Terror attacks on cafes and restaurants in Paris, Dhaka and Munich have raised a security alarm not just for the Delhi Police, but also for restaurateurs in the city. They recently approached the Delhi Police commissioner, Alok Kumar Verma, to discuss security issues at major restaurant/tourist hubs like Hauz Khas Village, Khan Market and Connaught Place. Said Riyaaz Amlani, president of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), who had a meeting with the commissioner recently, “The dialogue with the police on security started after the Paris attacks last year. We recently met the commissioner to discuss our security concerns and the ways in which restaurants can contribute towards improving security in the concerned areas. Security at restaurant hubs in Delhi is a huge concern and the police department and hospitality industry in these areas have to work in close coordination to ensure the safety of guests. As restaurateurs, there are concerns about our lack of preparedness for any untoward incident that may be perpetrated by undesirable elements.”
A list of recommendations or suggestions from the restaurateurs’ body was shared with the police department. “We have listed ways in which we can participate and collaborate with them. Apart from terrorist attacks, there were different points concerning the safety of our guests that we discussed and also gave suggestions on how we could help. We have an active WhatsApp group, with beat officers in places like HKV added to the group, and whenever there’s something that needs police intervention, we alert him. Restaurants have taken steps to strengthen security – most restaurants now have metal detectors and more thorough checking at the entrance. The number of bouncers have been increased to 20. We have also requested the government to create a tourism police which is specifically for the assistance of tourists in these areas. The Delhi Police is cooperating and there’s participation, but the police is also severely stretched. One of the reasons why restaurant timings are not being extended is because the police feels over-stretched,” Riyaaz added.
