City of Palaces to get Special Commando Force in Jan

The Mysuru city police commissioner plans to constitute a Special Commando Force (SCF) to ensure additional safety and security for residents in the city. The force is being planned on the lines of the Garuda Commando Force which is in force in Bengaluru.

The new security force would be formally launched on January 26 on the occasion of Republic Day.

The team would consist of 24 or 25 members, including senior officers and team members who are undergoing training at City Armed Reserve (CAR) grounds in the city. As many as 30 personnel are part of the training programme.

Special training

City Police Commissioner Dr A Subramanyeshwar Rao, who underwent special training in the US in 2006, is imparting training on counter terrorism and operating sensitive cases to the team members. The team will be specially trained for commando activities and to counter terrorism, Rao said.

Role of new force

The special commando force will be exposed to counter specific cases, especially during emergencies to ensure safety and security.

The Police department will provide advanced and suitable weapons for the team members and only personnel with dedication have been appointed to the force, Rao said.

Advanced weapons

During anti-terrorist operations, it is difficult to operate with AK-47 rifles and thus we are planning to provide more advanced weapons to counter terrorist activities,” he said.

At present, the city police are dependent on Garuda Commando Forces during emergencies. Though the city police had constituted ‘Chamundi Commando Force’ a few years back during the tenure of S Parashivamurthy as the City Police Commissioner, the force is not effective and only a few personnel are serving in the force. Chamundi Force would be withdrawn after SCF comes into force, he said.

According to sources, the members of ‘Chamundi Commando Force’ were not fully trained as per the requirement. However, the new force will also consist of a few personnel who were part of the Chamundi Force.

Initially, the force had 120 members but the numbers have been declining owing to certain reasons.

At present, as many as 40 personnel are in the Chamundi Force. The team will be put into force during the visit of dignitaries such as Chief Minister and during Dasara programmes.

The city had witnessed a few terrorist activities in the recent past. In August 2016, a low-intensity bomb exploded at Mysuru court premises and a few persons were injured in the incident.

DH News Services