Force One operational by Aug 15

Mumbai, Jul 6 : Force One, formed by the Maharashtra government in parallel with the National Security Guards in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, will be operational by August 15.

Force One will be ready by August 15 and its members have already done a preliminary training, Home Minister Jayant Patil told a news agency.

Over 1,600 young policemen from the state had expressed their willingness to join the force, but after a thorough physical and mental examination, only 320 were shortlisted.

Some had to be dropped as they could not cope up with the strenuous physical exercises during their training period.

Presently, 150-odd commandos are being trained at the State Reserve Police campus in Pune.

After completing the ongoing second phase of the training, the selected candidates of the Force would be sent to Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa for advanced training, Patil said.

The objective is to show them how to deal with various conditions and learn modern combat techniques, Patil said.

Graduate and English speaking cadets would be given preference for the training, he added.

The South African government and private agencies will give training to Force One commandos, the minister said.