New Delhi: Various parts of the country are on high alert due to Pathankot airbase terror attack but the national capital Delhi seems unprepared for such acts of violence.
The city police force strength is approximately 90,000. However, there are only 250 life saving jackets.
Out of 250 jackets, half of them are used by officers posted in the high-security New Delhi district.
The weight of a single jacket is 11kg and it is very tough to keep them on for hours, a police officer said.
Reportedly, Delhi Commissioner B S Bassi and special commissioner (law and order) Deepak Mishra came forward and have strictly asked the police's procurement department to take action and to procure the vests on a priority basis.
The absence of bulletproof jackets has become a reason for death of several cops in the country.
In a brutal terror attack of 26/11, Mumbai policeman Hemant Karkare was shot 3 times on his chest due to the absence of vests and Delhi cop Mohan Chand Sharma was also shot during the 2008 Batla House encounter.
The issue of lack of jackets was brought to police's eye when a cop was gunned down by two bike-borne criminals in Delhi's Alipur, though senior police officials decided that patrol cops must be wearing these jackets to protect themselves.
