Target Practice

“Post 26/11,emphasis has been on training our staff in various kinds of combat. This includes equipping them with skills and knowledge in handling modern weaponry. For this,we acquired seven simulators worth Rs 2 crore each. The first at RCF is already being used for training. In the next few months,Kandivli and the Force One base in Kole Kalyan are likely to get one each. The aim is to equip each of the five police regions with a simulator and the Force One commandos with two,” said Mumbai Police Commissioner D Sivanandhan.

Personnel at RCF police station have been busy lining up for target practice in the room housing the simulator,which has a big screen projector controlled by a computer and is connected to six different kinds of firearms ranging from a 9-mm pistol to an AK-47.

“The computer system has programmes meant to give various kinds of target practice. It gives detailed scores after every round. We have been making police personnel go through exercises of varying difficulty levels. The personnel start with calibration when they learn eye and hand adjustment and move to the squad posting stage when they properly position their weapon aimed at the target. Then comes the grouping stage when they fire five bullets and finally the static fire exercise when they are shown the spots on the target where their bullets hit,” said an engineer of the Hyderabad-based,Zen Technologies Ltd,which has developed the simulator.

The simulator has also been fed over 30 clips of virtual and real combat scenarios. “Besides shooting at still targets,the combatant needs to improve his aim on moving targets. For this,we have developed virtual scenarios where he has to remain alert for terrorists jumping out from behind cars,trees or buildings. The Taj scenario is a prominent virtual scenario wherein personnel have to shoot terrorists. The image of the hotel looms in the background,” said the engineer.

The company has procured and stored real clips of combat situations including shots of a miscreant trying to flee in a car and a Naxalite approaching a policeman from behind to be shot before he attacks. “The simulator has the software to enable recording and insertion real-life scenarios. It can also develop virtual scenarios,” he said.

Additional Commissioner of Police,East Region,Ritesh Kumar said representatives from Zen Technologies will train personnel from various police stations who,in turn,will train the others.