Female sharpshooters ready to perform Muharram security duty

Officers are trained to disperse crowd and deal with all sorts of situations

LAHORE: A fresh batch of women police officers have completed the training of snipe shooting to perform duty along with the already trained police commandos.

Lahore Superintendent of Police (SP) Headquarters Syed Karar Hussain Shah has created a batch of 50 women in the first phase of the police force. These women were imparted training at Police Lines, Qila Gujjar Singh.

Police Trainer Masrufiya Andalib first taught female officers how to insert bullets in a magazine of an SMG rifle and pistol. After this, the women officers were trained to load and unload weapons. The women personnel were encouraged to practice by the trainer by taking their positions to fire at their targets.

All-female personnel engaged in this snipe shooting training fired 50 bullets from the SMG rifle and 50 bullets from the pistol. The SP told The Express Tribune that the training of women police personnel had become important in the current wave of terrorism in the country.

“A large number of men and women will participate in the upcoming processions and gatherings of Muharram. Women police officers are being deployed equally as men on the entrances of processions and meetings for police checking.” He added that there were difficulties in deploying male police officers on the roofs of several houses along the procession routes. “Local people used to complain that there were women in their houses and they could not allow male officers in their homes due to personal reasons.”

He explained that women police force was trained in snipe shooting to address these complaints. The SP further said those police shooters will be deployed on commercial buildings while women shooters will be deployed on the roofs of houses that fall under the routes of the procession.

A female police officer, Jamila Parveen, who trained in snipe shooting, said that the weapon training has added to their knowledge and self-esteem.

“Even after the month of Muharram, policemen will raid places where criminals seek refuge. These places can be residential areas, where female personnel often take the lead.”She added that this training has not only eliminated their fears, but it has also made policewomen more confident when handling criminals. The police trainer said: “Snipers have been trained to disperse a crowd and deal with all sorts of situations, including police checking using metal detectors during search operations.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2019.