KARACHI, April 4 Most of the 1,700 police personnel, including 18 women from the interior of Sindh, who have recently completed their commando training are aware of the fact that their course lacked two basic components of an anti-terrorism exercise swimming and sharpshooting.

Although the Benazir Bhutto Anti-terrorism Training Centre, Razzaqabad — the province's only centre for elite training — serves hundreds of would-be police commandos every year, it does so without a swimming pool and a firing simulator.

“During the commando training course at the Razzaqabad centre, policemen learn how to operate a submachine gun (7.62mm calibre), an AK-47 assault rifle — commonly known as Kalashnikov — and a G-3 rifle,” said an official at the centre located on the outskirts of the city on the National Highway.“Sharpshooting is one of the commando training courses aimed at improving shooting skills of trainees. The course demands complete accuracy in firing. But, in the absence of the facility [a firing simulator] it becomes difficult and a time-consuming exercise to measure the level of accuracy of a shooter.”

The official said “The simulator helps rating firing expertise of a shooter. Currently, trainee commandos are required to fire in the open field and hit targets in the open. The practice never helps measure the level of accuracy with which a firer takes an aim, shoots and hits a target.”

“Under such circumstances, practically, there is no course being offered to prepare sharpshooters in the Sindh police and it is entirely upon the natural skill or personal capacity of a policeman that makes him a good shooter.”

Lack of proper and modern facilities at the centre had damaged the scope of overall training, the official said, adding that the training could be made more effective with the help of modern equipment.The training centre that was renamed after the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto lacks many basic facilities, as the relevant authorities have yet to address the issue of ageing arms being used for the training of would-be police commandos.

The indifferent police authorities and a lack of resources affect the centre's ability to produce well-trained commandos, who are considered instrumental when handling serious operations in regular policing.

Agreeing that commando training can be improved to an advanced level, police high-ups claim that there was a realisation at the highest level. They expect that some practical steps will be taken on these lines gradually.

“We have very serious concerns over the issue of capacity of our commandos and their skills,” said Capital City Police Officer Waseem Ahmed.

“We have a number of commandos in the city police. They serve the purpose to a great extent. But, of course, under the new security challenges their training capacity and anti-terror skills are needed to be enhanced.”

A senior official said that considering such handicaps, the Sindh police had recently invited tenders for the construction of a swimming pool at the Razzaqabad training centre.

“But there is no progress on the issue of importing a firing simulator,” he added.

“The facility is badly missed at times when the trainee commandos remain unable to learn the accuracy of their firing skills during their entire six-month training period.”

Experts believe that amid rising level of terror threats, the police force stay at the forefront to meet that challenge, which deserve all due training and benefits.

“It's ironical that you declare someone a commando, who is supposed to perform sensitive jobs and execute important operations, but you don't offer him due resources and training for that particular assignment,” said Sharfuddin Memon, a former chief of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee.

“The police authorities and the government need to make a policy to ensure that the level of threat is analysed and all required resources for the police force to meet such challenges are subsequently recommended and arranged.”