Delhi Commissioner SN Srivastava quoted in an interview on Sunday, “I can’t risk the lives of my policemen to manage the crowd at liquor shops”. For boosting the morale of the personnel who have to often encounter despairing circumstances, for this, he said there should be welfare systems in police similar to the ones implemented by the armed forces.
On the protocol for the policeman who tests corona positive Srivastava noted that personnel have been asked to report to their seniors immediately if they feel unwell, which will enable the matter to be handled instantly. “The health of every police personnel is important to me. We review and discuss these issues also at the daily meetings. All police buildings and colonies have been sanitised. All station house officers have been told that stations must be as clean as intensive care units. I make surprise visits to keep everyone on toes. Personnel have been asked to report to their seniors immediately if they feel unwell. This way the matter can be handled immediately. It is the responsibility of the seniors to keep the staff well-motivated, healthy and well-briefed.” said SN Srivastava.
“Cops have been given safety equipment such as gloves, masks and PPE, depending on where they have been deployed. Small tents with water, sanitisers and resting facility have been installed near pickets. Every policeman has been provided with immunity booster kits. The work of policemen is getting multiplied and diversified”, he added.
He mentioned that there are dedicated testing centres for police personnel at Shalimar Bagh. He noted that for quarantining 1,000 personnel various guesthouses, schools and hotel have been taken over.
He stated that a special commissioner-rank officer is appointed for looking at the well-being of corona positive cops and also their families.
For counselling infected personnel and their families, Delhi Police has tied up with the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences.
On the handling of the crowd by policemen in these times, Srivastava said, “When orders are issued, we have to plan its implementation. We need to be hands-on. Take the case of opening liquor shops. When the government decided to open the shops, I was not willing to risk the lives of my policemen at these liquor shops. Only 20% of the shops were opened first.”
“I ordered the closure of all those shops on Wednesday because the crowd was too much. I do not want to risk the lives of my policemen. Why should he push and shove all those people? Why should so many people crowd there in the first place? It is not a football match. The shops will be opened only after the online token system is implemented properly”, he added.
For allaying the threat and fear among cops, who feel they might carry the disease to their homes, Delhi Commissioner said that they are not to go back to their homes but to stay at the centres earmarked for cops by the DCP.
For boosting the morale of police personnel posted on difficult postings, Delhi Commissioner said that he releases messages to them through video and audio clips to keep their morale uplifted.
