Dr Shakti kumar Gupta
“Law enforcement is injurious to health.” On the face of it this statement may appear to be intriguing. Whoever made it had, however, closely studied the lives of policemen. Top civil administrators and police officers of proven merit like DharamVira, K.F. Rustamjee, N.S. Saxena, C.V. Narasimhan, K. Padmanabhaiah, J.F. Ribeiro, and Prakash Singh, among a host of others, have seriously examined the working of the police force and the people constituting it. The first four in this distinguished list have been associated with the National Police Commission whose voluminous report is all-encompassing. The all-round concern of all of them has been the image of the police force and how it should become a true friend of the people by sticking to the law and the Constitution not exposed to the charge of acting according to the whims of the political authority. The Supreme Court has also issued directives for ensuring police autonomy and accountability.
There is a reason nevertheless why the strong observation of Justice AnandNarainMulla of the Allahabad High Court continues to be evoked even today: “I say with all sense of responsibility that there is not a single lawless group in the whole country whose record of crime is anywhere near the record of that organized units which is known as the Indian Police Force.”
I am concerned with all that the above-mentioned men of exceptional talent, wisdom and experience have said and done. I have no credentials to claim to be in their league.I share their enthusiasm for having an efficient and disciplined police force and hospitable political stations where the ordinary people go with every hope of getting a fair deal. After all, the police is the only visible arm of the state power and expectations from it are very high.
At the moment my thoughts are focused mostly on what they have said about having a stress-free police force in terms of mental and physical health. This is perhaps because I am a citizen who happens to be a professional medical practitioner and administrator too. This is certainly because I belong to Jammu and Kashmir where I have seen the State police making a valiant struggle in the face of heavy odds ever since the onset of armed militancy in 1988. Nothing has appalled me more than the sight of uniformed men huddled in open trucks being driven from one place of posting to the other without any space even to breathe. This has been the case of para-military organisations as well. Fortunately there is some visible improvement in this regard in recent years and care is being taken to ensure that they have somewhat better travel facilities. Traffic police at most of the places continues to be exposed to air and noise pollution.
We must remember the time-tested phrase that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body; both are extremely important. To achieve this it is necessary to pay attention to the strength of the police force and create an environment in which the police men feel adequately comfortable while carrying out their varied onerous assignments. The first step is the rationalisation of police force so that there are enough of personnel available for maintenance of law and order, redressal of public grievances and detection of crimes. In the country, there is just one policeman for 761 persons well below the ratio of 1:568 considered ideal by the Bureau of Police Research and Development of the Union Home Ministry and far below the United Nations figure of 1:450. Jammu and Kashmir is not an exception. My home State actually was rocked by an unprecedented development in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the entire police structure collapsed in the Valley for some time: that it has emerged from the debris is an altogether different saga of courage.
Invariably the policemen are called upon to make supreme sacrifice in the discharge of their duties (42 men of Jammu and Kashmir Police were killed between September 2016 and August 2017). Hardly a day passes when one does not hear or read about them losing their lives so that we live safely. An observer has aptly remarked: “Police work is stressful, dangerous and often stigmatised. On a daily basis, any officer might come face to face with the worst humankind has to offer. They must make split second decisions between life and death while margins for error are slim and unforgiving.”
My personal experience in Jammu is of utter traffic chaos, overloaded vehicles, Traffic lights not functioning and non-adherence to lane discipline by both four wheelers and two wheelers. The two wheelers are often spotted without helmets and often suffer bad head injuries. It is thus important that adequate awareness and stringent application of traffic rules be done. This is where the role of Traffic police gets compounded.While he has to perform his duties the govt and the society have certain obligations towards them.
There are certain aspects that must be properly taken care of. One is to ensure that the policemen get adequate mental and physical rest. Since it may not be possible to introduce a shift system for them they should be given a compulsory weekly off and should be sent on annual earned leave every year. It is important that they spend quality time with their families and are able to read and write at pleasure for a part of the year so that they are able to concentrate on their tough job for the rest of it. Various studies have confirmed that the stress including sleep disorders and high blood pressure generated by round-the-clock duties is high among policemen and takes a toll of their morale and motivation. In the case of traffic policemen their exposure to hazardous elements like dust and pollutants is a potential invitation to carcinogenic elements. Indeed, it will take a lot of tension away from policemen serving in terrorism-affected states like ours if their children are given quotas for admission in educational institutions including professional colleges. It bears no reiteration that such facility should be available to children of martyrs.
