The Delhi Police are in the process of extending an unparalleled security blanket to average Delhiites, which only VIPs within its ranks and beyond were entitled to so far, with over 250 veteran Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) commandos to supplement the local police muscle across the Capital by the end of December.
Sophisticated weaponryArmed with sophisticated weaponry and shoot-to-kill orders in the event of a contingency, crack teams composed of 25 veteran commandos each will be deployed in every single one of the 10 police districts in the Capital, with their main assignment consisting of thwarting possible pan-Delhi terror strikes such as the 26/11 terror strike in Mumbai.
In addition, however, these teams will also be required to offer armed resistance, and neutralisation if needed, to local criminal gangs with inter-State connections as and when the latter are caught red-handed or at a moment’s notice upon receiving information from the local police.
Training“We are in the process of culling out around 250 personnel from different departments for the project and are in talks with the National Security Guard [NSG] to provide them refresher training at their facility in Haryana’s Manesar prior to fresh deployment,” said a senior police office.
A specialised police unit, the SWAT became a part of the Delhi Police as recently as the year 2010 and saw initial deployment during the Commonwealth Games (CWG) of that year.
The Delhi Police will ensure that recruits with exceptional shooting skills, physical attributes and tactical capability are allowed commando training and kept in service in that capacity by the law enforcement agency till the age of 30 given the specialised nature of their assignment. Only about 100 personnel are inducted into the unit per year.
Upon their discharge from SWAT, these personnel are absorbed into tertiary police departments including the local police, where both their training and skill are allowed to rust due to their chronological incompatibility with the job.
Post the Games however, the Delhi Police commandos could only find their utility as security attaches to bureaucrats or as overqualified guards posted at the gates of police establishments.
“But this initiative will change all that,” said another officer. “Their induction into the SWAT given innate skills, subsequent training and years of service can make up for the fact that they are slightly older. Their deployment round the year can curb crime and make Delhi’s streets and markets perceptibly safer,” the officer added.
