Lockdown brought to fore the humane face of policing

On the first anniversary of the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, the Delhi Police on Wednesday said it has, so far, lost 34 personnel to the viral infection, while 7,733 personnel were infected

On the first anniversary of the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, the Delhi Police on Wednesday said it has, so far, lost 34 personnel to the viral infection, while 7,733 personnel were infected. Even so, the force did its best to bring relief to people amid the pandemic -- it distributed over 12 million food packets to the needy, while 997 pregnant women were shifted to various hospitals in police vehicles during the lockdown.

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In a statement issued on Wednesday, the city police mentioned how they helped people by issuing movement passes, delivering food, ration and other essentials, apart from taking care of senior citizens, migrants and stray animals.

Terming 2020 a “challenging year”, the Delhi Police said the lockdown brought about a paradigm shift in policing while putting a humane face on the law enforcing mechanism. After the nationwide lockdown was announced beginning March 24, police were among the first responders to the Covid-19 pandemic and were called the “Corona Warriors,” along with health care personnel and sanitation workers, the statement read.

“So far, Delhi Police has lost 34 of its own -- they died while discharging their duties during the pandemic. A total of 7,733 personnel were infected, while 7,688 personnel have recovered, so far,” said city police spokesperson Chinmoy Biswal.

While enforcing the lockdown in Delhi, Biswal said the focus of the force was to ensure that there was no panic among the people. The force also ensured that migrants had a regular supply of food, medicines, and other essentials during the months of restriction. All 15 police districts organised food networks through community kitchens.

Apart from the food distribution, the police also started a helpline to address grievances of the public and to tackle emergency situations such as providing relief measures to the hungry, shelter to the stranded and aid to the helpless. The patrolling vans doubled up as ambulances for ailing and serious patients, thousands of whom were safely transported to and from hospitals.

“A total of 997 women in labour were transferred to hospitals in PCR vans while nine babies were delivered in vans with the help of our personnel. In one such case, constable Dayaveer of Ashok Vihar police helped a pregnant woman shift to a hospital where he helped her deliver the child. The family named the child Dayaveer, after the policeman,” said Biswal, adding that several recovered personnel became plasma donors for those who were seriously infected.

The city police said they issued movement passes to many whose family members were stranded at different locations outside the city and also to those who wanted to attend funerals of their loved ones in other states. “We were also monitoring emergencies flagged on social media and addressing them as quickly as possible. Medicines were made available to patients at their doorstep while issues of senior citizens were also taken care of,” said Biswal.

According to Biswal, as a mass movement of migrant labourers towards their home towns in other states was one of the biggest challenges before the force -- these workers were persuaded by the police to stay at their homes or in shelters homes.

“As migrants were already in distress, the police were briefed to be extra polite with them. Supplies of food, water and other essentials were distributed to them with the help of the civil administration, NGOs and civil society. When the lockdown was gradually eased, proper arrangements were made for them to reach their home towns,” added Biswal.