It is time that Police force should be revered and incentivized both monetarily as well as with facilities so that they stand up with their head held high. There can be clear directives as to the rewards for what constitutes a meritorious act in the discharge of duties. Besides individuals, respective stations can be felicitated which will foster team spirit and enhance their performance. Policing should also be construed as social healing and the facilities for Policemen should be augmented suitably.A scheme should be devised that if beyond routine hours a policeman invests his time and helps in generating more revenue by virtue of Challans and fines then 20% of the revenue generated should be incentive for traffic police upto the rank of ASI. This will not only uplift their economic status but will also ensure high degree of honesty and integrity. 30% of the collected revenue should be kept in a corpus for welfare of police personnel and their welfare activities such as Police schools, Police Hospitals, Medical and Engineering institutes for wards of Police force. This can also be utilized for soft loans to police personnel. This will be a win-win situation for all.
In writing this I am simply supporting the views expressed from time to time by learned men both in the country and outside. A policeman in Jammu and Kashmir given the kind of tense and at times violent atmosphere we face has to compare with the best anywhere. We should spare a thought for his health and lifestyle.
I have come across in-depth valuable research done by Dr Claire Caruso and Dr Roger Rosa, researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness, which I find relevant for our milieu.
According to them lack of sleep and poor sleeping habits contribute to a variety of health problems in their police force such as: decreased faculties, decreased immune system, depression, work-related injuries, strained relationships, heart disease, cancer and mood disorders. Their tips for a happy and healthy life are: when working shift work, allow enough time to get adequate sleep between shifts; stay away from heavy foods and alcoholic beverages before going to sleep; reduce your caffeine intake and stay away from caffeine and other stimulants for several hours before you try to sleep; choose a quiet, dark, cool and comfortable place to sleep, especially if sleeping during nonstandard hours; eat a healthy, balanced diet; establish and maintain an exercise routine to reduce stress, improve personal healthand if one finds that one is having difficulty dealing with the stresses of the job or getting enough sleep, one should seek professional medical help as soon as possible.
Likewise researches from the University of New York at Buffalo working closely with the Buffalo PoliceDepartment have produced the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study, published in the International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, suggesting a strong link between police stress and poor health: “40 percent of officers were obese as compared to 32 percent of the general population; 25 percent of officers demonstrated signs of metabolic syndrome compared to 18.7 percent of the general population; Officers faced an increased risk of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and brain cancer after 30 years of service; suicide rates were eight times higher among active duty law enforcement officers as opposed to those who had retired or resigned from the police force.”
The basis of the study was “the belief that high demands are placed upon law enforcement, which would, in turn, lead to chronic health problems. It is widely understood that police officers face tremendous physical and psychological stress on a daily basis. Generally speaking, the encounters police officers have with the public are unpleasant ones; rarely are officers called to give someone good news.Officers are required to deal with numerous stress-inducing situations, including scenes of death and dismemberment, argumentative traffic violators, aggressive subjects, and miserable, upset, angry or depressed individuals.Add to this the pressure, uncertainty and yes, even fear, of wondering whether the next person they interact with is going to be the one that tries to take their life or who will force them to take the life of another. It is easy to imagine, then, how stressful the job can easily become.”
Small wonder then that the US has adopted the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 which envisages that the Department of Justice, in consultation with the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans Affairs, would develop resources to equip local law enforcement agencies to address mental health challenges faced by officers. It also makes grants available to initiate peer mentoring pilot programmes, develop training for mental health providers specific to law enforcement mental health needs, and support law enforcement officers by studying the effectiveness of crisis hotlines and annual mental health checks.
In the beginning I have referred to the Commission and several persons who have done yeoman service to the cause of police reforms. There has been some follow-up to their recommendations. A lot more needs to be done and should be done. In Jammu and Kashmir, from the website of the police, I find that a scheme has been drafted for the welfare of the uniformed men. It looks like a health insurance scheme, which has its own use. Something more ought to be done to introduce lifestyle changes for the better health of a policeman. The police authorities should take the lead in this regard to frame a policy for overcoming stress orders and the political leadership should back to the hilt the pursuit of such a healthy goal.
(The author is Medical Superintendent, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr R P Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, New Delhi)
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