Policemen addicted to alcohol to undergo treatment

By NT Correspondent

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

The Bengaluru police department has now decided to send policemen addicted to alcohol to undergo deaddiction treatment.

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, Kamal Pant, 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.

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

The city’s police department will be sending the police found 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 K.S. Hegde Charitable Hospital in Mangaluru in batches of 8-10. They will be escorted to the de-addiction centre there, 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 counselling 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.