Off-topic: Bombay terror attacks, 26-29 November 2008: Soft targets

Terrorism is said to be inevitable because of so many "soft targets". Cannot we harden some of these so called "soft" targets?

These are a layman's opinions. Men with security experience are invited to pick holes & suggest alternatives. But I'm convinced we need not be sitting ducks.

Visible security vs effective security.

CST station, Oberoi & Taj need not have been so soft targets. Oberoi didn't even have armed security (I'm not sure of Taj)! Apparently because of difficult regulations. Oberoi is now going to approach the government to be allowed armed guards, according to its chairman!

CST security men were completely ineffective. I would assume stations the size of two adjacent CST stations would be secured by electronic surveillance with armed snipers stationed (or deployable in minutes) on higher floors & in touch with surveillance control room, in addition to mobile security staff. No such thing apparently exists!

Closed circuit cameras are basically a decoration - to answer criticism on weak security! One of the first responses from someone at station on identifying killers via video footage was - it's unlikely to be possible because there are so few cameras!

Liberal access to guns.

I'm aware it's hearsay in India, but one of the things that has stayed with me from US 9/11 attacks is a comment by someone in US - something to the effect: 9/11 happened because US government insisted on disarming all passengers boarding an aircraft. A dozen armed passengers might have stopped the terrorists.

That also applies to Bombay. It was plain butchering on November 26 in Leopold Cafe, CST, open roads, Cama Hospital, ... A very few light machine gun wielding men simply switching on their guns, & people dying like hapless sheep! I know untrained normal civilians were no match for them, but they were so few in number! And they knew the crowed they were shooting at were disarmed by local government - kind of presenting them soft targets on a platter!

Incidentally, has anyone heard a criminal or terrorist ever had trouble procuring a gun? They are the ones the gun controls are supposed to stop!

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