Lately, there has been an incident where an attempt was made on the life of the former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, which has prompted people to question the current protection that is afforded to such political leaders.
If the suspect of the shooting incident, Thomas Matthew Crooks had attended the campaign rally conducted in Butter, Pennsylvania, he could have fired several shots at Trump while aiming at him from 120 yards away using an AR-15 assault rifle.
The incident has been likened to events witnessed in other countries in regard to security. In contrast, the Indian Special Protection Group (SPG) stood at least 50-100 meters away from the public and VVIPs during the BJP’s PM Modi rally.
Another sample of the lack of security was observed during the shooting of the Butler rally when reviewing the material. That protection team got Trump away, but they did not have bulletproof shields themselves and could have been shot at by snipers.
Hitting out at the US Secret Service, a leading Indian security specialist offered 6 out of 10 when asked to rate their performance in averting the assassination attempt. There was no adequate access control, and the head of the VVIP was uncovered as he transferred to his motorcade, which made him fully exposed and easy prey for the assassin’s bullet.
The situation has shown the necessity of reassessing security measures and paying increased attention to staff and technical means necessary for protecting high-ranking politicians.
