Turkish police to buy 100,000 gas bomb cartridges

ISTANBUL

Police fire tear gas as riot police spray water cannon at demonstrators near Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, June 16, 2013.AP Photo

The Turkish National Police will hold an unplanned tender for 100,000 new gas bomb cartridges and 60 water cannon vehicles, daily Milliyet reported.

The excessive use of gas bomb cartridges by police – 130,000 cartridges in 20 days due to the Gezi Park protests that started in Istanbul and spread to 77 provinces across Turkey – led to a sharp fall of gas bombs in police stocks.

The National Police had bought 150,000 cartridges in 2013 in line with the annual plan.

A total of 60 antiriot water cannon vehicles, 45 Mass Incident Intervention Vehicles (TOMA) and 15 Shortlands, are also planned to be bought through the same tender. The TOMAs and Shortlands – smaller in size than TOMAs – have received excessive damage during the protests, according to Milliyet.

The Supply and Maintenance Department, which is organizing the tender, plans to purchase the cartridges and armored vehicles through the Prime Ministry discretionary fund, in case the Treasury responds negatively on a new budget