2,000 cops from different departments, with lower rung officials of constable-level forming the majority, participated in the marathon.
The runners came and went. The policemen prepared for them, and surprisingly enough, handled security on a day when 30,000 runners and a few thousand volunteers poured out on the Mumbai streets on January 21, 2007. Though a difficult task, the Mumbai Police claim to have done it all successfully and with ease, with close to 1,200 personnel deployed across the 21-km route of the marathon from CST to Bandra Reclamation.
Across the different categories of races in the Mumbai Marathon, namely, the Dream Run (6-km), Half Marathon (21-km) and the Full Marathon (42-km), the Police Department registered a strong presence. 2,000 of their men from different departments such as Anti-Terrorist Squad, Special Branch, Crime branch and Local police, with lower rung officials of constable-level forming the majority participated in the exercise.
While AN Roy, Mumbai Police Commissioner participated in the 6-km Dream Run along with a contingent of other police officials, others like Arup Patnaik, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) and D Kanakratnam, Additional Commissioner of Police (South region) were reviewing the event. “The police have maintained extra vigil all along the route of the marathon. Thousands were expected to participate in the event and maintaining law and order during the event was a priority,” said Patnaik.
Mukesh Patil, a police constable who participated in the 21-km Half Marathon said: “Participating in the marathon was great fun. The good thing is that not only did the police participate in good numbers, it also ensured safety of the other participants and the crowds that gathered to watch the event.” Patil is a keen marathon runner and has participated in four marathons earlier in different cities across the state.
While most personnel who ran the marathon were from sports background, DCP, RN Tadvi (Operations) told DNA, “There has been increased emphasis on the fitness of policemen at large in the past few years and regular camps are organised for policemen to keep them physically fit.” Tadvi said that the participation of the police in the marathon was a “run for peace.”
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