City police barred from carrying automatic weapons during patrols

Author: Muzammil Ferozi

KARACHI: In view of the last month’s incident in which a child died after she was hit by a bullet fired at a fleeing robbery, the city police have asked all patrolling teams to keep only revolvers or pistols, instead of submachine guns and automatic weapons.

The new policy will come into effect immediately.

The decision was announced by additional IGP Dr Amir Ahmed Sheikh on Saturday.

He agreed that the police personnel deployed on field duties do not have sufficient training to use automatic weapons, increasing the chances of accidental deaths.

The notification issued by the office of the additional IGP observed that ‘display of automatic assault weapons in urban settings is not only scary, but can also result in casualties in case of accidental firing’.

The order stated that personnel in the motorcycle squad will be allowed to keep only a pistol or a revolver, while those in patrolling mobiles, escorts, picket points and Madadgar 15 mobile will have the provision to keep a pistol or a revolver and a submachine gun.

The notification also read that the automatic weapons should not be displayed or pointed towards the public during escort movement or mobile patrolling.

Published in Daily Times, September 23^rd 2018.