The latest technological advancements and the need to stay updated in terms of security were discussed at a meeting between the Mumbai Police and representatives of top hotels and malls in the city on Friday evening.
Senior police officials who were part of the meeting told The Hindu that the discussion was held in light of the recent terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was called by Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Barve, with all senior officers and around 210 representatives from various five-star hotels and major malls in Mumbai in attendance.
“Most if not all of the recent attacks have been aimed at places that witness high footfall and Mumbai, being the financial capital of the country, has always been a target of choice for terrorist elements. The fact that two of the biggest hotels in the city have already been targeted cannot be forgotten. While a lot of measures were taken by the government as well as civilian players immediately after the attacks, the bigger challenge is to keep the measures up to date and not let our guard down. Friday’s meeting was held in order to take stock of existing security measures as well as suggest additional ones wherever required,” a senior officer said.
Various security measures like door frame and handheld metal detectors, baggage scanners and high-tech CCTV cameras were discussed at the meeting. The representatives were also brought up to date with the latest gadgets available in the market.
“One such feature available now is an underground camera, which can be installed as part of a road so that it can scan the undercarriage of all vehicles passing over it. These cameras are typically installed at the gates of establishments and the feed is relayed in real time to a monitor. Currently, the practice is to run a mirror under a vehicle before it enters. However, this practice is only as good as the person doing it. Running a mirror is only useful if you know what you’re looking for,” another officer said.
The police also suggested to the representatives that they could use the services of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC), which provides security guards to establishments in the State for a price, like the Central Industrial Security Force does on a nationwide level.
“Under certain circumstances, MSSC personnel have the powers to make arrests as well as use their weapons while discharging their duties. They are also better trained as opposed to private security personnel and receive training from serving officers with the Maharashtra Police. We suggested that those establishments that can afford the MSSC’s services do so,” the officer said.
