‘No, not lathis’: DGP spells out lockdown SOPs to cops

Tamil Nadu DGP JK Tripathy has issued various Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for police personnel to follow during the two-week lockdown, starting Monday. 

Instructions from the Director General of Police include the police force to behave reasonably with public and frontline workers. Police are also asked not to use lathis to disperse crowds. Instead, use a public address system, he said. 

He also asked the police to register cases against vehicles violating lockdown, but to avoid seizing them. Instead, take pictures of the vehicles, he said. 

In a communication issued on Saturday, the head of the state police force said the police should not exhibit anger towards the public and avoid getting into arguments with other government staff including doctors and sanitary workers. 

Police personnel should also instruct small traders and hawkers to shut shops in a very polite manner, noted the circular from the DGP. 

The circular also noted that the police should ensure unhindered movement of vehicles carrying essential commodities including grocery, vegetables, medicines and medical equipment and oxygen cylinders. 

He added that awareness about lockdown should be created among members of the public. Policemen have been ordered to click pictures of vehicles flouting lockdown norms while registering a case. He added that if vehicles have to be seized, they should be released soon and till then they should be parked in open ground and not on police station premises. 

The DGP had instructed not to deploy police personnel above 50 years of age, those with ailments and women personnel for vehicle checks and picketing. 

He said that the police personnel should be deployed on a five-hour shift basis and only those who have taken two vaccine doses should be deployed in crowded areas. He ordered all those on duty to wear masks, gloves and use sanitisers. 

He added that suspects should not be locked up in police stations. If there is an unavoidable need, permission should be taken from senior officers. Also, the public should not be allowed to enter police stations.