All cops in state to undergo training in use of modern weapons

“All state cops will undergo this special five-day training in the batches of 25 to 30. These training sessions have already started in all district police headquarters and would be over by November 31 this year,” said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order),Sudhir Sinha.

Sinha added: “The need to train our entire police force in the use of sophisticated firearms was felt after the November 26 terror attack in Mumbai. Until now,only two to three per cent of our police personnel,who undergo commando training,used to have training of this nature.”

Sources in the state Home Department said the limited number of AK 47s,INSASs,SLRs,sten guns and gas guns in the state police armoury was the main reason why only a handful of state cops were being trained in the use of these sophisticated firearms until now.

“Subsequent to the 26/11 Mumbai attack,the Gujarat government had earlier this year purchased a good number of these modern firearms from the Centre,” a state Home Department official said.

“While the orders for the sophisticated arms training for inspectors,sub-inspectors,assistant sub inspectors,head constables and constables in the state police force have already been issued,similar orders will be issued for more than 200 Gujarat Police Service (GPS) officers in the state soon. We also plan to have fresh training sessions for about 50 IPS officers in the state,who have passed out from the National Police Academy (NPA) before 1990,” Sinha said.

While all inspectors and sub-inspectors in the state police are trained in the use of revolvers and pistols,all assistant sub-inspectors,head constables and constables get trained on 303 rifles in their eight-month long training in state police training academy at Karai and other police training colleges in the state.

“The concerned city police commissioners,SRP heads and SPs have also been instructed to issue these firearms to selected trained cops in their jurisdiction,” Sinha added.

Of the sanctioned 75,000 posts in Gujarat police,about 6,000 are class III and class IV employees. About 13,000 of the remaining 69,000 posts (including SRP) are vacant and of the 56,000 cops in the state,about 100 are IPS officers.