Lack of shooting practice-cops couldn't stop berserk driver

[hellfire_m16]

Pune: Even as a hail of bullets failed to deflate tyres of the state transport (ST) bus hijacked by Santosh Mane and stop his murderous road rage that killed eight and injured over 30, an uncomfortable question has raised its head, whether the police's 'lack of shooting practice resulted in a firing fiasco' on January 25. According to weapon experts, hitting a moving target needs precision and it could be achieved only through continual firing practice.

Weapon expert and director of Gunmark Armoury and Lethal Force Institute A Y Kulkarni said, "Hitting a moving object needs immense practice. In the road rampage case, if the cops would have gone parallel to the bus and fired from the right by injuring the driver, the damage could have been reduced."

Retired assistant commissioner of police Sharad Awasthi seconded Kulkarni's opinion. "The cops rarely get firing practice and the reason stated for this is lack of ammunition. Isn't it shameful that government has no money for maintaining law and order?" he asked.

"The police force is working under tremendous political pressure. Constabulary has no confidence that senior officers will back them in such cases. So no one is ready to endanger his or her life when the time demands," added Awasthi.

Even the victims and their relatives have no hesitation flaying the cops for the firing fiasco. Tejas Kale, cousin of deceased Puja Bhaurao Patil who was killed in the rampage, said, "If the cops would have managed to deflate the tyres of the bus, my cousin would have been alive."

Rejecting the allegations of weapons experts and victims' kin, constable Deepak Kakade attached to Cantonment police station who fired ten rounds from his 9mm carbine, said that he could not focus on the target as panicked citizens were blocking his view.

"The bus was moving at 40 km per hour. It all started when Mane knocked off a two-wheeler at Khanya Maruti Chowk and sped away. There was a huge commotion on the streets and people were running helter-skelter for cover. Some enthusiastic bikers, who had voluntarily joined us in the 45-minute hot pursuit for Mane had almost blocked my vision. So fixing the target on the bus became further more difficult. I sounded off fire call, but the crowd did not disperse. This made it difficult for me to hit the target," said Kakade.

As a result of this, a few bullets grazed the tyres but could not deflate them. The rest only pierced the body of the bus, but did little to stop it. Kulkarni said that the cops could have blocked the bus' way by parking any heavy vehicle such as bus or truck. He also talked about the flip side of the firing.

"Weapons like SLR or 303 could have easily deflated the tyres, but damage in terms of casualty of innocent lives would have been tremendous if it would not have hit the desired object considering it was a rush hour and the streets were teeming with people."

According to sources, tough the cops on patrolling duty pleaded the control room to fire at the killer bus, the top cop allegedly denied permission, as firing orders could not be issued over the phone. Even police commissioner Meeran Chadhha-Borwankar got to know about Kakade opening fire at the bus two hours after the incident when an eyewitness informed the police chief about it.

Sharif Ibrahim Kutty, who saw Kakade firing at the bus, said, "The bullets did not hit the tyre. If they would have hit the target, then the damage would have been less." The 21-year-old braveheart had chased the bus for 12 km on his bike and overpowered the deadly driver in Samadhan Bhel Chowk.

Just once a year?
According to sources in the police department, firing practice is conducted once in a year at the Vadachi Vadi firing range and cops are allowed to fire only 30 rounds in one session.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/lack ... stories&cp

[essdee1972]

I have a query here - can a 9 MM round puncture the tyres of a bus? Typically tyres would have steel wire / webbing reinforcement, plus they are meant to withstand wear and tear of the road for years. Another factor would be that the rotation of the tyre itself would tend to deflect the force of the bullet, sending it somewhat askew. Plus hitting on / between the treads, on the sidewalls, etc., etc. factors need to be considered, I think? Asking this as I have no experience / knowledge of the penetrating power of firearms. But shooting the tyres out sounds about as Holly/Bollywoodian as exploding a car with a single bullet!
Secondly, a bus can run, at a decent speed, if only one rear tyre on each side are flat, since the rear axle had 4 tyres, say one tyre on the right and another on the left are flat, it can still run on 4 wheels.

