The officers, holding ranks of sub inspector, assistant sub inspector, inspector, senior inspector and assistant commissioner of police were handpicked by their seniors for their communication skills in English, apart from general police training.
Their command over the English language has unwittingly landed nearly 300 city cops in virtual confinement as they have been assigned duties at the Taj and are not allowed to leave the hotel till US president Barack Obama leaves on Sunday afternoon.
The officers, holding ranks of sub inspector, assistant sub inspector, inspector, senior inspector and assistant commissioner of police were handpicked by their seniors for their communication skills in English, apart from general police training.
The 300-odd officers will work in tandem with highly trained 300 US security men, forming the inner protection ring guarding the US president during his stay at the Taj.
“We were posted here on November 3 evening and have been told not to leave the premises till Sunday afternoon. It is a challenging assignment and we do not mind missing our family and Diwali celebrations as there is a lot to learn from the US security personnel and experts. They have very sophisticated gadgets and electronics equipment which could be of immense help to us in future,” said a senior inspector on condition of anonymity.
Their only way of communicating with the outside world is their mobile phones, and that too would be taken away from them during Obama’s stay at the hotel, informed another officer.
The officers will keep an eye on some 300 hotel staffers who too have barred from leaving the premises till Sunday. Every officer has been detailed to keep one-to-one touch with the hotel staffers and the US security men.
The hotel management has in-house arrangements to cater to the needs of the security personnel and nothing can be brought in from outside. The officers have been provided distinct identity cards which cannot be copied or duplicated. “By the time the president arrives, we will know each other well, eliminating any chances of an outsider infiltrating the ranks,” an officer informed.
A large number of officers chosen for the sensitive job had done stints with the United Nations while on service with the peacekeeping forces, particularly in Congo. The experience provided them international exposure in dealing with foreign armed forces. The others are mainly drawn from the elite forces like the crime branch.
Apart from securing the hotel premises, the city police has deployed more than 5,000 trained police personnel in the entire area around the Taj. The Gateway of India, along with Colaba and adjoining Nariman Point, have been extensively sanitised to keep eliminate any disturbance or threat, the sources added.
The US security experts are closely monitoring all movements and developments on land, coast and air in a well coordinated manner using a satellite-powered technology, the sources further added.
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