'Prior consultations with police help in securing high-rises'

He said lack of periodic audits of security systems in high-rise buildings has dented creation of a fool-proof security system and argued for setting up security coordination committees in every high rise.

"There is no institutionalised mechanism or statutory requirement at present to check the functioning of security systems in a high-rise building."

"Security personnel currently provided by private agencies are not well-trained and in most cases unaware of their job requirements," Kumar said at the National Conference on 'Security in High-Rise Buildings: Safety, Security and Disaster Management'.

A 1976-batch IPS officer who recently became Delhi Police Commissioner, Kumar said police forces are never consulted when the design of a building is finalised.

"It is better that police be informed when a building is constructed so that they can ensure security in its design instead of superimposing security measures on the building later on," he said.

On the coordination committee for the purpose, he said management in every organisation should be sensitised towards the requirements of safety and security.

The committee, Kumar said, should have at least one security expert and a representative from local police. The security system should be periodically checked to ensure its proper functioning, Kumar added.

Kumar said, "Delhi police will seek assistance from NDMA for capacity building of police personnel and will soon co-ordinate with Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Disaster Management Authority and the NDMA further fine-tuning of their response systems."

He also stressed that a regulatory mechanism be put in place for commercial and residential high-rise buildings just like high-rise hotels which are currently granted licences after specifying and ensuring that all requisite security measures are in place.

National Disaster Management Authority Vice-Chairman Shashidhar Reddy said, "NDMA is taking mitigation measures to ensure safety of multi-storey buildings built with lack of safety measures in cities vulnerable to earthquakes."