Terror attack from Pak still a threat, but Mumbai Police better equipped: Top cop

MUMBAI: More than the Islamic State (IS), it is the threat of terror attacks from Pakistan that Mumbai needs to be prepared for, the city’s police commissioner Subodh Jaiswal told TOI.

Stating that Pakistan was still “desperate to attack” a decade after Ajmal Kasab and nine other Lashkar-e-Taiba-trained terrorists entered the city and killed 166 people at various spots, Jaiswal, who earlier held key positions in India’s intelligence agencies, said that in the past decade, the Mumbai police had taken significant steps in improving systems, processes, training, weaponry and above all, their response to be able to tackle any situation. Co-ordination with other security agencies and sharing of intelligence too is far better today, he said in response to a question about the official 26/11 review report which had highlighted shortcomings in the security apparatus.

It will be 10 years on Monday since Ajmal Kasab and 9 other Pakistani terrorists attacked Mumbai. After 26/11, questions were raised about Mumbai police’s capability of handling such terror strikes. The government set up a committee comprising ex-home secretary Ram Pradhan and ex-special secretary, cabinet secretariat, V Balachandran, to review matters, and it brought to light shortcomings.

While failure to follow a standard operating procedure and shortage of modern weapons and manpower were among things remarked on, equally highlighted was lack of coordination among agencies involved in intelligence-sharing and handling law and order. On the eve of the attacks’ 10th anniversary, Mumbai police commissioner Subodh Jaiswal, an IPS officer of the 1985 batch, told TOI in an exclusive interview that the force is fully prepared to take on any attack and ensure the safety and security of Mumbai’s citizens. Excerpts.

The Ram Pradhan committee had said handling 26/11 was beyond the capacity of Mumbai police. It spoke of lack of coordination and sharing of intelligence among stakeholders and of lapses in handling the situation. Where do we stand now?

We have the State Multi Agency Centres mechanism. It is for sharing and processing intelligence with all stakeholders. Inputs on threats received are shared, thus preventing attacks. Over 10 years, intelligence-sharing has resulted in prevention of all terror attacks except two – at Gurdaspur and Pathankot. Attacking the Indian hinterland with the use of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad is a given for the Pakistan establishment. At the moment, they are desperate to carry out an attack. In 10 years we have upgraded our systems and are prepared to tackle any situation. Our SOPs are much better, our Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) are better-trained, we carry out location familiarisation exercises, multiple scenarios are discussed, the chain of command is thought through and situational awareness is high. I put a lot of emphasis on the capacity to respond. Like they say, you have to be lucky a 100 times, the terrorist has to be lucky only once.

After 26/11, it was said the way 5-6 alerts were analysed failed to provide leads. Do we have the ability to process alerts and draw better conclusions?

All alerts are received by the police commissioner through SMAC and other establishments, including state intelligence department and ATS. There is a mechanism to share intelligence. A meeting is held every month. Every alert is thought through, discussed threadbare. Inter-agency and inter-service coordination is spot on. With CISF taking care of port security now, there is an additional set-up providing inputs. Several threats have been neutralised based on information gathered. Unfortunately, I can’t share details of these threats.


Is there improvement in police-people relations, a key factor contributing to better policing?

People are much more aware. The environment has changed. They sense what is happening, call up the control room or on dedicated numbers and provide information, which has helped us. Our Twitter handles work as force multipliers. We also have support from the Koli community and Sagar Suraksha Kavach initiative for vigil along the coast.

Lack of manpower has been a concern for the force. And shortage of bullet-proof jackets and ammunition for training has come in for criticism.

We have an adequate number of bullet-proof jackets, ammunition and firing ranges for practice. In fact, we are in the process of preparing a new firing range. Compared to 2008, we have adequate manpower. We have acquired 5,000 state-of-the-art weapons and 20 boats which are operational. Our response to any call to the control room is in less than 5 minutes. QRTs are alert. There is frequent checking of QRT and the control room’s response. We have QRTs in six regional control rooms. We are aware what kind of attacks are possible. It would be a fallacy to think that since 26/11, there have been no improvements in weaponry, training, response. Training is very important. We’ve institutionalised the system of carrying out a tactical exercise at the level of DCPs and officers reporting to them. Every police station also has anti-terror cells.

Is the SOP in practice now?

We have drafted a comprehensive SOP, which is implanted in letter and spirit, so there is no confusion. SOPs, once in place, should not be disturbed.

Are you satisfied with suburban rail security, one of the most vulnerable areas? What about coordination with railway cops?

We have close coordination with RPF and GRP. They have a decently-equipped control room. The problem is the way railway infrastructure is spread out, there are many leakages. It is difficult for any system even with baggage scanners and metal detectors to capture everything. But there is a lot of effort on to make it safer.

Two key agencies, Force I and NSG, are far away from South Mumbai. In an emergency, traffic jams would hinder movement. Any plans to have dedicated helicopters?

We are asking for two hovercrafts for movement of troops from north to south in the city. At the same time, we have enough latitude for movement in any situation. Our aim is to identify, localize and neutralise.

The Islamic State is sending money and receiving funds through crypto-currency. How serious is the IS threat?

We have around 30-35 cases. I am more bothered about the attack from Pakistan.

Coastal security has been an issue of concern. What is the current role of stakeholders including Coast Guard, marine police, Customs and Navy?

All coastal police stations are fully operational and prepared to take on any eventuality. We are in charge of 5km of the sea. We have 20 fully operational boats and carry out regular meetings with all stakeholders. There is no reason to worry.

The committee had stressed the need for a CCTV network for the city. What is the status?

Our cameras work effectively. We have about 5,000 in operation and are getting more. We also get feeds from a lot of cameras on private premises, on railway land. There is a central command and control room and 5 regional control centres where footage is constantly analysed. We also provide feeds to some police stations.

On public perception about the force…

There will always be a gap between our performance and the perception. It would be a fallacy to say public perception is in our favour. But we are clear about our role. Anything brought to our notice and we must take the strongest possible action.