Delhi cops skip firing practice

New Delhi, Aug 21: An Right to Information application filed by

reveals that the policemen in Delhi have been regularly skipping the mandatory firing practice.

What's even more shocking is the fact that 2009 – the year succeeding Mumbai terror attacks - saw highest number of policemen abstaining from firing practice.

In 2009, out of 240 Assistant Commissioners of Police, only 27 attended the firing sessions while only 3 out of 40 Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police undertook the practice. Only 7 out of 50 DCPs fired the mandatory rounds in 2009.

The information received by CNN-IBN reveals that 2009 was not an exception. In the last 5 years, the numbers of policemen attending firing practice have been falling continuously.

In 2007, out of 240 ACPs, only 111 fired practice rounds. It went up marginally to 143 in 2008. In 2007, out of about 40 Addl DCPs, only 13 practiced whereas in 2008, it went up to 17.

When asked for a reaction, Delhi Police chose not to comment saying senior officers play only a supervisory role.

OneIndia News