[Katana]

What about those tyre inflating spikes? Whatever happened to police modernisation?

[jonahpach]

I doubt even if crack shots with sniper rifles wouldnt have been able to do much in this scenario. Knowing pune and its hectic motor and pedestrian traffic, Getting a perfect shot to stop the bus would be next to impossible. Trying to hit the tyres of a moving bus with a WW-II era 9mm sten gun..? Forget it! Hitting the bus itself would be challenging enough. In the poona incident I recognise a lack of communication equipment on the part of the cops. If only the cops had better communication equipment and every mama on duty had a Rs. 5000 ? walkie talkie set, they could have easily set up a road block 2-3 km's from the last reported location and route the driver had taken.

[Skyman]

HAHAHAHAHA a 9 mill might take out half an inch of rubber, nothin more.You need a 30 cal bullet, to chew through the sidewall.For a bus you need a 50 cal to take out both tires in one hit.And you need to take out the front tires.

The cop could have emptied his 9 mill into the engine block to kill the fan etc.You would need .45 if handguns are used.
If the cop was on a motorcycle, he could have hit the tires by riding about 20 feet away, diagonally.

[xl_target]

HAHAHAHAHA a 9 mill might take out half an inch of rubber, nothin more.You need a 30 cal bullet, to chew through the sidewall.For a bus you need a 50 cal to take out both tires in one hit.And you need to take out the front tires.

The cop could have emptied his 9 mill into the engine block to kill the fan etc.You would need .45 if handguns are used.
If the cop was on a motorcycle, he could have hit the tires by riding about 20 feet away, diagonally.

A 9mm handgun bullet, especially if firing an FMJ bullet CAN deflate a bus tire by penetrating the sidewalls but it probably wouldn't happen instantly like you see in the movies. However, the cop in this case is most likely correct, with the crowds usually present on Indian roads, it would be irresponsible to open up as the chances of hitting an innocent bystander would be very high. The chances of being able to take a safe shot with clear lines of fire would be difficult.

A bus can still run for miles even if the fan is rendered inoperative. For example, last fall, the electric radiator fan quit in my car. I ran it all winter and didn't replace it till the outside temperatures came close to 100 deg F this summer. While driving down the highway, my temperature gauge never climbed past the half way mark till it got really hot outside.

Also, neither a 9mm or .45 ACP is going to do much to a cast iron engine block, especially one as large as those normally used in buses and trucks. I've shot 3/8 inch cast iron plates with 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP and they didn't phase it. 5.56 NATO rifle bullets at the same 15-20 yards distance did penetrate it.

[Raptor]

HAHAHAHAHA a 9 mill might take out half an inch of rubber, nothin more.You need a 30 cal bullet, to chew through the sidewall.For a bus you need a 50 cal to take out both tires in one hit.And you need to take out the front tires.

The cop could have emptied his 9 mill into the engine block to kill the fan etc.You would need .45 if handguns are used.
If the cop was on a motorcycle, he could have hit the tires by riding about 20 feet away, diagonally.

A .50 cal?!! For a bus tire!!! Cops on motorcycle shooting diagonally at a moving bus on a crowed street!!! Emptying guns into engine blocks when the engine is located to the front and center of a moving behemoth?!!! Taking out two tires with one hit?!!! Shouldn't this be posted the humor section?

[to_saptarshi]

HAHAHAHAHA a 9 mill might take out half an inch of rubber, nothin more.You need a 30 cal bullet, to chew through the sidewall.For a bus you need a 50 cal to take out both tires in one hit.And you need to take out the front tires.

The cop could have emptied his 9 mill into the engine block to kill the fan etc.You would need .45 if handguns are used.
If the cop was on a motorcycle, he could have hit the tires by riding about 20 feet away, diagonally.

A .50 cal?!! For a bus tire!!! Cops on motorcycle shooting diagonally at a moving bus on a crowed street!!! Emptying guns into engine blocks when the engine is located to the front and center of a moving behemoth?!!! Taking out two tires with one hit?!!! Shouldn't this be posted the humor section?

This Kid must be a great fan of Rajnikant movies