Drunk on duty: Bengaluru cops to be sent to de-addiction camps

Bengaluru: Alcohol addiction has been a problem for many policemen in the state for a long time now. There have been complaints from citizens about police drunk on duty.

In a humane move, the police department has decided to send the alcoholics in the police force into de-addiction treatments.

Like any other, policemen are also human and are susceptible to the same stressors that affect the common man. Police officials say health issues, family clashes, and other personal reasons are behind addiction to intoxicating substances. The situation is compounded by the hectic and often demanding police work, they said.

The city’s police department will be sending the cops found to be drunk on duty for treatment. Police officials have been asked to submit a list of such policemen to the Administrative division.

Such policemen will be sent to the KS Hegde Charitable Hospital in Mangaluru in batches of 8-10. They will be escorted to the de-addiction center under the supervision of a PSI or ASI rank officer. The treatment will last for 10 days, police sources said.

The treatment regime will be comprehensive to address the root cause of the addiction. After the completion of the treatment regime, the policemen will have to compulsorily attend personal counseling sessions every month to monitor and prevent cases of relapse, sources said.

Around 26 police personnel have already joined work after availing of the treatment in the past month alone.

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner said that the initiative is a step towards “citizen-friendly policing”. It is a continuous process that aims to reform policemen suffering from alcoholism, he added.