RANCHI: Cops posted in different police stations will be given one-day weekly off, Director General of Police (DGP) MV Rao on Wednesday announced. He said the facility will be provided only to those posted in police stations and not other police offices.
The decision is taken by the police headquarters keeping the mental pressure they undergo during the duty hours. The initiative is expected to release mental tension among cops on field duty so that they can rejuvenate during their off days.
The DGP said if this initiative works in police stations, it may be extended to other offices of the department.
“From January 1, 2021, every police personnel posted in police stations will be given a day-long weekly off. If it worked, then this arrangement could be extended to other police offices,” said DGP Rao.
Police personnel, however, did not seem to be very enthusiastic about this arrangement and termed it an eyewash.
“Merely making an announcement is not going to help us until it is put on the ground,” said state president of Jharkhand Police Men’s Association Rakesh Kumar Pandey.
Notably, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) has already recommended that duty hours for policemen must be restricted to 8 hours and should be given a weekly off.