237. Instructions about arms and ammunition issued to police-station. [§ 12, Act V, 1861].
(a)Muskets shall be issued to police-stations and other police posts up to the sanctioned scale. Ammunition shall be issued for these muskets at the following scale :-Ball - 20 rounds per weapon.Buckshot - 10 rounds per police post, viz., thana, station boat, floating outpost, patrol launch, etc.(b)All arms and ammunition shall be entered, when received, in the list of Crown property maintained in the police-station, the entry being signed by the officer-in-charge who will be personally responsible for the safe custody and maintenance of the arms and ammunition, and for seeing that they are not misused.(c)At each police-station to which arms have been issued, there should be at least 3 "trained men", i.e., those who have done their musketry course within two years. These men should not all be absent from the station at one time.(d)Arms shall be kept in the malkhana in strong wooden racks of a standard pattern provided with locking arrangement and secured by a padlock, and ammunition in a locked box which shall be kept well-raised off the ground in the malkhana. The keys shall remain with the officer-in-charge who shall be responsible for the distribution and return of the arms and ammunition. When leaving the police-station temporarily i.e., when going to the mufassil or on other similar duties, the officer-in-charge shall note in the general diary the number of arms and the quantity of ammunition in stock, and the officer who remains in charge shall satisfy himself by personal examination of the presence of the arms and ammunition, and acknowledge their receipt in the general diary. The keys of the rack of arms and of the ammunition boxes shall also be made over to the relieving officer and duly noted and acknowledge in the general diary.At town outposts and platform posts to which arms have been supplied, the arms rack shall be attached to the building and provided with a lock. The keys of the arms rack and of the ammunition box shall be kept by the officer on duty.(e)At mufassil police-stations to which arms have been supplied, a constable should be on duty at the station premises during the day and one should sleep against the door of the malkhana at night. The Superintendent, the Circle Inspector or the officer-in-charge of the police-station may order an armed sentry carrying 5 rounds of buckshot ammunition to be mounted at night if local conditions necessitate such action. The sentry shall be relieved at regular intervals under the supervision of a Sub-Inspector or an Assistant Sub-Inspector.(f)At town police-stations a regular sentry shall always be on duty in uniform and shall be relieved every two hours. The officer-in-charge of the station shall assemble the men present at the station every morning and evening and tell off the constables in the order of their watch for the ensuing day or night and enter the orders in the general diary. An Assistant Sub-Inspector or a senior constable shall be placed in charge of the watch, and he shall see that the sentries are relieved at the proper time during the night. He shall always sleep close to the sentry so that his assistance can be obtained, if necessary, without the sentry leaving his post. He shall rouse the officer-in-charge of the station at any hour when he is required for public service.(g)Every morning the arms, etc., shall be cleaned, oiled and rubbed over and shall be inspected by the officer-in-charge and a note made in the general diary about their condition. For this purpose the police-stations will be supplied with oil, lubricating, G.S. as well as oil bottles for use when the arms are taken out.(h)The quantity of arms and ammunition sanctioned for each police-station or post shall be always maintained at the maximum, that is to say, arms or ammunition recalled to headquarters shall first be replaced by a new issue. Empty cases of ammunition expended shall also be sent to the Armed Inspector, who shall recoup the amount expended without delay. The Armed Inspector shall be responsible for seeing that arms are recalled to headquarters once each half year and fresh arms supplied from the magazine. On the commencement of the annual musketry course, the unexpended ammunition in police-station stocks shall be brought in and fired, fresh supplies being sent previously.(i)The arms and ammunition kept in police-stations are intended for the suppression of serious riots likely to be attended with loss of life, or for cases in which the officer-in-charge of the police-station has reason to believe that the person to be proceeded against may be armed with deadly weapons. On such an occasion arising, the officer-in-charge of a police-station shall issue such number of arms as may be necessary with 20 rounds of ball ammunition per arm. If more than one constable is taken out, the senior of the trained constable shall take charge of the armed party and act as squad commander under the orders of the Sub-Inspector or Assistant Sub-Inspector or head constable.Attention of all police-station officers is drawn to regulations 145-157 in which further details as to the use of firearms in riots and disturbances are given.
