Authorities in India have instructed the police force responsible for the safety of the country's airports to adopt a different approach – by cutting their “broad smiles” down to just “sufficient smiles”.
It comes amid concerns that the “overfriendliness” of Central Industrial Security Force personnel, tasked with guarding the nation’s airports, might give an impression of a lax security, The Indian Express reported.
The head of the CISF said the “over-friendly” approach was responsible for the 9/11 attacks in the US.
“We cannot be over-friendly with the passengers because one of the reasons cited as to why 9/11 happened… was excessive reliance on passenger-friendly features where security personnel went out of the way to ensure that the passenger is facilitated, thereby compromising on security,” said Rajesh Ranjan, the Director General of the force.
Another officer accompanying Mr Ranjan said the force was moving from a “Broad Smile System” to a “Sufficient Smile System” to ensure a foolproof security of the airports in India.
“So, friendly smiles are good but the focus should be on the core duties that we perform at the airports,” Mr Ranjan added.
He said the force would also be trained in behavioural analysis from international consultants, as well as being equipped with modern equipment, such as full-body scanners, body-worn cameras and express security checks of hand baggage.
In 2004, the government in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh paid a special allowance to policemen to grow a moustache because senior officers believed it would help them command more respect.
Roses are red
Violets are blue,
Heard you're selling drugs,
We'll come visit you.
— BengaluruCityPolice (@BlrCityPolice)
In contrast, police forces in many states are now trying to break away from the traditionally tough image and are trying to project a more friendly face with the use of social media.
The Bengaluru police force in the south-Indian state of Karnataka received some positive press when it started using social media memes to get the law enforcement message out to the people.
