The group said it found that only 20 percent of the total 400,000 National Police officers were equipped with firearms, the majority of which was either outdated, rusty or broken.

IPW chairman Neta S. Pane believed poor weapons used by the police had contributed to a growing number of misaimed shots and officers killed by criminals or terrorists.

According to IPW data, the number of cases involving misaimed shots increased to 20 in 2015 from 13 in the previous year.

The watchdog also recorded at least 10 officers killed by criminals or terrorists every year since 2012. Meanwhile, 41 police officers were killed in 2014, a five-year high.

“The lack of proper weapons owned by the National Police will badly impact on-duty officers in the field, because weapons and other equipment will protect the officers as well as the public,” Neta said in a statement on Tuesday.

“How can officers ensure the safety of the people if they are unable to protect themselves,” he went on.

Neta further highlighted the urgency for the police to improve its weaponry especially ahead of the regional elections next year, and the 2019 simultaneous legislative and presidential elections. Improved weaponry capacity is needed to anticipate escalating security threats, he added. (msa/ebf)

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