Cops granted compulsory rest to ease work pressure: DGP

CHENNAI: A compulsory rest has been granted to all police personnel to ease their mental pressure and they would also be given counselling, said the DGP C Sylendra Babu here on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the symposium for the police officials on the prevention of custodial deaths, the DGP said as many as 950 deaths took place under police custody across the nation in the past 10 years out of which as many as 84 took place in Tamil Nadu.

“The Chief Minister is very particular to prevent the custodial deaths. He has advised that there should never be any more custodial deaths in the state and the police department has been initiating various steps,” he said.

In order to sensitise against the custodial deaths, a training programme has been given to the police personnel at various levels. “It can not be argued that the accused die under the custody of police alone. But several of them die under the medical monitoring due to their poor health condition”, he said.

Stating that a few accused even attack the police, the DGP said, the police are given self defence trainings like traditional martial art, karate and Kung fu, he said.

Meanwhile, the DGP said that around 1.13 lakh police personnel were given training through psychiatrists and these trained cops would give training to the remaining police, he said.

Simialrly, the department has been providing compulsory leave to the cops to ease themselves from the work pressure, the DGP added.