Notwithstanding their near-relentless duty enforcing the lockdown and monitoring those quarantined, the rural police have found time to hit on a campaign donating blood following reports of blood shortage in some blood banks.

Spearheaded by the district rural committees of the Kerala Police Association and Kerala Police Officers Association, the campaign will continue in the days to come.

“Eighteen police personnel donated blood at the Aluva blood bank on Wednesday and more will be part of the campaign. The idea is to organise the donation of blood without affecting the duty of the police personnel and creating crowd at the blood banks,” said M.V. Sanil, district secretary (rural), Kerala Police Association.

The associations choose Aluva blood bank after being told that there was shortage of blood of various negative groups since donors were not available as before owing to the lockdown. The Ernakulam rural police have around 2,200 personnel who are being deployed in three shifts in view of the lockdown.