New Delhi, July 12: The Delhi Police is raising a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team to effectively tackle
26/11-like terrorist attacks and hostage crisis.
Thirty five young men recruited for the team are undergoing rigorous training at its training college here and the SWAT unit is expected to be inducted into regular duties within two-three months, a Delhi Police official said.
The personnel will be trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside the ambit of the abilities of regular officers, especially while dealing with terrorists and hardcore criminals.
"Delhi being the national capital and due to presence of VVIPs and many key installations, it is always on terrorists` radar. Especially after the 26/11 Mumbai attack, a need was felt to raise such a force which will be equipped to carry out
specialised operations," the official said.
These personnel, who will function under the elite Special Cell, will be equipped with state-of-the-art weapons like assault rifles, sub-machine guns, shotguns, riot control agents and high-powered rifles.
"They will also have specialised equipment including heavy body armor, entry tools, advanced night vision cameras and motion detectors for covertly determining the positions of hostages or hostage takers inside an enclosed structure," the
official said.
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit of police department in the US and some other countries.
"These personnel will mainly be performing the high-risk job of resolving terror related situations with a minimum loss of life, injury or property damage. They can also be made part of the team against eradicating or checking organised crimes," he said.
SWAT team will be carrying pepper spray canisters, shotguns loaded with pepper ball guns, sources said.
Delhi Police is also looking for special surveillance vans and armored rescue vehicle to carry out terror-related operations, the official said.
Bureau Report
