In an important police reform, the new Madhya Pradesh government has offered police personnel on its rolls a weekly off day. The weekly off day is an important part of a worker’s life allowing one to rest, recharge, devote time to family, or spend on recreation. All over the world, the weekly off day is accepted as an important component of a healthy and happy workforce.
A government can rightly take credit for good governance when its citizens are happy. The feelings expressed by MP cops who experienced their first off day would resonate with most citizens, especially those in the formal work force who consider an off day a given. Even those in the informal work force aspire for this “luxury”.
The case for giving police officers the off day is further strengthened by recent research which attributed unprofessional conduct and police brutality to the high levels of stress they face. Last year, Mumbai police implemented eight hour work days in all police stations after a successful pilot experiment. What complicates matters is the shortfall in hiring. India has a shortfall of nearly six lakh police personnel,
MP, for instance has just 112 police per lakh population in 2013 against the national average which is only marginally better at 138. It remains to be seen if MP will go the whole hog on police reforms so that these benefits to the police truly translate to the people. Supreme Court’s Prakash Singh judgment of 2006 offers a ready template. But will chief minister Kamal Nath bite that bullet?
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