The terror attacks are also a consequence of major conceptual and organisational shortcomings in the counter-terror approach of the Mumbai Police. The force is primarily focused on the prevention and detection of crime apart from other duties related to the management of public order. The mission statement of the police force of a city under specific threat of terrorist attacks deprioritises terrorism. It says, “Mumbai Police will remain committed to maintaining public order, preventing and detecting crime, maintaining and promoting communal harmony, ensuring a smooth flow of traffic, and taking strong action against terrorism, organised crime, anti-social/illicit activities/elements”.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai Police was formed in 2004. Surprisingly, despite its name, its role does not include countering, preventing or detecting terrorism in the city. It is primarily tasked as an information processing and networking agency on the terror front (working in tandem with other states), detecting counterfeit currency and narcotics smuggling. Its achievements till the end of 2005 have been seizure of counterfeit currency worth approximately Rs 20 lakh, narcotics Rs 18.5 crore, 3 foreign-made firearms and 58 arrests. The Aurangabad operation was a success but lack of follow-up has substantially undermined the results.

However all is still not lost and tragedies of this kind can be averted if holistic preventive counter-terror measures are undertaken. The key priority should be a threat alert system, either based on a colour code as in the US, or denoted by degree (low to critical) as in the UK. This will forewarn the general public. Had such an alert been displayed on the electronic ticker at Churchgate station last Tuesday, people would have been alert to unattended packages and fellow passengers demonstrating abnormal behaviour. This also highlights the need to use the general public as the eyes and ears of the police, thereby expanding the information network manifold. This, linked with the beat policeman who notices any unusual activity in his precinct and investigates it, would create a basic information network at the grassroots level. Hounding out the sleeper cells should be taken on by the ATS in conjunction with the local police. Other deterrents in the form of spot checks, sniffer dog patrols, tenant surveillance, a crackdown on crime and allied activities is called for in order to make Mumbai unsafe for the criminal-terrorist and safe for the common citizen.

... contd.