Is the Police really Dumb ?

All the sympathy that I have had for the policing authorities of our country in the aftermath of the Mumbai carnage is receding as I read reports like these:

1. In this incident police in Hyderabad, on a tip-off from its informers that a SIMI activist wanted by the police has arrived in the city, had gone to nab him literally unarmed. Being the kind of professionals they were the suspected terrorists when approached by the police resorted to firing at the police and managed to escape through the busy streets of old city. Resulting in two policeman being injured, one of them seriously.

What I do not get is what was going through the policemen's minds when they set out to catch these guys. Did they think they were going for a pick-pocketer ? Lucky to getaway with injuries and no casualties.

2. This incident happened just today. School going teenagers were being used by the local police to keep an eye on any suspicious movements of people along the Prime Minister's cavalcade route from atop trees. How stupid ? How would a kid know the difference between an ordinary guy and a terrorist, just in case a terrorist would come in a t-shirt and cargo trouser like they did in the Mumbai attacks ?

After what had happened in the past week could we afford to commit any more mistakes. Could our authorities not respond to the needs of the hour? What have we learnt from the most daring attacks ever on our society ? I always thought we could do better.