Click to play videoMumbai: Post 26/11, Mumbai police are struggling to plug the loopholes in the city's security.
But a Right to Information query reveals that the increasing demand for VIP protection from politicians and celebrities is proving a burden.
Information acquired by activist Chetan Kothari reveals that in 2008, 87 police officers in Mumbai and at least 1,000 constables were deployed just for VIP protection.
The VIPs include politicians, senior police officials and film stars and at least 22 of them have defaulted on their payment, wasting lakhs of taxpayers’ money.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Julio Rebeiro says it’s a class syndrome. “Most of the people don't require security but they want to move with gun totting personnel on the roads to show how important they are”.
The police to people ratio in Mumbai is as low as three policemen per 1,000 people.
Citizens say policemen on VIP duty will be more useful guarding public landmarks, which are likely terror targets.
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