Delhi police hold mock drill to check anti-terror preparedness

New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): The Delhi Police on Saturday held a mega mock drill to check anti-terror preparedness in the national capital.

As per a release by the Delhi Police, "As the capital city is opening up in the un-lockdown process with business, professional and recreational establishments gradually coming back to normal work, a need was felt to test Anti-Terror preparedness of the city, which has been a prime target for terrorist and anti-national elements. A coordinated multi-location mock-drill exercise was held at three strategic locations today at 4 pm by Delhi Police in which specialised agencies like NSG took part."

Mock-drills are the standard mechanism whereby the efficiency and efficacy of institutional arrangements and inter-agency coordination are put to the litmus test in various scenarios.

While mock drills are regularly organized to sharpen police response for preventing, handling and containing terrorist attacks, in the present security scenario, a multi-location, a multi-agency mock drill was conceived by the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, SN Shrivastava and after various rounds of inter-agency communications and table-tops, the same was executed in a clinical fashion today at three locations, coordinated by Special Cell, the nodal anti-terror agency of Delhi Police.

In the first scenario, the mock drill began with a decoy vehicle reaching the exit gate of Old Police Headquarters at I.P. Estate, New Delhi. After a brief skirmish with security, a group of decoy terrorists entered the building and held some persons at gun-point as hostage while another group fled from the scene in a getaway car.

In the second scenario near Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, a second terror strike scenario was initiated, where an IED was lobbed by decoy terrorists near its main entrance and thereafter, the decoy terrorists fled the scene while opening indiscriminate fire.

The third scenario was simulated at Metro Station, Sector-21, Dwarka, New Delhi where an explosion was reported near the main gate and decoy terrorists were reported to have forcibly hijacked a metro train found stationary at the platform.

At all three locations, all stakeholders viz. local police, traffic police, PCR, SWAT and civic agencies like Fire Service and Health Department were rushed by the Central Police Control Room. Incident Command Posts were established and a defensive evacuation drill was executed.

The special forces of SWAT, Special Cell, and CISF (for the Metro Station) formed the inner cordon and anti-terror operations, as prescribed in the drills, were carried out. Hostage rescue, secondary device check, screening and securing of suspects etc. complex operations were simulated with coordination and cooperation of all responding actors.

As special observers, teams of the National Security Guard (NSG) attended all three scenarios and made critical evaluations of the efforts, response and proficiencies of the responding agencies which is required for constant up-gradation of professional skills of a premier police force.

No untoward incident or avoidable panic was noticed till the conclusion of the massive mock drill. Response of officers/personnel of all concerned districts/units and civic agencies were found appropriate.

Delhi Police extends its gratitude to all participating agencies like NSG, CISF, medical services and Delhi Fire Services etc. for their support and coordination. (ANI)