police to step up vigil in theatres across the city.

“I have only seen police personnel during the first week of release of a super star movie.

And that too to control the teeming crowd. I have also never seen any trained security guard in a cinema hall. With cinema halls becoming a soft target for terrorists, it is high time the authorities took some serious steps to strengthen security.

They can do it by regular frisking of people and putting a ban on food or any other items inside the cinema hall,” he said.

The Exhibitors’ Federation is ready to beef up security in cinema halls but has sought the cooperation of the police in working out a plan to tackle an emergency.

Exhibitors also highlighted the lack of funds for employing additional staff for security purposes.

A few exhibitors also referred to the practical difficulties in frisking each person before allowing entry into a cinema especially during the screening of hit movies.

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