Death by bullet: Spare a thought for our unprotected cops

With 9 policemen killed in Karachi in first 9 days of 2014, it is time that their protective gear be taken seriously?


Faraz Khan January 11, 2014
The year 2013 has been one long disaster for Karachi’s policemen, with 166 killed on duty. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI:


“They (higher-ups) are saying that no compensation money will be given to our families if we are shot dead and our bodies are found without bulletproof vests,” said a policeman of district East, Karachi. “Only one or two bulletproof jackets are provided for each police mobile. How can five cops in one police mobile protect their lives in this scenario?”


The year 2013 has been one long disaster for Karachi’s policemen, with 166 killed on duty. Never before have so many policemen been killed in Karachi in a calendar year. Though policemen are required to wear bulletproof vests at all times, only a limited number of vests are available.

Policemen are vulnerable and often fall victim to terror assaults. For the most part, they remain unsung and their actions misunderstood by members of the public. A day after Karachi lost one of its bravest cops in a targeted killing, it may be a good time to take stock of a simple measure that could potentially save the lives of many.

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The non-availability of bulletproof jackets is a chief reason why the targeted attacks on policemen end up killing them. “In Karachi, terrorists do not have easy access to explosives; this is why they find it easier conducting targeted killings with the help of guns,” said Peshawar City former SP Ismail Kharak. Thus bulletproof jackets become doubly important. Officials believe that the sharpshooters are behind the continuous targeted attacks on the law enforcers.

Autopsy reports corroborate the fact. “Around 95 per cent of the policemen died after being shot in their heads and chests. They could have been saved if they had been wearing protective gear,” commented Dr Mohammad Saleem, senior medical legal officer (MLO) at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

“I have seen only a bullet or two in a majority of cases,” said Dr Rajander Kumar, MLO at Civil Hospital. “The cause of the deaths of the cops were hemorrhagic, as the bullets damaged the sensitive organs.”

After Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is in second place with almost 120 policemen killed. Most cops in K-P have been killed with the help of IEDs and suicide bombings, and around 35 have been gunned down in targeted attacks. “Due to the abundant supply of explosives in K-P, the terrorists usually target us with IEDs or suicide bombings and avoid gunning down cops in targeted attacks,” added Kharak.

With Karachi becoming a war zone, the cops do not even have the basic self-protection gear like APCs, sub-machine guns, mobiles, bulletproof jackets and helmets.

Shortly after the operation in Karachi commenced on September 5, 2013, the chief Minister of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah approved the purchase of 20,000 bulletproof jackets and helmets - 15,000 for police and 5,000 for rangers. However, instead of buying new bulletproof jackets, the police department has provided a repaired version of the already-used jackets to the jawans.

Better days ahead?

The higher-ups have provided bulletproof jackets to the cops after getting them repaired. Around 600 of these bulletproof jackets have been provided to the district West police, whereas some 100 more have been given to the district police, and the district South police have around 600.

The bulletproof vests currently used by the Sindh police constitute the age-old mechanism of metal plates. However, globally, most of the security forces have switched from these to the Kevlar- a synthetic material that is five times stronger than steel and is considerably lighter in weight, allowing the security personnel more room for agility and swift movements.  “After getting the bulletproof jackets repaired, they become good as new. They have the capacity to save the lives of our jawans, even from the bullets of a G-3 rifle,” shared District West and Central police chief DIG Javed Odho. “Although these jackets do not have Kevlar, they are still much better because the jackets with Kevlar only give protection from the bullets of a pistol.”

The Sindh police have also issued a tender to buy around 4000 more new bulletproof jackets. “Soon, the new stock of bulletproof jackets will be available as the tender has already been issued,” said DIG Finance Captain (retd) Tahir Naveed.

Karachi’s policemen: murder by number

2013: Over 166 cops killed (breaking the records of the past decade) including 15 sub-inspectors; 17 assistant sub-inspectors; 27 head-constables; 86 police-constables

2012: 122 cops killed including a Senior Police officer(SP); three inspectors; 11 sub-inspectors; 18 assistant sub-inspectors; 18 head-constables; 71 police constables

2011: 53 cops killed including four sub-inspectors; eight assistant sub-inspectors; 12 head-constables; 29 police-constables

From 1992- 2010: Some 250 policemen

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2014.

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COMMENTS (1)

Ali S | 10 years ago | Reply Maybe the people of Karachi should start a campaign to raise funds to buy protective gear (bulletproof vests and helmets) for cops in Karachi - it would greatly boost the police's morale and help them
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