'Cops didn't know about Pavit'

Maharashtra home minister RR Patil stated in the Vidhan Parishad that the Mumbai police had no clue about MT before it ran aground and had received no information from the navy or Coast Guard.
Incidentally, after the terrorist attack of November 26, 2008, the Maharashtra government had launched a massive drive to beef up coastal security, which included providing boats to the cops, setting up police posts at key points along the coast, and involving the fisherman in the security measures.
Despite this, Patil admitted that the police was caught unawares when MT Pavit drifted on to Juhu beach, where it remains grounded. "We will seek better coordination with the Coast Guard to ensure that the police are better informed," he told the legislative council.
Patil was replying to a motion moved by the opposition members who pulled up the government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. While disagreeing with the opposition about Maharashtra being an unsafe state, he added that currently, measures were under way to strengthen the security apparatus.
Patil pointed out that in Mumbai too, many cops were involved in maintaining law and order rather than detecting crime. "We are going to cut down the number of cops guarding our various ministers," he said. He also blamed religious festivals for involving too many cops in the task of keeping security and peace. "This state has too many NGOs who the moment it is 10.01 pm, call up the police if someone is still playing out music loudly, forcing the police to rush in and shut down the music," Patil lamented.
As a measure to ease the police force's burden, he added that the state would increase community policing and 'zopadpatti' policing.
Patil refuted the opposition charges that crime in the state had spiralled beyond control, saying the situation in Maharashtra and Mumbai was better as compared to other states.