Force One (police)

Force One (Marathi: बळ एक, IAST: Baḷa ēka) is a specialised counter terrorism unit of the Mumbai Police to guard the Mumbai metropolitan area, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, formed by the Government of Maharashtra on the lines of National Security Guards (NSG). It was formed under Maharashtra Police, as a response to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and was commissioned two days before its first anniversary at the time of establishment Shri Jayant Patil was State Home Minister of Maharashtra. On the occasion, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan also laid the foundation stone of the Force One's headquarters in Mumbai.^[2] One of the primary tasks of the unit will be to protect the Maharashtra Legislature as well as several politicians within the state.

Force One
Agency overview
Formed	26 November 2010
Employees	300 commandos^[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Maharashtra, India
General nature	Local civilian police
Specialist jurisdiction	Counter terrorism, special weapons operations. Protection of internationally protected persons, other very important persons, and/or of state property of significance.
Operational structure
Headquarters	Mumbai
Agency executive	Mr. Krishna Prakash (IPS), ADGP-Force One
Parent agency	Maharashtra Police

Overview

Recruitment and training

The recruitment for Force One is undertaken among young volunteers from Maharashtra Police who are already well trained. Only around 4-5 per cent of total applicants succeed. The maximum entry age for constabulary personnel is 28 years and is 35 years for officers.^[3]

The commandos of Force One are trained at Maharashtra Intelligence Academy, the College of Military Engineering, Pune, and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in the use of sophisticated arms and explosives, and are known for their rapid shooting skills. While the NSG has a regional hub in Mumbai, Force One is expected to be part of the initial response to a terror strike in Mumbai.^[4][5][6]

Creation

In the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the Government of Maharashtra decided to form a new, specialised force to tackle terror. It was commissioned on 24 November 2009 on SRPF Ground of suburban Goregaon, Mumbai. The initial training of the unit was made under the help and supervision of Israeli Special Forces (Yamam). From Maharashtra Police, 1996 batch IPS Officer Chiranjeev Prasad was tasked as SP- Force One and played a crucial role in raising the force.^[7][8] After two months of basic training by Israeli specialists, Force One was founded. Force One headquarters is to be spread over 96 acres (390,000 m²) inside the lush green Aarey Milk Colony at Goregaon in northwest Mumbai, and the first batch has 216 elite commandos.

Out of 3,000 applications from the state police force who volunteered to be part of the force - many of whom were part of 26/11 response team - 261 personnel were selected and trained in Pune, apart from the College of Military Engineering and the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).^[9][10]

Influence on other units

The Force One have trained the police force of Mozambique. Apart from this, Force One trains all the Quick Response Teams of Maharashtra Police and are involved in training the Railway Protection Force and the Jammu and Kashmir Police.^[11]

Equipment

Weapon:

• Glock 17^[12]
• Glock 19^[13]
• Smith & Wesson M&P
• Heckler & Koch MP5
• Brügger & Thomet MP9^[14]
• AKM^[15]
• M107 rifle
• Barrett Model 98B
• M4 Carbine
• CornerShot
• SIG SG 550

Vehicles:

 

Mumbai Police Mahindra Marksman as used by Force One

• Mahindra Marksman
• Tata LATC
• Mahindra Rakshak

See also

• Counter Insurgency Force (West Bengal)
• Special Operation Group (Odisha)
• Greyhounds (police)
• Special Operations Group (Jammu and Kashmir)
• Punjab Police SWAT Team
• Kerala Thunderbolts (Kerala)

References

1. "26/11: No force in Force One". Ndtv.com. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
2. "Eagles have landed". Mid-Day. 9 November 2009.
3. Shaikh, Mustafa (25 November 2018). "Force One: How Maharashtra Police's commando unit has evolved over the years". India Today. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
4. . The Times of India. Mumbai. 15 November 2009. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012.
5. . The Hindu. Chennai, India. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 28 November 2009.
6. "Maha's elite counter terror unit Force One becomes operational". Business Standard. New Delhi. 25 November 2009.
7. "What the helmet!". Mumbai Mirror. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
8. "Force One commandos undergo jungle training". DNA India. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
9. Singh, Vijay V (25 November 2009). . The Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012.
10. . The Indian Express. 10 November 2009. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
11. "How the 26/11 attacks gave rise to Maharashtra's newest commando unit". Hindustan Times. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
12. Our Special Correspondent (18 December 2008). "The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Nation | Force One, state-of-art guns to guard Mumbai". Telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
13. "Is Force 1 good enough?". Hindustan Times. 10 October 2009. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
14. "Mumbai cops armed with rocket launchers, sniper rifles post 26/11: RTI". The Times of India. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
15. "Maha's elite counter terror unit Force One becomes operational". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2010.