LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Police has begin training its personnel on how to deal with COVID-19 infected criminals, as 500 policemen have tested positive for the disease while seven have died so far in the state, a senior police official said.
Additional Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police 112, Aseem Arun, in a statement issued here on Thursday, said, "Police personnel have been instructed that if they apprehend any criminal or a suspect or ask someone to stop for a search, they should assume that he may be a COVID-19 patient."
He said that to ensure better policing, police personnel are being told modern methods of search and patrolling.
"Besides, they are being told about precautions to be taken if they have to arrest anyone. All this is a part of the new training," he said.
Arun said after the COVID-19 outbreak, 567 policemen have been infected so far, of which 533 have recovered, 27 are undergoing treatment while seven have died.
The ADGP said that police personnel posted in the emergency service have been instructed to use masks while apprehending or interrogating any culprit and wash their hands with soap.
"If a person is a suspected case of COVID-19, then be extra careful and also change their clothes," he said.
In the training, the personnel are also being told about the "Mission Shakti" campaign launched in the state for instilling a sense of security among women, the statement said.
Till now, 3,174 police personnel have been given training in 72 districts of the state.
About 32,000 police personnel are deployed in the police emergency service 112.
Out of these, 3,000 police personnel are deployed on four-wheelers, while 1,500 policemen are deployed on two-wheelers.