Rumours about police safety gear quelled

K-P DIG asserts two cops in Kohat died when hit on exposed body parts

PESHAWAR/SWABI:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) police has declared all the bulletproof jackets and helmets under the police use across the province completely safe.

Addressing a press conference, DIG Internal Accountability, Muhammad Suliman said that forensic reports have proved that in Kohat attack, in which two police constables were killed while guarding a mosque during Taraveeh prayers, the bulletproof vests and helmets stopped the bullets fired at both the policemen.

“Both of them received multiple bullets and the vests and helmets prevented head and chest injuries but other wounds proved fatal,” he said, adding that rumours about the use of expired or substandard vests and helmets were baseless.

“On the order of IGP, forensic tests were conducted along with an inquiry into the attack and it has been found that both the constables received 23 bullets overall and the protective jackets and helmets performed well so there is no question about their quality,” he maintained, adding that new bulletproof jackets were also being acquired for police and this is a continuous process.

“We are buying new vests with the provision of funds for police to protect them against terrorist attacks,” he said.

Talking to journalists, Director Forensic Lab Waqar Khan said that on April 3, two policemen were attacked in Khoat outside a mosque and both of them were hit in the chest and head.

“The close inspection of the vests and helmets suggests that the protective fiber worked very well and stopped these bullets but terrorist fired around 47 rounds in total of which 23 hit the target,” he observed, adding that two bullets hit the helmet and vests and were stopped but other parts of body were exposed.

“Let me tell you that the helmets and vests are of good quality and there are only rumours about their inferior performance,” he added.

It may be mentioned here that since April 3 attacks, questions are being asked about the standard of protective gears being used by K-P police personnel.

There are rumours that the arms and ammunition and protective gear acquired for police back in 2008 were highly substandard as then IGP Naveed Malik and others received kickbacks for which they faced a NAB case.

The deaths also resulted in widespread panic among the policemen as use of vests and helmets despite the extreme heat of K-P has been made mandatory for all policemen on duty.

ASI killed in grenade attack

On the other hand, an ASI of Swabi police was killed and two policemen were injured when unidentified armed men threw a hand grenade at their motorcar in Yar Hussain.

“ASI Sahir Khan died on the spot while two constables sustained critical injuries,” said a police official while talking to The Express Tribune.

He said that these policemen were on a routine patrol during iftar when their motorcar was attacked. The attackers once again managed to escape after committing the crime.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2023.