Capital policing likely to be normal by October 1st week

BHUBANESWAR: Normalcy in the functioning of police stations here is likely to return in the first week of October, said commissioner of police Sudhanshu Sarangi as the Covid positive caseload in police force in the city has so far touched nearly 800. Three police personnel have succumbed to the virus in the city.
Basic policing has been adversely hit with the virus infecting personnel of almost all police stations in the capital city. Officers of various ranks, including zonal assistant commissioner of police (ACP) and inspector-in-charge (IIC) of police stations have contracted Covid-19.
“Our personnel are on a recovery path. But it will take some time. Possibly by the first week of October, we expect normalcy in policing. Despite all odds, we are trying our best to ensure that the delivery of police-related services remains unaffected,” Sarangi said.
The alarming rise in Covid cases in the city these days has taken a heavy toll on the police force with patrolling, enforcement drives, raids and investigation of cases taking a beating. A number of personnel of almost all police stations are either undergoing treatment in Covid hospitals or in isolation.
“Compliance of court-related instructions, quality of investigation and timely submission of charge-sheets in courts have been affected due to the shortage of staff these days. We expect a sudden rise in the pendency of cases in the near future,” another police officer said. To ensure contactless work, the police stations recently installed complaint and grievance boxes outside their premises.
“We have screened all our staff above 50 years of age and identified personnel with underlying health conditions that enhance their risks of developing serious symptoms in the event of infection. They have been asked to carry out work like writing case diaries from home. We expect this to be very helpful in moderating the overall impact,” Sarangi said.
Test centres have been set up at police hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for conducting rapid antigen test of police personnel reporting symptoms. “We can't stop doing our work. We have test centres already established to screen the arrested accused so that we can test contacts and isolate. We also ensure that the police personnel wear personal protective equipment,” he said.