Kundapur: Overburdened Town Police Personnel Struggle to Carry Out Duties
Daijiworld Media Network—Kundapur (RD/CN)
Kundapur, Sep 22: The town police station which has been facing a shortage of personnel witnessed further worsening of its condition. The police personnel here are overburdened with duties without any
time for themselves.
The town police personnel are overburdened by the workload despite there being separate outposts for women and introduction of mobile police lately. Even though there are three separate police stations,
registration of almost every offence and investigation is done by the town police.
The mobile police station has been entrusted the duties of responding to the issues of highway patrol and security of the shores of the Arabian Sea. The mobile police are instructed to respond to the above
issues while the First Information Report (FIR) is registered only at the town police station. The policemen at the town station have to get the relevant paperwork done.
The policewomen at the outpost are also entrusted with the duties of responding to various issues while the town station registers the case and does follow-ups till justice is done. The town station functions
with a minimum number of policemen who are overburdened with the additional tasks of both women and mobile police. As a result, they are faced with difficulties that make it hard to respond to the
issues of the general public or fulfill their work commitments.
The women police outpost has 22 personnel including a sub-inspector and assistant sub-inspector each. Thirty-six cases were registered at the women police station here in the past three years. The records show a decline in the number of cases over the years. Meanwhile, 12 cases were registered at the
women’s police station this year. It’s significant that the city police personnel had to conduct investigations on the cases registered at the women police outpost. The women police personnel seem to be wasting their duty hours and are equally frustrated over the situation.
Although, they are seeking postings in busy police stations their demands are not being fulfilled. The tragedy is that they get paid for no work. The mobile police station that was approved a few months ago has 23 personnel including a sub-inspector and assistant sub-inspector each working efficiently to improve the situation. The personnel serving at the mobile station have lessened some of the burden of the town police, since the former swiftly responds to the issues of highway safety and security of sea shore. Meanwhile, the police personnel entrusted with the duties of mobile patrol are not supposed to register FIR of any cases and conduct investigations.
The senior officers are expected to take note of this key issue. In spite of the mobile police elsewhere
who are entrusted with the duties of registering the FIR and related tasks, why are the mobile police in Kundapur taluk not allowed to do these tasks is the million dollar question.
A maximum of 450 cases are registered at the town police station during 2008–09. However, so far 300 cases have been registered during 2009–10. The town police station registers more cases when compared to other stations at Gangolli, Byndoor, Amasebail, Shankaranarayana, and Kollur. Despite the town station being approved to have 48 police personnel, only 32 are at the station.
The state authorities are expected to respond to the grievances as the personnel live in dilapidated quarters and work in deplorable buildings. The police personnel serving here are worried since the
proposal for the new police station building, new residential quarters and demand for the benefits of rural police station remain just on file.
Despite the adversities, the police personnel at the town station are discharging their responsibilities out of their devotion to their duty.