MANGALORE: A month-long stint with the Udupi-based Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) has been made mandatory for police sub-inspectors (PSI) who are on probation, Additional Director-General of Police (recruitment and training) D.V. Guruprasad has said.

The 300-odd such sub-inspectors would be attached to the ANF in groups of 30 from March, Dr. Guruprasad told The Hindu over phone.

He said this would be part of their field operation training, which would give them a feel of the actual ground conditions in Malnad region, where the ANF was conducting its operations. Such a stint might come in handy in case they were deputed to the ANF in the future, he said.

Observing that the Karnataka State Reserve Police imparts commando training for select personnel in Bangalore, Dr. Guruprasad said the training revolved around man-made ground obstacles. It would be difficult to create forest environment at the KSRP facility. Since most of the action against naxalites was centred in hilly forest terrain, a month-long attachment with the ANF would help the recruits, he said.

He said there were no plans to make commando training compulsory for police personnel. Commandoes were meant to deal with specific exigencies and policemen might encounter such emergencies rarely, Dr. Guruprasad said. Commando training was meant for those who were physically fit and generally in the age group of 23 to 27. There was no need for all policemen to be commandoes, he added.

On plans to upgrade temporary police training schools in the State, Dr. Guruprasad said a proposal in this regard was awaiting Government's approval. The schools that would be upgraded included those at Belgaum, Bijapur, Dharwad, Mangalore, Mysore and Shimoga, he said. Such a move would bring all these schools under the direct supervision of a senior police office in-charge of training, he added.

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