Innovation in training police

Friday, March 5. 1999

By S. Durairaj TUTICORIN. March 4

Raja. the five-year old sniffer dog, is brought to the scene of crime – a cold blooded murder – shortly after the wailing relatives and a close friend of the deceased rush to the nearby police station to formally lodge a complaint. Having scented a piece of cloth left b% the accused. Raja commences his hunt. Running to some distance. the German Shepherd locates the hideout of the accused and approaches him with a menacing look. The lungi-clad accused has no other alternative than to meekly- surrender even as Raja holds his hand between the jaws.

Meanwhile, the police swing into action. The finger print experts and scientific assistants descend tin the scene. All possible clues including the change finger-prints, sunken foot prints etc. are collected even as the inquest is conducted by the enquiry officer in the presence of two witnesses.

The “scene of crime”: a makeshift structure at the Vallanadu police shooting range and training centre, a bum 40 km from the port town. The occasion: monthly mobilisation programme for police officers and men belonging to the Tuticorin (Rural) sub-division.

Any onlooker would have mistaken it for a real scene of crime, if he had not been informed in advance about the enactment of the ease only as a simulation exercise fur the investigation of the crime related to a murder for gain.

The chain of steps involved from receipt of complaint at the police station to arrest of the accused was clearly illustrated and explained through a lecture-cum-demonstration by team of police officers and men from the Tuticorin (Rural) sub-division.

In the end, all the 50 trainees raised questions which were satisfactorily answered by senior officers. Both the officers and men were excited as they attended this kind of simulation exercise for the first time in their service. Mr. Sandeep slittal. Assistant Superintendent of of Police (ASP) who supervised the programme, said.

Mr. Mittal said that the monthly mobilisation at sub-divisional level was an innovative scheme, the first of its kind in the State as a whole introduced by the Superintendent of Police. Mr. Rajesh Das. on the limp of the training given in the National Police Academy. All the seven police sub-divisions in the district- Tuticorin frown), Tuticorin (rural), Maniyachi. V; lathi Warn. Srivaikuntam. Kovilapatti and Tiruchendure- will mobilise the entire force in the respective sub-division every month and impart practical training to nearly 1800 men and officers,

Going by the dictum. ”seeing is believing”, the police personnel are given training on a wide range of subjects. For instance. the variety of subjects offered by the Tutictirin (rural) sub-division in its first monthly mobilisori,in included practice of important yogasanas such as Bhujangasana, Shalabhasana, Sarvangasana. Mayurasana. Dhanurasana and Shavasana, which were useful to the police. case study of law and order problems in the communally sensitive district. contingency plan to tackle law and order and communal problems and interaction with a team of medical personnel on stress management in police force.

Indoor classes on different topics were conducted b‘ the police officers including the SP and ASP Apart from the maintenance of station records, practical tips related to court work and procedures. escorting prisoners, human rights of the accused and investigation of crimes such as murder and dacoity were provided to the police personnel during the indoor training.

Close on the heels of the indoor and nutdoor training, all the 511 police personnel conducted a prohibition raid at a village on the Tuticorin-Tirunelveli border. ‘Teams were also formed to execute non-bailable warrants.