Faulty firearms in cops’ armoury trigger concern

Top officers have taken serious note of the new findings,especially since they serve as a reminder of how 10 terrorists outgunned the Mumbai Police force that was handicapped by outdated or malfunctioning weapons during the 26/11 terror attacks.

According to sources,of the 1,500-odd such weapons in the police’s armoury,which comprise 9 mm pistols and 0.38 bore revolvers,various defects have been found in 500 firearms.

These findings are part of a report sent by the Local Arms department to the Mumbai Police headquarters.

“We give out weapons from the armoury to different police units as and when required,which are used by policemen in on-field situations. It is a concern that glitches have been found in such a high number of weapons,” said a senior officer,who did not wish to be named. “An internal inquiry has now been initiated to get more details on the report submitted,such as when these revolvers and pistols were procured and specifics of the faults found in them,” said the officer.

According to some senior officers,many weapons lie unused in the armoury due to shortage of parts like firing pins,magazine feed springs,hammers and chambers. The lack of properly trained technical staff for maintenance and repair of weapons in the Local Arms department makes matters worse.

Since armourers clean the chambers of weapons with waste cloth instead of kerosene and cotton,the muzzle,chamber and trigger often get jammed.

Newsline had earlier reported that the Mumbai Police had undertaken a review of procurements made by the force during its post-26/11 capacity-building drive,with top officers taking stock of the police’s arsenal as they suspected that some weapons and vehicles have been gathering dust since they were bought.

Senior Mumbai Police officers were not available for comment on the faulty firearms.