‘COP’ING WITH STRESS-1

How many more lives to ease police's workload?

The number of police officers dying by suicide due to heavy workload leading to various diseases and marital discord is on a rise in Kerala
Call it irony. Police personnel meant to serve and protect the public are often left without adequate cover, making them feel isolated in the milling crowd, and forcing them to take the extreme step, the last one in life.

The civil police officer attached to the Thiruvananthapuram Traffic Enforcement Unit was the last on the list of police officers who had died by suicide due to various reasons, both known and unknown. The officer was found dead the other day.
The list is not a short one. As many as 82 police officers had ended their lives in the past five-and-a-half years. While seven of them took the extreme step due to work pressure, 20 others took the final step due to depression. The motives for the remaining deaths are not known.

Health issue? It's your problem!
The family of an assistant sub-inspector, who died by suicide in Alappuzha one-and-a-half years ago, was medically unfit for night duty. He had even produced a doctor's certificate, warranting him to be spared of night shifts.
Things took a turn once he was assigned Sabarimala duty. His sleep was affected, and his taking medicines also stopped. Though his colleagues' persistent interventions exempted him from Sabarimala duty, it was by then, too late.

The officer went into deep depression and found solace in death's cold embrace. His family felt depression had led him to take the extreme step, but his colleagues blamed mental harassment by seniors for his death. Incidentally, another officer in Alappuzha faced an inhuman situation after he was transferred for seeking an exemption from the weekly parade. He sought exemption since he had recently undergone a bypass surgery.

A narrow escape
The force also has the tale of a thud that saved a policeman from a certain death in Kannur.
Just before attempting to end his life, the officer had sent a message to his colleagues. "Only my body would be taken home. At least the debts will be cleared by death," the message read.

He had been working in Idukki when he was transferred to Kannur. Said to be an expert station writer, he was allegedly transferred based on a false complaint.
The officer left for Kannur, leaving his wife alone in Idukki. Food and medicine came to Rs 10,000 a month, and he found some space on the station's first floor to stay. The intention was to save the rent.

He was elated when the complaint proved to be false. However, his hope of returning to Idukki did not materialise. Realising that a return home was not immediately possible, he tried to hang himself on the station's first floor around 1 am a week ago. However, the table on which he was standing buckled under his weight.
On hearing the noise, personnel on duty rushed upstairs and saved his life. He now faces a case of attempted suicide.

Heavy load and additional projects
What are the daily responsibilities of a police station? The personnel has to probe cases, perform general diary duty, ensure station security, go on jeep and bike patrol, duties of a station writer, operate computers, perform court duty, do public relations, Janamaithri beat, man the women-senior citizen helpdesk and child-friendly desk, deliver summons, escort prisoners, man pickets, control traffic, law and order, work related to Student Police Cadets, escort VIPs and provide security to events.

Additionally, they have to implement new projects IPS officers and ministers announce. Though projects are many, the stations do not have the additional strength to roll them out. Each project should be implemented with the available manpower.

Acts of vengeance
Getting in the bad books of senior officers marks the beginning of a prolonged traumatic experience. The Enquiry, Punishment and Appeal Rule of the police department gives scope for harassment.

The officer at the receiving end will be suspended from service, followed by an inquiry by a senior officer. Whatever the investigating officer's report, the Superintendent of Police holds the power to initiate further action or clear the accused officer of the charges.

In short, once suspended, the SP will decide the fate of the officer concerned. The officer could lose up to three increments. Returning to service is not an easy task. He will have to undergo a month's parade and take up additional sentry and general diary duties. Additionally, the officer will have to undergo courses at the Armed Reserve and Kerala Armed Police camps.

The second stage of the punishment would commence once he is back in service. Once a punishment register is opened, he will not be considered for promotion for three years.

A Section to harass
Section 174, dealing with unnatural deaths, is widely used to punish civil police officers. If someone is run over by a train or dies of burns at a public place, a policeman is required to guard the body. He will be alone even if the scene is an isolated one.

The same CPO is responsible for conducting the inquest and shifting the body to the morgue. At times, the bodies will be days old and decomposing. The CPO assigned under Section 174 is expected to cover the body and carry it to the ambulance, and then to the morgue.
It is alleged that some senior officers wait for cases under Section 174 to assign duty to those who are not in their good books.

The Kazhakoottam story
A study into the strength of the police force was last conducted in 1991. Former DGP MK Joseph was the commission.
Police stations were categorised as A, B, and C based on workload and manpower. However, several stations then with lesser workload, are flooded by cases now.
For instance, the Kazhakoottam police station in Thiruvananthapuram then had a lesser workload. However, later the Technopark came up under its jurisdiction. Residential colonies, too, were established. Cases too increased correspondingly.

Meanwhile, the Home Department in 2016 issued an order, saying CPOs could take charge of investigations into cases barring those on political and communal violence. Consequently, CPOs now have to do sentry duty to case investigations.

Notice for being at wit's end
A driver attached to the Armed Reserve Camp in Alappuzha was served a notice for telling the duty officer that he had no alternative other than suicide to escape the workload-induced stress.
The driver made the statement within a week after another driver of the same camp, ES Sudheesh, had died by suicide. He was served the memo for issuing a "threat".

'Lifeless' job
Striking a work-life balance is almost impossible for police officers, thanks to their heavy workload.
Tales of family life going awry are frequently shared on police WhatsApp groups. Marital discord over skipping family functions like weddings and birthdays often ends up in divorce.

It is alleged that some senior officers insult their subordinates by publicly tearing up and throwing away leave applications made to attend important family functions. Pressure at work and home often makes officers lose control over themselves.

Shortage of manpower
Kerala has 21,488 personnel attached to its 484 police stations, according to estimates.
It means that each station has an average of 44 personnel, and officers from SHOs to those in charge of the general diary are on duty 24 hours a day. A police station requires at least 60 personnel to effectively attend to its responsibilities.

(Reported by: T Ajeesh, MR Harikumar, Lenin Chandran, Jithin Jose, Jojy Simon, PS Sharath. Compilation: Santhosh John Thooval).