Despite spending over Rs 126 crore on procuring sophisticated weapons and equipment as part of its capacity-building drive after 26/11,the Mumbai Police has woken up to the realisation that the most basic requirements,such as uniforms for its Quick Response Team (QRT) commandos,have not been met.
An internal check has revealed that when the uniforms for the QRT were initially distributed,each commando was given only a single set. As a result,almost two years later,the commandos are sporting uniforms of various shades and styles.
The QRT was raised in the wake of 26/11 to act as first responders to terror attacks and other major security threats. The QRT is deployed at five regional control rooms in the city South,Central,West,East and North as well as the main control room. Young policemen recruited for the job are required to undergo intense commando training. While the sanctioned strength of the QRT in the city is 1,500,there are currently only about 1,000 commandos.
When the QRT was formed,only one set of uniforms was given to each commando. How were they expected to wear one uniform day after day? This is a ridiculous situation. They had sophisticated weapons,but did not have a proper and clean uniform. As a result,the commandos have gone to tailors and got themselves new uniforms,which are all different some are with dungarees,some with different shades of blue or black,some with the letters QRT or commando and others without them, said a top Mumbai Police officer,who did not wish to be named.
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On Tuesday,the Mumbai Police finally rectified the situation by deciding upon a standard uniform for the QRT commandos and placed orders for multiple sets that will be handed over to the commandos.
On Monday,some commandos from the National Security Guard,Central Industrial Security Force and Rapid Action Force were called to the Mumbai Police headquarters to give ideas for a standard QRT uniform. A smart uniform made of light material has been finalised and each commando will soon be given multiple pairs, said the officer.
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