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Hyderabad, India
Moving into a new place where many have not been to before, me and the hubby truely did not know what to expect. As we find out for ourselves what kind of hole we have thrown ourselves into living in Hyderabad, here's a peek for all into this new world of ours.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Security in the City

The bombings in Mumbai yesterday brought back memories of the last attack in 2008 when there were hostages held in two major hotels. I was glued to the television then, watching the event unfold.

Security alerts have since been also issued for major Indian cities including Hyderabad. In my head, I am thinking, what more measures can they put in place?

Currently, everyone is screened before entering major buildings. Everyone walks through a metal detector after which guys are frisked while females have their bags searched and are also frisked in a partitioned area. However, the metal detector is quite a joke because the security staff is not going to make you remove items and walk through the detector again until it stops beeping. Though it still acts as a deterrence for anyone with funny ideas but I question its effectiveness for anyone who is serious about becoming a threat. 

Screening of cars are more effective as they usually stop the car before it gets too close to the building. The boot of every car is then inspected and mirrors are used to screen the bottom of the chassis. It is accepted that there is always a queue entering the carpark because of these checks.

Initially, I was surprised at how seriously security is viewed in this country. I mean, can you imagine if Singapore decides to screen everyone before letting them into the shopping malls? I think most shoppers will be left queuing on the street on Orchard Road just to enter!

It is easier to spot something unusual like an unattended object if the environment is orderly but when a place is chaotic or messy (there is a difference between crowded and chaotic), how do you identify what is out of place or unusual?

It is indeed no fun to be the one in the dark when evil plans are being hatched against you. There is only so much preemptive measures that can be implemented but I think the key difference lies in the security personnel who needs to take their role seriously as being the last line of defence. We, who are not in the dark can only try.

So, next time before we complain about how these security measures inconveniences us, just think about what it could possibly prevent.

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