MUMBAI: A police study has concluded that the general poor health of cops is the root cause of the large number of Covid deaths among the Mumbai constabulary as compared to other government units, barring health workers. The police department has recommended that younger personnel from the constabulary should be deployed for frontline Covid duty, in containment zones and hospitals, as their recovery rate is better than that of older cops.
“The slight nudge by Covid results in the already unhealthy amongst our men to fall. Cops are always on the edge even in normal circumstances due to long duty hours, poor diet, living conditions, (lack of) exercise and unhealthy eating. Many of the cops who died had comorbidities and hence we want to improve the general health of the constabulary so that they will be in a better position to fight various diseases,” said Naval Bajaj, joint commissioner of police (administration).
The report says that infection occurs due to exposure to high viral load over a period of time and hence cops should be deployed on rotation basis, alternating between high- and low-risk duty. Also, intervening rest periods of two to three days should be given for the body to recuperate from viral exposure. “One cop should not be posted in a containment zone for a second consecutive day and he should be given proper rest on the third day,” Bajaj said in his recommendation in the report.
As per the study, the armed police is the worst hit by Covid (see graphic), the reason being that with cops from various police stations falling sick and those aged 55 and above or those with comorbidities sent on leave, cops from the armed police were put on regular police duty, including frontline Covid work. But because the department is young, recovery has been high and the death rate low. That is not the story with the traffic branch, though. “The traffic police did not get replacements from armed police or motor transport. Also, the general health of traffic cops is very poor due to the harsh nature of their duties, including pollution and physical exertion,” said Bajaj.
Meanwhile, three more cops — a 54-year-old ASI from Thane, and a constable each from Ahmednagar police headquarters and Aurangabad railway police, both 53 — have died of Covid-19, taking the toll among police personnel to 98 in the state, of which 54 are from Mumbai.
(Inputs from V Narayan & Nishikant Karlikar)
“The slight nudge by Covid results in the already unhealthy amongst our men to fall. Cops are always on the edge even in normal circumstances due to long duty hours, poor diet, living conditions, (lack of) exercise and unhealthy eating. Many of the cops who died had comorbidities and hence we want to improve the general health of the constabulary so that they will be in a better position to fight various diseases,” said Naval Bajaj, joint commissioner of police (administration).
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The epidemic which exposes the general population’s vulnerabilities, also reveals the state of health of frontline workers. For long, it’s been a point of debate that the force lacks an acceptable level of fitness. Their work culture engenders an erratic lifestyle and builds unmanaged stress. This is a wake-up call for their superiors.
The report says that infection occurs due to exposure to high viral load over a period of time and hence cops should be deployed on rotation basis, alternating between high- and low-risk duty. Also, intervening rest periods of two to three days should be given for the body to recuperate from viral exposure. “One cop should not be posted in a containment zone for a second consecutive day and he should be given proper rest on the third day,” Bajaj said in his recommendation in the report.
As per the study, the armed police is the worst hit by Covid (see graphic), the reason being that with cops from various police stations falling sick and those aged 55 and above or those with comorbidities sent on leave, cops from the armed police were put on regular police duty, including frontline Covid work. But because the department is young, recovery has been high and the death rate low. That is not the story with the traffic branch, though. “The traffic police did not get replacements from armed police or motor transport. Also, the general health of traffic cops is very poor due to the harsh nature of their duties, including pollution and physical exertion,” said Bajaj.
Meanwhile, three more cops — a 54-year-old ASI from Thane, and a constable each from Ahmednagar police headquarters and Aurangabad railway police, both 53 — have died of Covid-19, taking the toll among police personnel to 98 in the state, of which 54 are from Mumbai.
(Inputs from V Narayan & Nishikant Karlikar)
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