Teams satisfied with the security arrangements
The Delhi Police has assured the 11 participating teams about the elaborate security arrangements they’ve made for the Hockey World Cup. The matches will be played at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
Delhi Police Commissioner, Y.S. Dadwal, and Special Commissioner of Police, Neeraj Kumar, made a presentation on the security apparatus before the representatives of the teams. Police said over 100 CCTVs will be installed in and around the stadium to keep track of the movement of spectators.
While 75 CCTVs will be stationary, 30 will be Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras with night vision and recording facility.
They also told the delegation that around 19,000 police personnel, including 200 sharpshooters from the National Security Guards, will be deployed. The police added that armed policemen will accompany the players in the team buses to ensure that they get fool-proof security.
The buses, which will take them from the team hotel to the stadium and back, will also have a police escort for the nearly two-kilometre journey. “We are satisfied. We had concerns on two or three areas. The Commissioner has assured us that they will be addressed. Delhi Police has done very good planning,” said Pakistan’s Pervez Bhandari after the presentation.
Rana Mujahid, a member of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, said all their concerns were addressed and they were satisfied with the arrangements at the hotel and the stadium. Australian delegation also expressed similar views with the Deputy High Commissioner Lacklan Starhn saying that they were “very pleased” with the comprehensive security arrangements being made for the event.
“Proper assurances have been given. We are very pleased with the arrangements,” Starhn said.
Police said the hotels would also be sanitized.
“We have asked the hotels (where the players would be staying) to be extra cautious. All the five star hotels have baggage scanners and doorframe metal detectors at the entry points. We have asked them to report about any suspicious person or object,” said a senior police officer.
The police will also provide separate parking facilities for VIPs, officials and the visitors.