Equipment For Law Enforcement For Minimum Invasive Violence

Modern day law enforcement personnel have to operate in a more transparent society with increasingly complex laws of the land which include human rights where they are subject to greater accountability.

- Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd)

Law enforcement agencies in India are generally of two types – those controlled by the centre and those which are under the state. In all types of internal security crisis, these agencies are the first respondents thus play a very critical and vital role in maintaining internal security. All the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), Special Protection Group, Central Investigation and Intelligence organisations, and Central Forensic Institutions come under the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Centre. The state police and its various branches like intelligence unit, commando unit, river police etc. perform law enforcement role in the state and are controlled by their respective states. This organisation model is similar to US, Indonesia, Mexico, Spain and many more.

Equipment Profile

The equipment will depend upon the role and threat pattern. In India the main threat is terrorism/low intensity conflict operations in J&K, terrorism in other states and Left Wing Extremism (LWE). Thus the organisations which perform active/offensive role like CAPF, Special Protection Group and National Security Guard will require equipment tailor made to their role. Other agencies like customs, narcotics, investigation, intelligence and forensics will have equipment suited to their role. Similarly the state law enforcing agencies will have equipment as per their role and threat. The equipment can be divided into various categories as follows: l Hard kill or lethal weapons. Hard kill weapons will include pistols or side arms, close quarter battle weapons and rifles including sniper rifles. These weapons will be fitted with suitable sighting systems for day and night depending upon the type of weapon.

Soft Power Systems. These will include taser, Pepper Ball, Pepper spray, Tear gas, Rubber bullets, Pellet guns and some other types of sprays, stun grenades.

Support Systems. Key support systems are:

Body Armour

UAVs