KOLLAM: If a couple of recent incidents of ‘misconduct’ by Kerala Police personnel are any indication, one could infer that some among the force are reluctant to follow the force’s motto of ‘Be polite but firm’ and are in need of an urgent ‘refresher’ course.
In a bid to persuade the officers to adhere to the force’s motto ‘Be polite but firm’ (Mridu bhave dhrida kruthye), State Police Chief Loknath Behera has given approval to a ‘Refresher training programme’ in which personnel from the rank of Civil Police Officer to Deputy Superintendent of Police will be given a ‘crash course’ on soft skills. Meanwhile, it has been found that even though similar programmes were initiated in the past, a majority of them missed the target by a mile, as ‘being polite’ is yet to be taken up by the personnel in its earnestness.
“The training, aimed at officers from CPO to DSP, will be provided in a phased manner. Classes on improving communication skills, dealing with women and children, front office management, attending phone calls, handling of accused and victims and general behaviour will be arranged. They will be handled by experts from the respective fields. The programme module prepared by P Prakash, Principal, Police Training College, has been accepted by the State Police Chief,” said the DGP’s Office.
On the other hand, State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) Chairman Justice K Narayana Kurup told ‘Express’ that a thorough education on human rights and Constitutional rights must be made compulsory for the personnel on ground. “The general feeling among police personnel is that they are immune to the rules and regulations. Thus, they believe that they can get away with any offence. It’s high time that such beliefs are dispelled.
For that, training programmes must be introduced at regular intervals for the force,” said Kurup.
Pointing out an example of the complaints of misconduct by police officers, Kurup said that in recent times, the SPCA had received about three dozen complaints against the 2014 batch of sub-inspectors.
“If you want to proof for loopholes in the training, a good example is this batch. The entire batch is notorious for their nasty behaviour and use of foul language. Something is wrong with them and this should act as an example so that in future, the shortcomings in the training programme are fixed,” added Kurup.