Tamil Nadu Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran has issued an alert to all Commissioners/Superintendents of Police in the State to keep a close watch on police personnel who had come to adverse notice for attempting to form an association of policemen in the past.
With posters coming up on the Armed Reserve police campus at St. Thomas Mount here claiming that a delegation comprising family members of police personnel had planned to meet the Chief Minister at the Secretariat to represent their grievances, the DGP has directed senior police officers to take appropriate measures to “avert any unpleasant development”.
The instructions come in the backdrop of messages shared on the social media, purportedly by some police personnel, calling for formation of an association to highlight certain grievances of the rank and file. The messages that went viral on WhatsApp and Facebook underlined the demand for eight-hour duty, weekly off and abolition of the orderly system.
Mr. Rajendran urged the police officers to monitor postings on social media platforms, prevent circulation of provocative messages and initiate action in accordance with law. In view of the ongoing Assembly session in which the demand for the department will be taken up for discussion on July 6, 7 and 10, he said the “disgruntled elements may step up their slanderous activities…in view of the sensitivity of the subject matter, please gear up your intelligence machinery, motivate the staff and keep their morale high.”
Old demand
The need to form an association for the police personnel has been felt across the State every now and then. Police constables who spoke to The Hindu were of the view that their salary was not commensurate with the work. While employees of other departments had better salary and working conditions, police personnel worked 365 days without the concept of weekend or weekly off, they said, and alleged that even leave for personal exigencies was scarcely granted.
Major burden
The burden of work coupled with less of family time has taken a toll on their health. “Since there is hardly any off or leave, police personnel are not able to spend quality time with their family members. Many develop health problems like diabetes or hypertension at an early age…this can be seen in the annual health check-up reports,” a head constable said. According to police sources, abolition of the orderly system is another long-pending demand. The allegation is that hundreds of policemen and vehicles are deployed to attend to the personal work of senior police officers at their residences.
“It is a fact that police officers use police constables and official vehicles for domestic work at home. It is another matter that these men and vehicles are deployed for official purposes on record. There are a few police officers who have more than a dozen police constables working at their home…it is a common sight to see police vehicles at malls and schools,” a senior police officer acknowledged. Nonetheless, he claimed that only a few officers were misusing the facilities.
When contacted, Mr. Rajendran said police personnel were already entitled to weekly offs, which were subject to exigencies of work. Whenever police had to forego a weekly off and report to work, they were paid Extra Time Remuneration.
