Red alerts, really?

14 July,2009 10:05 AM IST |   |  J Dey

The flood of intelligence reports to security agencies warning of terror attacks often makes me wonder about two things its seriousness and more importantly its purpose.


The flood of intelligence reports to security agencies warning of terror attacks often makes me wonder about two things its seriousness and more importantly its purpose. With terror alerts being issued by the dozen every single day, it may after all turn out to be the case of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'.

Alert: Ever since the 26/11 terror attack, almost every agency, whether it's duty is to monitor the sea, road or rail, has been on its toes file pic

Another major concern is that the contents of these alerts are very generic in nature. Apart from mentioning the terror organisation, which more often than not is from across the border, the alerts hardly contain any relevant new information.


How do the security agencies, especially the ill-equipped, cash crunched and over-worked police force, keep pace with theseu00a0 alerts?

Post the terror attack on November 26, the alerts have become more frequent. But by just sending out these alerts, intelligence agencies are possibly looking at shedding their responsibility. If there were to be another terror strike, sending these alerts would earn them points and they would be able to say, "I told you so."

However, there may be an alert saying that there are sleeper cells being tapped in coastal Maharashtra. But how is this actually tackled?

The bright side

But let us look at the positives as well. Ever since the 26/11 terror attack, almost every agency, whether it's duty is to monitor the sea, road or rail, has been on its toes.

The intelligence alerts are definitely ensuring that the security agencies do not get complacent. There are regular mock drills, weapon training and fitness training programmes for the cops.

All this is great, but it would really help if these alerts are a little more specific and provide some new information.
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Red Alerts false alarms Opinion Mumbai Boy Who Cried Wolf