Plans are afoot to make better marksmen of Calcutta’s policemen. A Telegraph picture

A couple of months ago, two constables of Lake police station caught an armed robber, part of a six-member gang, after a chase at midnight through Jodhpur Park. The gangster’s accomplices, however, challenged the constables and managed to release him.

As the robbers ran away, one of the constables took out his revolver and pulled the trigger twice from a close range, but only hit a roadside wall. The robbers escaped.

Taking a cue from such incidents — because of the policeman’s lack of interest in shooting practice — Lalbazar has decided tread the path of the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Calcutta police will introduce new methods of training based on those used in the US to make cops better marksmen.

“Bullets will not be required for practising. Policemen will, instead, be provided with laser-guided pistols and they will aim at targets displayed on a screen,” said Kuldiep Singh, the additional commissioner (IV) of Calcutta police.

“Policemen hardly visit the firing range. They are supposed to go there twice a year,” said an officer, adding that the new system may motivate them to practise regularly.

The police records show that officers posted in departments that deal with armed criminals have not visited the firing range for several years.

“I went for practise three-and-a-half years ago. Since then, I have never pulled a trigger. The new system sounds interesting. I will definitely want to experience the thrill of it at least once a month,” said an officer of the detective department’s dacoity section.

Another senior officer of anti-rowdy squad said his last visit to the firing range was four years ago. “That was the first time I learnt how to use a 9mm pistol. I have now forgotten how to fire one,” he said.

In other states, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, it is mandatory for the officers of special units to practise shooting on a regular basis. Personnel attached to special wings, like the Special Task Force in Lucknow and Crime Branch in Mumbai, visit the shooting range thrice a year and fire more than 30 rounds of bullets on each occasion.

In Calcutta, it is not mandatory to practise shooting and when policemen go for it, they are not allowed to fire more than a dozen bullets.

The Lalbazar top brass is enthusiastic about the new system. “Currently, the policemen fire at fixed targets. In the new system they will experience the thrill of a real-life shootout,” said Pradip Chatterjee, the joint commissioner of police (administration).

“The computerised giant screen will show real-life situations, such as gangsters hiding in a highrise or a shootout with kidnappers on a busy street. The computer will show whether the officers managed to hit the targets,” added Chatterjee.