Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar March 19 : Aimed to fight “effectively” against militants, Jammu and Kashmir police is buying modern gadgets including weapons and bullet proof vehicles.
The Centre recently approved Rs 18839 crore for modernization of police and forensic capabilities to Jammu and Kashmir and other North Eastern states. A major share will go to Jammu and Kashmir where the police and other security forces are fighting against militancy for the last more than three decades.
A senior police official said that the government wants to upgrade all police stations and lacing the policemen with the latest gadgets including vehicles.
“More vehicles fitted with CCTVs, bullet-proof vehicles, latest weaponry, bullet-proof helmets, body cameras are what J&K police is all set to get in near future,” the official told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
Very soon, J&K police will also be equipped with American assault and pistols, the first police force in the country.
In this regard, J&K police has floated tenders for 500 Sig Sauer-716 rifles and 100 Sig Sauer MPX 9 mm pistols.
Experts say that the new equipment would provide a massive boost for the anti-terror operations.
The government procured the same rifles in 2019 for the Indian army. Over 70,000 were bought for the soldiers posted along the Line of Control and the Line of Actual Control.
Few weeks before, J&K police also procured 8,000 new lightweight bulletproof jackets. They are also purchasing further 50 modern armoured vehicles that will have a global positioning system installed and also a brand new first-aid kit, along with all the facilities to deal with the injuries during encounters with militants.
“Jammu and Kashmir has also been able to purchase equipment for forensics, cyber cell and raised height of walls of several hundred police stations to provide secure police stations,” the police official said.
They have also been provided with mine proof vehicles and state-of-the-art drones and CCTVS to increase the vigil across the region.
“All these measures are being taken to combat militancy. Government wants JK police to be well equipped and better trained to deal with the situation,” he said.
There are over 100,000 police personnel in Jammu and Kashmir who have been dealing with the law and order situation and fighting militancy in the valley.
The official said that the government intends to upgrade its forensic science facilities by ensuring up to the mark testing facilities within Jammu and Kashmir to lessen the dependency on other states especially on Chandigarh and Delhi. “The move will help reduce the time of investigations, curb crimes, arrest culprits, and ensure fair probe in a time-bound manner,” the official said.
The number of security personnel on the ground has also been increased. New bunkers have been put in place, and checkpoints at various places specially roads leading to different districts of Kashmir valley have been set up. (KINS)
