The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : New internal security scheme for city: Bidari

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Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

New internal security scheme for city: Bidari

Staff Reporter

Police trying to cut response time to emergencies

Present scheme framed to deal with farmers, employees strike
Booklets on ways to react during emergencies to be distributed

BANGALORE: The city will have a new internal security scheme by October 31 that will involve various security agencies, including the police, to tackle acts of terrorism, Police Commissioner Shankar M. Bidari said here on Tuesday.

Mr. Bidari said that the existing scheme was outdated as it was framed to tackle situations such as farmers’ agitations and employees strike. “This needs to be modified. We are holding discussions with various agencies, including the Army, Fire and Emergency Services and Central intelligence agencies. We are going to revise the security system for the city,” he said.

Mr. Bidari was speaking at an awareness programme on “Role of people in preparation and management of disaster in the incidents of bomb blasts and such other incidents,” organised by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority and High Court Legal Services Committee.

On the city police’s Anti-Terrorist Squad, Mr. Bidari said the squad was sufficient to carry out the task of collecting intelligence information, liaison with security agencies of other States and the Centre and developing a data bank of terrorists. “There is a separate company of specially trained Karnataka State Reserve Police personnel to fight terrorists,” he said.

Response time

Answering queries, Mr. Bidari said the police was trying to reduce the response time to emergencies to five minutes. “We are working on reducing the time taken to reach Devanahalli and places in South-East Division.” The police would also increase the number of persons to receive calls made by dialling 100. “We will see that no calls go unanswered.” The city police will shortly distribute booklets to bring awareness among people of the ways to react during emergencies.

Earlier, concerns were raised about the preparedness to tackle situation arising out of bomb blasts and other terror acts.

“We have not been trained in the way we should go out of this building (High Court building). Many of the gates here are closed and not opened for a long time. We do not know where to exit,” said Deepak Verma, Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

He expressed the need to have police-public participation in tackling terrorism.

High Court Judge Anand Byrareddy took a dig at the local Disaster Management Authority.

“The disaster management authority maintains a low key. There are no broadcasts and publicity about the ways in which people should react in such situations. All of us need to know about it,” he said.

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