Kerala - Kochi   

Wide range of police equipment on display

KOCHI: Faced with an angry mob, the police have a number of equipment ranging from grenades and shells of varying powers to water canon and teargas to deal with the situation.

But what if a constable comes across a particularly violent miscreant whom he/she finds difficult to overpower? That is where the Self Protection Aerosol Device (SPAD) comes in handy.

This and many such equipment, which help police in their day-to-day work, are on display at the two-day exhibition that started at the Durbar Hall ground on Saturday.

Vinson M. Paul, Inspector General of Police (Ernakulam range) inaugurated the exhibition organised as part of Janamaitri Onaharsham, Onam celebrations of the city police. City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham and other top police officials in the district were present.

A relatively new tool in the kitty of police, SPAD is meant for the self-protection of the policeman on duty and to quell individual violence. Cylindrically shaped, it is filled with irritant aerosol that can be sprayed at a targeted person four to six feet away.

It causes irritation in the eyes and nostrils, immobilising the troublemaker for a brief period, giving the police personnel enough time to take control of the situation.

“He may be thinking of aggressive tactics to escape but would not be able to execute it,” a police constable at the stall displaying riot control equipment explained. The stall also featured different types of handcuffs from the present and the past eras.

The stall that evoked the most nostalgic memories was perhaps the one on the achievements of Kerala police in sports. Photos of the likes of late V.P. Satyan, former captain of the Kerala police football team and the Indian team, the volleyball legend Udayakumar, and the numerous trophies in display were testimony of a glorious past of the Kerala police in the sporting arena.

The alco meter displayed at the stall of the traffic police also drew much attention. Used for detecting drunken driving, it gives an instant reading on the percentage of alcohol consumed. Kept alongside was a breath analyzer, the standard tool used for detecting drunken driving. Digital speed radar that could assess the breach of speed limit within a radius of 8 km was also displayed.

The stall of the bomb detection and disposal squad featured an explosives detector, deep search metal detector, handheld metal detector, and doorframe metal detector.

The stall displaying arms and ammunition features rifles, pistols and cartridges of different specifications.

Later in the evening, film actor Suresh Gopi inaugurated the cultural programmes of Onaharsham.

Police uniforms from the pre-independence period to the present were displayed.

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