Delhi to get most advanced equipments to fight terrorism

Delhi to get most advanced equipments to fight terrorism.Commandos, part of the newly launched Parakram teams, are going to be equipped with advanced gadgets.

Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik has given his nod to a proposal to procure hi-tech flashlight stun guns, body-worn cameras, push-button batons, especially-made knee and elbow pads and tactical belts for these commandos -NSG-trained policemen deployed in PCR vans at 10 strategic locations.

According to officials, the flashlight stun guns will be especially-made taser pistols (non-lethal weapons), which will serve multiple functions: illuminate way , light up the target and help aim properly , and give high voltage electric shocks.

The body-worn cameras will record videos in MP4 format, which would have a playback resolution of 1080 pixels and a frame rate of 30fps. They will have snapshot, recording and playback facilities, which will work even in pitch-dark conditions.

In line with the West, the camera system will also have evidence-management software to manage conflict. The commandos will have pepper spray to cripple an attacker.

The tactical belts will be made with durable nylon web with a three-point locking buckle and the pouches will be of made of thermo-bonded four-layer laminate with denier nylon.

The belts will also have 14 pouches for storage. These are different from the 10,000 utility belts being procured -earlier reported by TOI -which have around 5-6 pouches and are suitable for general police. 

Special commissioner Dependra Pathak is overseeing the project, along with officials of provision and logistics, say sources. These highly equipped commandos will be stationed at places like Connaught Place, ITO, Vijay Chowk, Palika Bazar, IP Marg, Saket Select City Mall, Vasant Kunj Mall, Pacific Mall (Subhash Nagar), MarketMall Complex (Netaji Subhash Place), Akshardham, Lotus Temple and Jhandewalan.

In May , Patnaik had decided to put in place dedicated PCR vans in the wake of rising terror threats. These commandos will be the first resistance wall in case of a 2611-style terror attack. “In case of a terror attack, these men will be able to hold back until SWAT teams arrive. We have trained 10 teams and will get more,“ Patnaik had told TOI.

The Parakram vans are Toyota Innovas with an open hatch, which are manned by three commandos armed with AKM rifles. The men are trained along with NSG personnel to take on suspects at crowded locations. All these vans are GPRS-enabled and fitted with pan-Delhi wireless communication. Their drivers are also armed with small weapons and have been trained by NSG on offensive and evasive driving, and firing in mobile mode.

The commandos will be in the alert mode round-the-clock and attired in fatigues enabling agility . The contingent will have a fair mix of women commandos.

“Though these vehicle resemble the PCR vans we already have, they will not respond to usual calls from the PCR, except terror cases,“ said Pathak.

The 10 existing Parakram vans are part of a pilot project and after a realistic impact assessment, the scheme could be extended to more locations.