Weapons and Equipment
The weapons and equipment issued vary from state to state and agency to agency. The standard equipment for a constable on their beat is the lathi (not to be confused with traditional 6 to 8 ft long ones) or baton which is generally made of bamboo but recently polymer ones are also being issued. Indian police officers generally do not carry firearms when on regular duty, though they are always available at police stations. These include .303 Lee Enfield rifles (being phased out), 7.62 1A Self Loading Rifles, and SAF Carbine 2A1s. The Indian Ordnance Factories Board is the sole supplier of arms, ammunition, uniforms, bullet-proof vehicles, mine protected vehicles.
Some special units in the state and federal level police forces may also have additional automatic weapons such as A-7, AKM, INSAS assault rifles and Bren guns. Officers of and above the rank of Sub-Inspector are authorized to carry a sidearm, generally a 9 mm Browning pistol or a Glock 17. Recently, after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks the Home Ministry decided to also issue a pistol to Head Constables. Police commandos and newly raised SWAT units also use Heckler & Koch MP5s, Brügger & Thomet MP9s, AK-103s, and M4A1 Carbines.
Read more about this topic: Law Enforcement In India
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