Around 30 cops die by suicide every year in Kerala due to work pressure

Thiruvanananthapuram: In an alarming development, the Intelligence Department in the state has found that around 30 police personnel commit suicide in the state every year following work pressure and mental stress. Moreover, around 100 police officers seek voluntary retirement owing to the same reasons during this period.

Higher officials in the police force have directed District Police Chiefs to collect exact numbers on this trend after two police officers, including M P Sudhish, a senior civil police officer at Kuttiady station, took their own lives within a month.

Shocking details
The main findings of the Intelligence on this issue were:
• Most police stations in Kerala are understaffed. In total, over 7,000 posts are vacant across the state.
• Police officers have to work on shifts lasting 12 to 18 hours. There are no resting rooms in most police stations.
• Even though investigation and law and order duties have been demarcated, sufficient officers are unavailable to share the work in many stations.
• At least 10 officers in lower ranks are given ‘attachment’ duty with higher officials and VIPs in every station.
• Officers are under pressure from higher-ups to earn revenue by filing petty cases. However, they face resistance from the public in this regard. At the same time, failure to meet targets leads to abuse from seniors.
• While approaching courts, five copies of the first information report (FIR) have to be produced. No police station has facilities for this purpose.
• Station house officers are forced to purchase breathalyzers to detect drunk driving.
• At least four police officers are deployed for night patrolling. This leads to a shortage of officers to carry out duty during the daytime.