Arms licences go digital in Gurugram come August

The current arms licences, in the form of booklets, will be withdrawn, and licences will be issued in the form of smart cards, said police officers

From August, the Gurugram police will issue digital arms licences in the form of smart cards to gun owners in the district, police officers familiar with the development said on Wednesday, adding that the current arms licences, which are in the form of booklets, will be withdrawn.

Since October 2009, the police have issued arms licences to 6,627 people in Gurugram district, according to district data. (Representational Image/HT Archive)

An arms licence records information about the arms and ammunition a person can carry. Currently, the licence is a manual record in the form of a booklet. For licence holders and police officers, this poses many problems, such as a lengthy and time-consuming verification process at police checkpoints, airports, and borders and the potential for tampering with the licence itself.

The smart card, in contrast, will not only be easy to carry, but will also have an inherent security feature, and contain all information, including the licence holder’s photo, licence number, complete address with mobile number, and the licence’s date and year of expiry, said a senior police officer.

In addition to the smart card, an app will be launched that will allow for dynamic and real-time checking of arms licences at police checkpoints, airports, and borders, as well as by police patrols and inspectors, according to a senior police officer with knowledge of the matter.

“The card will have a chip, similar to a driving licence, and all information will be accessible as soon as it is scanned. It will be linked to a server, and the police will be able to access it from anywhere,” said Madan Singh, the in-charge of arms licences in the Gurugram police.

“Previously, verifying an arms licence was lengthy and time-consuming, but it will be just a click away after we launch the smart card. For example, if a police officer or member of a crime team recovers guns or other weapons from a suspect, they will be able to check the details of the weapons easily. It will help the police determine whether the person carrying arms is a legitimate licence holder or an anti-social element,” said a police officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The smart card arms licence will be launched in five districts, beginning with Gurugram and progressing to others, said police officers. Licence holders will be notified via email and SMS to fill out details for the new cards. Police officers, however, said there is no clarity yet on how much the smart card will cost.

According to Singh, one of the issues with the booklet arms licence, in which all the information was written manually, was that of tampering, about which the police received many complaints. But according to senior police officers, the smart cards will be secure.

Singh said data from the arms licence booklets has been transferred to an Excel sheet, which will be uploaded on the smart cards through software. “We are planning to add features that will be easily accessible by police teams deployed in the field and at borders to check for illegal arms and ammunition. They will be able to verify the credentials of the arms licence,” said Singh, adding, “The cards will be printed in-house after the data of arms licence holders has been verified.”

After the cards are launched, the previously issued booklets will be withdrawn. Since October 2009, the police have issued arms licences to 6,627 people in the district, according to district data.