Anonymous letter might improve Delhi Police’s working hours

Last month, the Police Commissioner Alok Verma received an anonymous letter that wrote about the difficulties of being a policeman. One of the points raised in the letter was long working hours and now, proving that he was indeed paying attention, Verma is doing his bit to improve the lot of his fellow policeman. A committee has been set up today, which will “study the merits of the police reforms”. One of Verma’s suggestions is a shift system that will require policemen to work for eight to 12 hours. This should improve their efficiency levels.

The issue of working hours has already been raised in a petition filed on May 13 — Babulal Mitharwal versus Union of India — in Delhi High Court. The matter will be heard on May 18. Mitharwal happens to be the same constable who wrote that anonymous letter to Verma.

Long work hours have been an issue with the police for years. Yet no one seemed to take any action against it. Mitharwal’s letter to Verma detailed how a 36-hour work shift was impossible to bear for any human being. It also spoke about how honest officers often are passed on for promotions. Mitharwal drew attention not only to the inhuman conditions in which most of the workforce was made to function in Delhi Police, but also highlighted how too few senior officials care about the wellbeing of their department.

Last year, the Bureau of Police Research and Development, reported that Delhi Police is severely understaffed. There is an urgent need to increase the workforce and that too across different ranks in the Delhi Police. The report also suggests  a young workforce might be attracted to the service if timings were in shifts.

Data indicates there is an urgent need to implement changes in the way Delhi Police functions at present. According to a medical survey conducted last year, the bulk of policemen in Delhi suffered from serious health issues, ranging from cardiac problems, alcoholism, insomnia, giddiness, hypertension to depression.