Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 16: On account of the coronavirus situation in the district, there has been a thorough change in the way the police personnel have been functioning. Changes have been affected in the department to enable the police to ably handle the responsibility of maintaining law and order in addition to contributing to corona situation management.

Now, people have been barred from entering police stations. Separate arrangements have been made outside the stations to receive complaints. Complaints are also received through online and phone. Glass cabins have been asked to be erected to receive complaints at the reception area.

Mangaluru police commissionerate

The state home department has issued guidelines to provide treatment separately for the police personnel in hospitals, and to make sure that only bare minimum staff remain in the police stations as they are known to spread the disease. Police personnel aged over 50 have been asked to work from home. The staff, after their duty hours, have to sanitise the stations. The police posted at COVID hospitals, graveyards etc are provided with masks, headgear, gloves and PPE kits. The police are also provided with Ayush/Ayurveda medicinal supplements to improve resistance against diseases.

The police entrusted with outdoor duties get four days rest after ten days of duty. They cannot visit the stations after their duty when doing outstation duties. They have to come to the station only after their rest days are exhausted. After a batch of police complete their outdoor duty quota, another batch is given responsibility in their place.

Police commissioner Vikash Kumar, said that 39 policemen from the commissionerate have tested positive for the infection so far and 16 among them have been discharged. Sixty-three are in quarantine because of primary contact. District superintendent of police Laxmi Prasad, said that police personnel even if they are aged less than 50, are not sent on outdoor duties if they suffer from health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes etc. As per guidelines, police personnel aged over 50 have to work from home. He said 20 percent of police staff in the district are aged over 50 and if all of them are allowed to work from home, the department might suffer from staff shortage.