The lower echelons of the Mumbai police force that had for a long faced high levels of stress at work, can now heave a sigh of relief. For, police constables and assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) in 75 per cent of 94 police stations across the metropolis made a welcome transition from the hither-to 12 hour work shifts to eight-hour shifts from Wednesday.
Having successfully implemented “on-duty-eight hours” concept for constables and ASIs in Deonar police station in north-east Mumbai and a few other police stations in other parts of the city last year, Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar announced the replication of the concept in 70-odd police stations in the city.
Speaking at a “Mission: eight hours” programme, Padasalkar said: “We did initially face some difficulty in implementing 8-hour shift in a few police stations last year. However, because of periodic interventions by the senior police officials, we implemented the Rs on-duty-eight hours’ experiment successfully in Deonar and a few other police station successfully”
“Initially, we will be enforcing eight-hour shifts to constables and APIs. Gradually, we will enforce eight-hour schedules to officer levels as well,” Padsalkar said.
This is for the first time in the 153-year-old history of the 48,000-strong Mumbai police force that eight-hour shifts have been introduced for its lower echelons.
“During the first phase, we will cover 75 per cent of 94 police stations in the city. During the course of next one month, we will cover all the police stations in the metropolis,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Deepak Deoraj told “The Pioneer” here in the evening.