The Nepali Army (NA) has provided arms and ammunition to Nepal Police. Chief of Army Staff Purna Chandra Thapa handed the weapons including INSAS, SLRs, bullets, and necessary parts to Inspector General of Police Shailesh Thapa amidst a programme at the NA headquarters today.
The NA has provided 300 weapons and 42,370 pieces of related ammunition to Nepal Police.
As per the decision of the Council of Ministers on May 31, the NA will provide 10,818 units of weapons and 1,494,016 rounds of ammunition and necessary parts to the police in three phases.
Nepal Police had sought arms and ammunition for several purposes like training, security of distinguished and VIP personalities, office security, and security during big national events. The NA personnel will train Nepal Police personnel on the maintenance and handling of the given arms and ammunition. The army will hand over the remaining weapons to the police by April next year.
On the occasion, an agreement paper in this regard was exchanged between Colonel Rajendra Mani Giri and Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Thapa.
The two security agencies of the nation have been conducting joint operations in some cases to maintain peace and security. The availability of more arms to the Nepal Police is expected to enhance its institutional capacity.
According to NA Spokesperson Brigadier General Santosh Ballabh Poudel, the army at the request of Nepal Police provided weapons from its stock as per the decision of the government.
Earlier, the NA had provided 600 INSAS (infantry arms) to the Armed Police Force Nepal on July 29, 2020.