Bullet proof jackets and helmets built to the highest specifications of personal protection are not just built in India but exported to more than 230 forces in over 100 countries.
Mumbai:
Mumbai in 2008 and now Gurdaspur in 2015 - two brazen terror attacks on India, seven years apart, have raised similar questions.
In both the instances, law enforcers have been left exposed to enemy bullets due to lack of elementary equipment like bulletproof vests and helmets.
After the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai when the police fought AK47-wielding terrorists with lathis and outdated rifles, the state of affairs in Maharashtra has vastly improved but it is still not adequate, say experts.
An NSG hub and a specialized anti-terror squad are functional but the first line of defence, the police constables still remain untrained and vulnerable, they say.
For two lakh policemen in the state, 2,000 bulletproof jackets were procured and the Mumbai Police got 550 of them. This even as India continues to produce and export world class body protection equipment to police forces across the world.
"It's true that our officers had to face funding issues," said Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Munghantiwar. "But now Prime Minister Narendra Modi is introducing a very simple process to get all facilities for the officers," he added.
Mumbai Police claim they are now prepared to tackle emergency situations. "Procurements have been made for forces like Force One and we are prepared," Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni told NDTV.
PS Pasricha, former Maharashtra Police Commissioner, told NDTV, "It's a tragedy that for so many years, the police department has been struggling to get this equipment. For Mumbai not less than 1,000 or 1,500 bulletproof jackets are needed. You also have to see for others like Pune, Nagpur."
With the scope of policing vastly increased, preparedness for anti-terror operations is a must, security experts say. The police are the first responders especially in cities like Mumbai and the lack of basic equipment like bullet proof vests are a criminal neglect, leaving law enforcers vulnerable to terrorists' bullets, they say.
In both the instances, law enforcers have been left exposed to enemy bullets due to lack of elementary equipment like bulletproof vests and helmets.
After the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai when the police fought AK47-wielding terrorists with lathis and outdated rifles, the state of affairs in Maharashtra has vastly improved but it is still not adequate, say experts.
An NSG hub and a specialized anti-terror squad are functional but the first line of defence, the police constables still remain untrained and vulnerable, they say.
For two lakh policemen in the state, 2,000 bulletproof jackets were procured and the Mumbai Police got 550 of them. This even as India continues to produce and export world class body protection equipment to police forces across the world.
"It's true that our officers had to face funding issues," said Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Munghantiwar. "But now Prime Minister Narendra Modi is introducing a very simple process to get all facilities for the officers," he added.
Mumbai Police claim they are now prepared to tackle emergency situations. "Procurements have been made for forces like Force One and we are prepared," Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni told NDTV.
PS Pasricha, former Maharashtra Police Commissioner, told NDTV, "It's a tragedy that for so many years, the police department has been struggling to get this equipment. For Mumbai not less than 1,000 or 1,500 bulletproof jackets are needed. You also have to see for others like Pune, Nagpur."
With the scope of policing vastly increased, preparedness for anti-terror operations is a must, security experts say. The police are the first responders especially in cities like Mumbai and the lack of basic equipment like bullet proof vests are a criminal neglect, leaving law enforcers vulnerable to terrorists' bullets, they say.
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