PHOTOS: FILES
LAHORE: Punjab Police has decided to procure modern equipment to enhance the capacity of Anti-Riot Force (ARF), Dolphin Squad, Counter-Terrorism Department and other wings.
The authorities have als0 decided to get customised vans and pickup trucks to suit police’s requirements.
The police are also acquiring 800 bulletproof jackets. In the wake of the war against terror, police officials have been targeted the most. There have been many instances in which they were attacked at pickets.
There was a severe shortage of bulletproof jackets for police. There were over a dozen jackets only for 84 police stations of the provincial capital.
Missing SSP’s case linked with abduction of former law officer: sources
Moreover, standard operating procedures (SOPs) for picketing made it mandatory to wear helmets as well as jackets as a part of security precautions.
The items to be purchased for the ARF include 20,200 caps, 6,300 transparent long shields, 4,300 body protection suits, 392 slings for weapons, 159 rucksack bags, 2,100 kit boxes, 390 jackets for tear gas equipment, 315 jackets for paintball equipment, 300 gas masks with filters and 300 tear gas guns.
The ARF, a specialised unit to deal with protests and agitation, was established in Lahore in 2017 in a bid to avoid recurrence of an incident like the Model Town operation in which several protesters were killed by police in 2014.
About 40 police officers of various ranks were sent to Turkey to be trained by Turkish police. The master trainers, later on, developed the squad in Lahore that is being replicated in other parts of the province also. The squad was provided with modern equipment. The fresh procurement is meant to meet the needs of capacity building as well as expansion.
To meet the needs of patrolling and mounted forces, the department is going to procure 130 binoculars, 160 goggles, 16 compasses, 32-night vision goggles, more than 10,000 rain suits for different squads, 159 water bottles, 280 helmets with wireless communication kit, two under-vehicle scanning systems, 200 searchlights, eight drone cameras, 75 temperature-controlled sheds for personnel and five for officers, 80 walkthrough gates and 20 bottom view mirrors.
Punjab Police seeks Rs4b for renovation, construction
The police department is also procuring information technology equipment. These include equipment to test smartphones and networks, 10,000 metres of six-core and 30,000 metres of 12-core fibre-optic cable, 28 digital VHF mobile sets, 37 digital VHF walkie-talkie sets, 25 digital UHF walkie-talkie sets, two digital UHF base sets, 22 digital VHF base sets, four radio-frequency identification machines, equipment for a data server centre and 20 32-channel network video recorders.
Other items to be purchased include seven mini-exchanges, five generators of 10 kVA, 10 of 5kVA, three of 50kVA, two of 200 kVA and one of 220 kVA, 30 colour and 15 black and white printers and 180 LED monitors. Furniture and room coolers are also on the procurement list.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2020.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