KP bomb disposal unit receives robots, safety gear
New equipment will save lives of BDU officers, officials say
A bomb disposal unit (BDU) member demonstrates techniques used to defuse bombs at BDU headquarters in the Special Branch Police office in Peshawar in August. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recently received safety equipment, which the BDU officer is wearing, and four robots to defuse bombs. [Javed Khan]
By Javed Aziz Khan2012-09-12
PESHAWAR – The bomb disposal unit (BDU) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police in August received four robots that will be used to detect and defuse explosives, officials said.
The robots, a gift from the British High Commission, should provide a greater degree of safety for policemen confronting explosives, most of which are planted by militants.
After BDU members finish their training, they’ll be able to deploy the robots to scan suspicious items and defuse explosives that turn up.
“We will keep two robots in Peshawar while the other two will be sent to different ranges,” BDU chief and assistant inspector general (AIG) of KP Police, Shafqat Malik, told Central Asia Online.The Peshawar units will be deployable in nearby districts and tribal agencies as needed, he said.
The BDU also received safety kits and updated devices to help minimise the risk of injury or death of BDU staff.
“The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police would be probably the force that has detected and defused the most number of explosives in the world,” said Malik. “The unit has sacrificed eight of its specialists (2007-2009), but our men are not so vulnerable anymore, as from now the robots will detect and defuse explosives for them.”
“We are probably the first ones in Asia to have the latest robotic technology to detect and defuse explosives at a time when we are struck with worst kind of terrorism,” Malik said.
If a suspicious package requires inspection, the BDU will send a team to a spot near the suspected explosives but far enough away to keep them safe. A commander will manipulate the robot to scan for explosives and destroy any bomb material it finds.
Twenty BDU members are learning to operate the machines, Akhtar Ali Shah, AIG of the Special Branch of KP Police, said.
“The technology is the latest, and that is why they are being imparted orientation and training about the robotic technology to handle and defuse explosives,” Ali told Central Asia Online.
The robots and staff will be ready for operations after training ends in mid-September, he said.
Police officers praised the arrival of the robots.
“It will definitely help reduce risk to the BDU experts and other policemen while defusing any explosive device,” Hangu District Police Officer Dr. Mian Saeed told Central Asia Online. “New technology is always a blessing.”
Bombs in KP
Police used to receive reports of potential explosives across the province almost daily, Karak District Police Chief Mohammad Sajjad Khan said. “The new technology would increase the defusing ratio as the experts would be more confident in dismantling the material after having a sense of protection,” Khan said, adding that the robots will “protect our assets,” referring to police officers.
KP has witnessed countless terrorist attacks during the past eight years that have killed and wounded thousands of people. Some 53 bomb blasts through mid-August killed 90 and wounded 270 others in Peshawar alone; a total of 137 blasts occurred in KP during the period, killing 138 and wounding more than 425.
“Our eight experts were killed while dismantling explosives,” Malik said. “We have also lost many policemen during these actions, while some were wounded. This is not an easy job. You know what you are going to handle can kill you."
KP security personnel, though, defuse an estimated 70% of all bombs, he said, and have prevented more than 2,500 bombs in the region from going off, he said.
The BDU had its busiest year in 2009 when more than 330 people were killed and up to 980 were wounded in 51 blasts in Peshawar alone.
Peshawarites praise the BDU officers for saving so many lives while risking their own.
“What the BDU has done during the last five years or so has no example in any part of the world,” said Zahid Hussain Khan, a former union council nazim from Peshawar. “The wing needs to be properly rewarded by the federal government and the police in terms of awards and facilities.”
Source http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/pakistan/main/2012/09/12/feature-02?mobile=true
A bomb disposal unit (BDU) member demonstrates techniques used to defuse bombs at BDU headquarters in the Special Branch Police office in Peshawar in August. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recently received safety equipment, which the BDU officer is wearing, and four robots to defuse bombs. [Javed Khan]
By Javed Aziz Khan2012-09-12
PESHAWAR – The bomb disposal unit (BDU) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police in August received four robots that will be used to detect and defuse explosives, officials said.
The robots, a gift from the British High Commission, should provide a greater degree of safety for policemen confronting explosives, most of which are planted by militants.
After BDU members finish their training, they’ll be able to deploy the robots to scan suspicious items and defuse explosives that turn up.
“We will keep two robots in Peshawar while the other two will be sent to different ranges,” BDU chief and assistant inspector general (AIG) of KP Police, Shafqat Malik, told Central Asia Online.The Peshawar units will be deployable in nearby districts and tribal agencies as needed, he said.
The BDU also received safety kits and updated devices to help minimise the risk of injury or death of BDU staff.
“The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police would be probably the force that has detected and defused the most number of explosives in the world,” said Malik. “The unit has sacrificed eight of its specialists (2007-2009), but our men are not so vulnerable anymore, as from now the robots will detect and defuse explosives for them.”
“We are probably the first ones in Asia to have the latest robotic technology to detect and defuse explosives at a time when we are struck with worst kind of terrorism,” Malik said.
If a suspicious package requires inspection, the BDU will send a team to a spot near the suspected explosives but far enough away to keep them safe. A commander will manipulate the robot to scan for explosives and destroy any bomb material it finds.
Twenty BDU members are learning to operate the machines, Akhtar Ali Shah, AIG of the Special Branch of KP Police, said.
“The technology is the latest, and that is why they are being imparted orientation and training about the robotic technology to handle and defuse explosives,” Ali told Central Asia Online.
The robots and staff will be ready for operations after training ends in mid-September, he said.
Police officers praised the arrival of the robots.
“It will definitely help reduce risk to the BDU experts and other policemen while defusing any explosive device,” Hangu District Police Officer Dr. Mian Saeed told Central Asia Online. “New technology is always a blessing.”
Bombs in KP
Police used to receive reports of potential explosives across the province almost daily, Karak District Police Chief Mohammad Sajjad Khan said. “The new technology would increase the defusing ratio as the experts would be more confident in dismantling the material after having a sense of protection,” Khan said, adding that the robots will “protect our assets,” referring to police officers.
KP has witnessed countless terrorist attacks during the past eight years that have killed and wounded thousands of people. Some 53 bomb blasts through mid-August killed 90 and wounded 270 others in Peshawar alone; a total of 137 blasts occurred in KP during the period, killing 138 and wounding more than 425.
“Our eight experts were killed while dismantling explosives,” Malik said. “We have also lost many policemen during these actions, while some were wounded. This is not an easy job. You know what you are going to handle can kill you."
KP security personnel, though, defuse an estimated 70% of all bombs, he said, and have prevented more than 2,500 bombs in the region from going off, he said.
The BDU had its busiest year in 2009 when more than 330 people were killed and up to 980 were wounded in 51 blasts in Peshawar alone.
Peshawarites praise the BDU officers for saving so many lives while risking their own.
“What the BDU has done during the last five years or so has no example in any part of the world,” said Zahid Hussain Khan, a former union council nazim from Peshawar. “The wing needs to be properly rewarded by the federal government and the police in terms of awards and facilities.”
Source http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/pakistan/main/2012/09/12/feature-02?mobile=true
Comments