Cops to seize guns till Games
Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:38 pm
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/ ... =HTML&GZ=T
Cops to seize guns till Games
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has issued a directive saying all licensed firearms are to be deposited with the police till the end of the Commonwealth Games in October. While the directive has been implemented in Gurgaon and Faridabad, Delhi Police is still to act on it. The decision, sources say, has been taken to help maintain law and order and to prevent the misuse of arms during the Games.
Delhi Police officers however are in a fix over the circular. ‘‘There are nearly 30,000 licensed firearms in Delhi. Where will all these weapons be stored? And then we will have to depute extra people to guard the weapons when we’re already stretched thin arranging for the Games,” said a senior police officer.
Another Delhi Police officer described the MHA directive as being a futile exercise, saying, ‘‘A minimal percentage of licensed weapons are involved in crime. If MHA wants to clamp down on crime, it needs to improve law and order and crack down on criminals. The mere depositing of firearms will not help them save dignitaries and foreigners visiting the Games. Most of the firearms used for crime in the city are illegal.”
The firearms will be kept at the police stations till the end of the Games in October 2010. ‘‘We received a letter from the Central government to get all licensed arms deposited at local police stations between March 1 and March 31 and to hold them there till the Commonwealth Games are over,” said a senior Gurgaon police official.
Delhi Police added that there is no ban on the issuing of fresh license. Gurgaon and Faridabad Police though said they have stopped issuing fresh licenses.