Hyderabad police may arm patrol teams with pistols after attacks on officers

Hyderabad police are considering arming patrol personnel with short firearms like 9 mm pistols after recent attacks on officers. The proposal aims to enhance safety during operations, as unarmed combat training has proved ineffective in real confrontations

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police are currently considering the idea of equipping patrol personnel with short firearms in view of the growing instances of attacks on police personnel. The proposed arms would include 9 mm pistols that are usually allotted to officers of sub-inspector rank and above in the law and order wing.

The proposal of providing patrol police with short firearms reportedly came up for discussion among the top brass following an attempt on the life of the gunman of DCP (South East) S Chaitanya Kumar at Sultan Bazaar on Saturday. The DCP and his gunman Murthy were chasing a robber when he tried to attack them with a knife. The police, in turn, fired two rounds, injuring the robber.

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A police patrol constable, on condition of anonymity, said they often hesitate to chase criminals for fear of getting attacked with firearms or knives. “One cannot fight seasoned criminals with fibre sticks. Usually, in such a situation, a lathi-wielding policeman notes down the registration number of the vehicle or clicks a picture using a mobile phone and later follows it up,” said the policeman.

In another recent incident, at IT Corridor Pocharam, a rowdy sheeter shot and injured a Gau Rakshak. The Rachakonda police arrested four persons in connection with the case later.

“A lathi-wielding policeman confronting a rowdy sheeter carrying a firearm is highly risky. In such situations, we have to either wait for backup or allow them to escape,” said another policeman.

Following instances of policemen being attacked by criminal elements in the past, the police across the State had introduced unarmed combat courses for the personnel. Later, unarmed combat skills were incorporated into the training curriculum. However, these skills were not of much help in real-time confrontations.

A senior officer of the Hyderabad police said that deliberations are currently underway on the subject of providing firearms to patrol car personnel and a final decision would be taken soon. “We are discussing and it will take some time. Our priority is to control crime and protect our personnel as well,” said the official