‘SWAT was good but could be better’

He said Rs 50 crore has been allocated for the Special Security Group and foreign tie-ups finalised to impart specialised training to the teams.

In addition, a Rapid Rural Response Force to deal with Dina Nagar-like terror attacks within 10 minutes of its occurrence in any village of Punjab would be launched next month, he declared.

The state has ordered 220 vehicles for the rural force and a training institute would be set up near Derabassi to impart specialised training to the police.

In all, 80 state police officers received training in 2011 from a private Israeli security team called the Security and Protection Training School. The government spent Rs 1.15 crore on the training. Part of the Special Secuity Group that also forms the chief minister’s security, the SWAT team has been tasked to deal with anti-terrorist operations.

The 28 commandos who took part in the operation have been praised for eliminating the three militants, earning full marks from seniors and colleagues for courage, but have been found wanting in preparedness and seriousness with which they reacted to the task.

Senior police officers have been critical about the team arriving at the spot without protective head gears, flak jackets and some without weapons.

The team, which was in Amritsar when they received the call for the Dina Nagar operation, rushed to the spot but it was only when they got there that that the snipers and corner shots in the team realised that they needed their glocks. The police had to transport the guns to Dina Nagar later during the 12-hour stand off.

A SWAT commando said, “We have reacted to 7-8 drills in the past four years. We thought this time too, it would be a mock call. Once we realised the magnitude, we were in total control.”

A police officer said the commandos need to inculcate a more professional attitude. “They came to the scene like an untrained army, took positions and raised slogans later. You expect such elite commandos to be goal driven, who would swoop down swiftly and silently, attain the goal and leave the place. After all, we are a disciplined force and they are a specialised team. We are hoping they would act more maturely in future,” he said. He added that the team perhaps needed more psychological training.

Another senior officer said it worked in the team’s favour that the terrorists failed to take hostages. “This made the operation that much easier. Had there been a hostage situation, the focus of the operation would have been different,” he said.

There is also disappointment at the failure of the SWAT team to take at least one of the militants alive. “It could have really helped investigations,” the officer said.

Former DGP, KPS Gill however had only praise. “We are very critical when it comes to reviewing the performance of security agencies. Afterall, they ran to the spot and did not run away from it. We should have been critical had they done the latter. They fought with valour and enthusiasm. That is what matters. Rest is secondary,” said Gill.

ADGP Intelligence, Hardeep Dhillon also agreed. “This was their first operation. And they have done well.”