High stress lays police force low

MUMBAI: The recent shooting by a police sub-inspector of his superior has again brought into focus the tremendous work pressure and strain faced by the city''s 38,000-odd police force.
PSI Ramchandra Bhoir,who fired at senior police inspector H.S. Saeed, was under stress because his family lived far away in a village near Pen in Raigad district, said additional commissioner of police V.P.Kamble. The bullet missed Mr Saeed.
"Bhoir travels to Pen everyday.He told me that he had four daughters, all of whom are yet to be married," Mr Kamble said. Mr Bhoir is also facing an inquiry for remaining absent from duty for a year and a half when he was posted at the local arms division in Mumbai a few years ago.
An increasing number of policemen have succumbed to work pressure over the past few years. "The men are working under tiring conditions, especially after the communal riots of 1992-93 and the serial bomb blasts in March 1993," a senior inspector said.
A crime branch official added that stress would be reduced if policemen work in three shifts of eight hours each. Police commissioner M.N. Singh had submitted a proposal to reduce the policemen''s working hours to eight hours from between 10 hours and 12 hours now. But no action has been taken on the proposal yet.
"The talk about reducing the working hours has been going on for ages. Nothing has happened till date and we have lost all hope," a constable posted at the crime branch said.
There has been a steady increase in stress-related problems among high-ranked police officers too. A deputy commissioner said that there had been instances in which senior officers had got themselves transferred, fearing that their superiors would harass them. "The reason such cases do not get highlighted is because most officers prefer to keep quite," he said. Diseases like blood pressure, hypertension and diabetes are common among these officers.
In September 2000, assistant inspector Datta Bhargude threatened to commit suicide after reportedly being humiliated by a senior IPS officer.
In May 1999, senior police inspector Shrikant Chavan died of a heart attack while on duty at the chief minister''s bungalow. In the same month, a 32-year-old constable, Shekhar Shinde, died of a heart attack.
In February 1998, senior inspector S.M. Sabde, attached to the crime branch control office, threatened to commit suicide after being allegedly harassed by a senior IPS officer.
In January 1997, inspector Mahadev Jadhav committed suicide at Kalachowky police station after allegedly being harassed by a senior. In November 1996, 36-year-old deputy commissioner of police Deepak Jog died of a heart attack.
Some time ago, the Bombay Psychiatry Society had expressed its willingness to prepare a module on mental health for policemen free of cost.
The programme included mental health training at entry levels for constables, sub-inspectors and IPS officers. But nothing seems to have materialised so far. Although there are several police workshops on tackling stress, there appears to be no consistent plan of action.
"If you want to have dinner with your kids, or watch TV with your family, policing is not the job for you," said a sub-inspector. Children of policemen often go astray as their fathers are rarely at home. The classic example is that of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, whose father was a head constable in the crime branch.