A drive around the Games Village itself shows the kind of security arrangements that the Delhi Police has put into place for the complex where athletes and officials, both from India and abroad, will be staying.
Along the routes, Quick Reaction Team (QRT) vehicles are parked with gun totting ITBP and Delhi Police commandos keeping a close eye on the movement of traffic.
As one nears the Village, a large pose of policemen including traffic police can be seen at the entrance gate. Not to be missed are the watch towers that have been erected with an ITBP commando in each.
Only people with valid passes, issued after an extensive verification drive, are allowed entry and that also after three policemen check your pass and match your face with that on the card.
After a complete scan of any bags that one might carry, one is put through a thorough scan with a hand-held metal detector. It is a different thing that even when the metal detector door makes no noise, you are made to undergo the hand held detector test.
In foreign countries if the metal door makes no noise, then one is allowed to pass through.
Boom barriers and cement blocks have been set up. Vehicle scanners have also been installed and not to forget the underground metal stoppers that spring up to stop a speeding vehicle with just a push of a button.
Same security drills are in place everyone time one enters a different zone in the village spread over an area of 63.5 hectares.Also there are the card readers installed where one has to put their barcoded pass into the machine. The gates will open only if you have the permission to enter that area. CCTV cameras are installed everywhere.
According to the security men at the Village, about 800-900 Delhi police personnel are securing the area on a 24 hrs basis. The personnel are deployed on four shifts of eight hour each. While personnel of three shifts are deployed completely, those of the fourth are always kept on standby incase some personnel are on leave or have to go out on any personal emergency or for Court dates.
Adding to the strength are the ITBP commandos who too are present in large number.
The only drawback of the extensive security arrangements is that one tends to get irritated after going through the same process everytime he or she enters a different zone.
But then one African origin worker in the Village managed to sneak in with two cigarettes hidden in his inner layer of his folded handkerchief. Smoking behind a makeshift toilet inside the strictly 'no smoking' village, he was the only breach of the otherwise extensive security arrangement.
