While performing their duties, 5600 policemen contracted Covid out of which 3500 have recovered so far. 33 policemen lost their battle to Covid

Ujjawala Nayudu

New Delhi, May 18

As Delhi faced the fury of the second wave of Covid 19, the Delhi Police became the first line of defense for the citizens to implement Covid protocols, root out Covidcheats and extend humanitarian help putting their health at risk. Delhi Police ensured their policemen are immunized with healthcare facilities and protection. 

Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava took the onus of ensuring policemen and their families are secured. 

Delhi police force has 79,000 policemen in the national capital. Over 3, 00,000 persons are roughly a part of the police families in the national capital. 

Most of them live in police barracks spread across the city with bigger clusters at police training college in Jharoda Kalan, Dwarka, Wazirabad. Some other centres like the new police lines complex, Malviyanagar and Vikaspuri too have large number of policemen staying.

The policemen have been working 24/7 in the police stations on regular duties, investigations, nakabandis on road, lockdown implementation, crack down on black marketers of life saving drugs, supplying oxygen cylinders, medicines and more. The policemen this year even cremated hundreds of Covid patients whose families couldn’t do the needful. 

Ensuring a policeman’s good health was the first step the provide security in the city that faced immense shortage of resources. 

DCP (Welfare), Asif Mohd Ali said, “Police are the frontline workers and the first line of defense while performing duties at the police station or on the roads. However, this year, the police extended humanitarian services at unimaginable scale. At the district level, the DCPs have ensured the policemen received kits of masks, sanitizers, gloves, and supplements of Zinc, Vitamin C, PPE kits, face shields and more. We ensured the basic protection is fully provided. The policemen are being regularly checked for medical attention. The Ayush Mantralaya provide immunity boosters to all policemen”. 

The Delhi CP had also instructed all DCPs to ensure the SHOs of respective police stations ensure any policeman with Covid symptoms is immediately taken for tests and provided immediate medical care. 

The Delhi Police set up special Covid Care Centres at Rohini and Shahdara for the policemen and their families. The health of the family members of the frontline workers also remains at risk. 

The Covid care centres have been set up with Shahdara police station complex with 78 beds of which 20 are with oxygen support. The Rohini facility has 20 beds of which 10 are oxygen beds. Similarly, another Covid care facility is underway at Dwarka Police Training College. 

The doctors are provided by GTB hospital and nurses and paramedic staff are being provided by Jamia Hamdard Foundation while oxygen cylinders are being provided by Sewa Bharati. The facility and medicines are provided from Delhi Police resources, including a dedicated ambulance, which will be stationed there, to attend to emergencies. A police team under an Inspector is looking after the facility and coordination in each place. 

DCP Ali added, “48 policemen availed the facility at Shahdara while 57 at Rohini after the new Covid care centres were set up out of which some were sent for home isolation. 33 of them were referred to hospitals”. 

BW Policeworld visited the police lines in the city, Malviyanagar and Vikaspuri. The police families staying at the police expressed gratitude towards the aide from Delhi Police. 

A police family at Malviyanagar whose one member is Covid positive said, “We were anxious and helpless when we wanted medical help and the city hospitals were full with no beds available. However, the coordination with the senior officers in Delhi Police helped us to get help in few hours”. 

When asked the policemen who are Covid positive and require home isolation, the police families stated that since the residential facility is huge, they were letting the policemen occupy the house while they managed through other resources for 14 days. 

The police lines are also voluntarily making immunity boosters like kaadha, turmeric milk and other products which are distributed among the police families. 

As per the data with the Delhi Police welfare department, 5600 policemen from Delhi contracted Covid in the second wave while 3500 have recovered so far. 33 policemen passed away due to Covid while 34 had passed away during the first wave. 

The senior officer of Delhi Police have formed a group to cater to the SOS calls and other needs of the police families to ensure they receive help. The Covid helpline started for distressed citizens and complaints of black marketing was also extended to police families to call for help. 

The Delhi Police has also taken a strong step to ensure good mental health for the policemen. The police department is conducting webinars on awareness and coping strategies.  

DCP Ali added, “The mental health of the policemen is very important especially during the times when they are dealing with distress every minute. The senior officers started holding webinars with psychiatrists from top hospitals in the city to counsel policemen and hear their woes. They are being guided regularly on various aspects of mental health during the pandemic”.