Police officials at mercy of COVID-19 amidst rising positive cases

Rawalpindi:In wake of coronavirus pandemic, apart from general public, police officials playing frontline force role are the most vulnerable to fall victim to the pandemic without proper access to personnel protection equipment against coronavirus.

Police officials have been fulfilling responsibilities at sealed areas following suspects of coronavirus as well as at special pickets to monitor law and order situation and routine policing affairs at police stations in a bid to resolve public issues.

In last one week, as many as 35 officials of Rawalpindi police were tested positive with coronavirus including six station house officers (SHOs) of different police stations of Rawalpindi including SHOs Gujjar Khan, Taxila, Sadar-Bairuni, Rata Amaral, Naseerabad and Civil Lines police stations, and senior officials of Rawalpindi including ASP New Town Imran Khan, DSP Headquarters Azhar Hussein and DSP City Circle Asar Ali. Among other confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Rawalpindi Police include Inspectors Nadeem Abbas, Ijaz Hussein, and Yaseen, sub-inspectors, Ahsan Kiani, Shakeel Ahmed, Anwarul Haq, Rashid Minhas, Ghulam Ali, Shamsher Ahmed, Abdul Rehman, head constables, Mukhtar Ahmed, Amir Ijaz, Fiaz-ul-Hassan and constables, Shahid Habib, Muhammad Yasir, Bilal Haider, Wajid Ali, and Muhammad Imran.

On the other hand, 49 police officials of ICT Police have also been tested positive with COVID-19 including three SHOs of ICT including Bhara Kahu, Kohsar and Women police stations, while dozens of ASIs, SIs having symptoms of coronavirus have also been tested positive for coronavirus and were quarantined at their respective homes with subsequent precautionary measures.

A police official fulfilling responsibilities at a police picket on the main artery of Islamabad said, “We are at the mercy of coronavirus, we are not provided with personal protection equipment as doctors are being provided. The police department has provided us masks and sanitisers, we have no hand gloves, as we have to check vehicles and documents, and we have no arrangements to ensure our safety against coronavirus suspects.” He also added that being a frontline force against COVID-19, it is the responsibility of senior officials of the police department to take care of the needs of police officials fulfilling responsibilities in the field.

Meanwhile, a police officer pleading not to be named said, SOPs and directives against coronavirus are not being observed at police barracks and suspects of COVID-19 are rising alarmingly. He added that 75 police officials were tested for coronavirus and their subsequent results will be received soon. The situation is getting grave and aggravated alarmingly and it looks there is no respite against this pandemic in the coming months.

Suspects of coronavirus are mounting in twin cities with each passing day and government in order to ensure implementation of Standard Operating procedures (SOPs) against COVID-19 use to assign police officials to ensure the directives of the government against coronavirus. In this scenario, police department with assistance of City district administration and volunteers of Civil defense has also been checking SOPs relating to usage of masks, sanitisers and social distancing in markets and shopping malls.

SOPs at the entrance in police stations are not being observed and there is the least concern among police officials and visitors visiting police stations in connection with their issues. There are also reports that police officials at respective police stations in Rawalpindi use to confiscate vehicles and motorcycles against violation of SOPs of coronavirus and use to make a mess of public inside police stations exposing themselves as well as to visitors to the risk of coronavirus.

CPO Rawalpindi DIG Muhammad Ahsan Younas vowed that Rawalpindi police is committed to serving the public to their best in wake of coronavirus. He said that the police department taking care of the victims of COVID-19 of the police force and all subsequent health, facilities will be provided to them.