The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Lack of infrastructure, staff hampers coastal police work

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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Lack of infrastructure, staff hampers coastal police work

M.T. Shiva Kumar

CSP personnel are not in a position to chase or intercept vessels

Hands tied: Two of the five coastal police stations in the State do not have boats to monitor any clandestine movements of vessels at sea.

Bangalore: Ajmal Amir Kasab and his accomplices had used the sea route to reach the country’s financial capital a year ago to unleash mayhem on an unsuspecting city. In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks, the State Government took a serious note of security concerns in the coastal regions and set up Coastal Police Stations (CSP) along the coastline of Karnataka.

But the much-hyped CSPs, which were set up in Mangalore, Malpe, Bhatkal, Kumta and Karwar, are facing acute shortage of staff and infrastructure. Even the CSP staff are not in a position to chase or intercept vessels.

Of the sanctioned strength of 257, there are 158 vacancies. Even among the 99 assigned to these stations, at least 40 are “ministerial staff.” Several constables, who were transferred to these stations for political and various reasons, do not even know swimming, said an officer of a CSP.

Apart from staff crunch, the stations are lacking boats, life jackets, night vision binoculars, sophisticated weapons, diving gears, bullet-proof helmets and vehicles. A few stations do not have wireless systems.

“CSP is supposed to protect the State from extremist attacks through the sea. But they are under-staffed and two stations do not have boats to keep an eye on the clandestine movements of boats. The stations need at least 20 boats and five vessels. Except buildings at five places nothing has been provided to CSP,” the officer said.

The State Government set up this elite force in January 1999. The force was neglected till 26/11 attacks on Mumbai in 2008. Five stations were established after the 26/11 attacks. After the Mumbai attacks, the Mumbai police have strengthened the security at their sea routes. We are far behind them and terror elements can easily enter through the 354-km coastline of Karnataka, the officer said.

“At present we have three boats. But we do not have any ship captains or any other technical staff. The process of selecting ship captains, engines drivers, motor launch mechanics and other technical staff is under way,” Sadananda Nayak, Deputy Superintendent of Police (CSP), told The Hindu on Thursday.

The CSP has a tiring responsibility as nearly thousands of vessels pass through the Arabian Sea abutting the Karnataka coastline a year. The staffs of the CSP are patrolling along with the Customs, Coast Guard staff and local fishermen. In the last two years, the CSP has detected 64 cases under several sections of different laws and recovered contraband drugs, explosives and other materials.

We have consistent surveillance on the maritime border and searched nearly 1,000 boats, Mr. Nayak said.

Since it has no engine drivers, the CSP is hiring retired Navy personnel during patrolling.

The force is headed by an officer of Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhagwan Das, who is headquartered in Udupi and reports to the IGP (Western Range), Mangalore.

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