COIMBATORE: Coimbatore city police are planning to implement a 'Targeted well-being program' for police personnel who are facing mental health issues and stress due to work. The programme will mainly focus on policemen who are constantly facing allegations of manhandling, police excess and alcohol addiction.
According to official sources, counselling and assistance will be given to the police personnel who are identified as most stressful by their superiors in each police station. The officials hope that a periodical counselling will help them to burst their stress and bring them out of addictions and traumas.
A police officer said, "Usually, the department only conducts a comprehensive wellness programme named Police well-being training once in a year. But this initiative is a regular programme and it will focus only on the selective people who have a history of alcohol and tobacco usage, and violent behaviour which leads them to manhandle and excess with the public."
A senior police official, who did not wish to be named, said, "We know that many personnel in the force are addicted to alcohol and smoking. Mental stress is the cause of such habits. Therefore, we have taken this initiative and it will benefit them personally as well as the community."
City police commissioner Pradip Kumar said the aim of the programme is not to belittle any policeman by their character or habits. "We are trying to correct their problems. In order to make the police personnel comfortable, the counselling sessions will be held personally and without the knowledge of their colleagues," he said.
He further added that families can greatly help in fixing the problems of the policeman if he is depressed.